Good For You

Experience life in the Australian bush with a stay at Hidden Valley Cabins in far north Queensland. Set near Running River on the western slope of the Paluma range, this genuine rustic retreat is perfect for those looking for a taste of Australiana.

A handful of log cabins form the bulk of the accommodation here and these have been designed to blend into the natural environment. There is a bar, restaurant and delightful outdoor BBQ spot as well as a covered entertainment area providing some home comforts.

Hidden Valley is all about getting back to nature and the numerous activities on offer are guaranteed to please even the most adventurous of traveller. The resort’s associated tour company offers a wide range of organised trips in the surrounding area including night safaris through the bush, two-day rainforest and waterfall safaris and day tours following the original mail route used in the 1900s.

Good For Australia

Hidden Valley Cabins & Tours has made a substantial commitment to environmental sustainability and minimising their environmental footprint. They are reputedly Australia’s first carbon neutral accommodation and tour company and are 100% solar powered.

The resort has been carefully designed to blend in with the environment. There are no steel structures, only local timber in a natural setting. Trees and vegetation planted around the resort are mostly native to blend into the natural landscape and to encourage wildlife. Hidden Valley actively educate their guests on the importance of preserving the environment and work closely with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy to protect vulnerable species such as the Northern Bettong (rat kangaroo).

Rooms

Food

Features & Facilities

• Swimming Pool
• Recreation Area
• BBQ Area
• Restaurant
• Bar

See Local Info & Activities for more

Local Info & Activities

Activities here focus on getting back to nature and there are a range of options in the surrounding area. Hidden Valley Tours, a young company that creates tours especially for the eco-friendly market, offers a number of organised tours for an additional cost.

Walking

Head out on one of the two walks around Hidden Valley Cabins. Number one follows the ridge to the top of the hill and looks out over the valley; it’s perfect for watching the sunset. Number two follows Pine Creek and is ideal for bird watching and animal lovers alike.

You can also stroll down to Running River to watch the Platypus frolic in the crystal clear water. Wander down around 5:00pm to 5:30pm to Running River Bridge.

Solar energy tour

Ask one of your friendly hosts to take you on a guided tour of our solar system. See the system working and educate yourself on renewable energy.

Night Safari

Hidden Valley offers a night safari for nature and adventure enthusiasts. Join Ian and Bonnie on an adventure through the dry sclerophyll scrub and see Australia’s cutest and in some cases rare nocturnal animals. See such animals as Gliders, numerous possums, night spiders, Rufous Bettongs, night birds, owls and much more. Meet at Hidden Valley Cabins in the bar at 8:30pm for a great evening of adventure, education and relaxation. Cost AU$10 per person.

Running River Gorge and Platypus Safari

Running River Gorge is located on Hidden Valley Station. Discover where ‘German Survivor’ was filmed, take a fishing rod and try your luck for the local black brim, have a swim in the beautiful fresh mountain water and simply relax while taking inthe amazing views.

Hidden Valley will organise a delicious picnic lunch to enjoy in the gorge. It’s an afternoon’s adventure of swimming, fishing, sun bathing, bush walking and relaxing until sunset. At dusk you’ll start the hunt for one of Hidden Valley’s most precious residents, the Platypus.

All you need to bring is comfortable walking shoes, a towel, and your swimmers. Tours leave from Hidden Valley Cabins at 1:00pm. Tour duration is approximately 5 hours arriving back at the resort around 6:00pm. Cost AU$30 per person.

Paluma Village

Grab a brochure of the walking tracks from your friendly hosts and plot your days adventure. Visit Paluma Pottery and view the unique designs of talented local potter Len Cook.

Mt Fox

Take the Drive to Mt Fox across the ‘Great Dividing Range’, where a dormant Volcano crater lies (it last erupted more than 100 thousand years ago). Walk to the top of the crater and enjoy the panoramic views and a picnic lunch.

Bird Watching

Spend the afternoon bird watching at Hidden Valley Cabins. There are over 130 species of birds in the area. Grab a copy of the bird list and advise from Hidden Valley’s expert, Bonnie and see how many you can find.

Lake Paluma

Take a Drive to Lake Paluma, visit Birthday Creek Falls for a swim, hike one of the many walking tracks around the lake, explore the local flora and fauna and see if you can discover yourself a Cassowary.

4WD

Enjoy the Thrill of 4W Driving? Ask your hosts for some local tracks where you can let you hair down and discover the rugged Outback.

Hidden Valley Mail Run

Step back in Time and discover the original mail route used in the 1900’s and in fact still used today. Join the mailman on the rugged 2.5-hour journey to Outback stations, hidden jewels and Iron Ore mines. Have a yarn and listen to the Mailman tails of adventure, meet the locals and their obscure mailboxes and join the race to deliver the mail on time.

Tour leaves twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:45am and returns to Hidden Valley Cabins at approximately 10:30am. Cost AU$20 per person.

INSIDER TIP/S Bring comfortable walking shoes and a jumper, as it can get a little chilly at night. Sunscreen, a hat, swimming costume and mosquito repellent are also recommended.

Sustainability

Hidden Valley Cabins & Tours has made a substantial commitment to environmental sustainability and minimising their environmental footprint. They are reputedly Australia’s first carbon neutral accommodation and tour company and operate on renewable energy.

Hidden Valley Cabins and Tours has completed in-house audits following the guideline set down by Climate Friendly to reduce all carbon emissions. After reducing all carbon based emissions Hidden Valley Cabins & Tours purchased carbon credits to offset the rest of the operational activities to make Hidden Valley Cabins and Tours the first accommodation and tour business in Australia to be Carbon Neutral.

Solar Power

Hidden Valley Cabins & Tours is 100% solar powered saving 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. This is Australia's first stand-alone system for a tourism resort with no support from grid power.

Hidden Valley is not on grid power and any infrastructure in the area has self-generation power. Hidden Valley Cabins has successfully applied through the federally funded, Renewable Remote Power Generation Scheme and has installed a stand alone solar system to run the entire resort 24 hours per day. The system consists of 12 KVA inverter, 90 x 130 watt solar panels delivering 120 volts DC into 60 x 2 volt 1660 amph batteries.

They are also including an interpretive centre for customers to explore the operational aspect of the renewable energy system, timelines on the development of the project and suggested ideas on how the consumer can help with the fight against climate change. There will be interpretive signage throughout the entire resort so guests can walk through at their leisure learning about the system and piecing together the story and learning key aspects of the system.

Power conservation

Hidden Valley Cabins has replaced conventional light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent, has reduced their power consumption from 2220 watts to an amazingly low 430 watts. This results in 18 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved every year (calculated by Rainbow Power, Nimbin). They turn off all major electrical appliances in the bar and entertainment area each night.

Waste management

Hidden Valley minimises waste by composting food and paper products for use in gardens. They are currently researching worm farms for use in waste management.

Education

Hidden Valley Cabins actively educate their guests and the public on the importance of protecting the environment in order to protect vulnerable species such as the Northern Bettong. They work closely with The Australian Wildlife Conservancy. During check-in, all guests are informed on power conservation and their renewable energy system.

Walking tracks

The tracks are very low impact and are maintained for aesthetics, ease of access and designed to prevent of erosion.

Recycling

Hidden Valley Cabins recycles all aluminium cans, cardboard, papers etc…

Accreditation & Committees

Advanced eco-tourism Australia accredited.

Native Plants

Trees and vegetation planted around the resort are mostly native to blend into the natural landscape and encourage the birds and animals to visit the resort.

Buildings

Hidden Valley Cabins was designed to blend in with the natural environment. There are no steel structures, only local timber in a natural setting.

AWARDS

North Queensland Tourism Awards 2007 – Winner, Hosted Accommodation North Queensland Tourism Awards 2007 – Winner, New Tourism Development Queensland Tourism Awards 2007 – Finalist, Hosted Accommodation

Eco-tourism Australia accreditation.

Getting There

Hidden Valley Cabins is located one and half hours northwest of Townsville, on the Western slope of the Paluma Range in North QLD. The nearest domestic airport is at Townsville and the nearest international airport is at Cairns.

Hidden Valley is on loops 11 & 12 of ‘The Great Tropical Drive’.

By Car – From Townsville

Head north on Bruce HWY towards Ingham. Turn left at ‘Paluma Range National Park’. Follow signs to Paluma, 24km’s past Paluma is Hidden Valley cabins (stick to main road). Turn right at sign ‘Hidden Valley Cabins’. Estimated time: 1hr 30mins For a more scenic route guests can travel from Townsville along Hervey’s Range Road. Follow Hervey’s range road from Thuringowa. Past star river bridge turn right onto Laroona Rd (sign on HWY to Hidden Valley). Turn right at Ewan junction to Hidden Valley. Drive through Hidden Valley Community; Turn left after bridge to Hidden Valley Cabins (Pine Creek Rd). Estimated time: 2hrs 30mins

By Car – From Cairns

Head south on Bruce HWY. Turn right at ‘Paluma Range National Park’ (half way between Ingham and Townsville). Follow signs to Paluma, 24km’s past Paluma is Hidden Valley cabins (stick to main road). Turn right at sign ‘Hidden Valley Cabins’. Estimated time: 4hrs

By Car – From Ingham

Follow signs to Mt Fox (through Treborne). Turn left at top of range onto Breakaway Rd (sign to Hidden Valley). Follow for 37km. Drive through Hidden Valley community. Turn left at ‘T’ Junction (sign to Hidden Valley Cabins). Turn left after bridge to Hidden Valley Cabins (Pine Creek Rd). Estimated time: 1hr 40mins

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

All prices are in Australian Dollars ($) per room per night.

• Homestead Room single $69.00
• Homestead Room double $79.00
• Rustic Outback Cabin single $139.00
• Rustic Outback Cabin double $149.00
• Rustic Outback Cabin triple $159.00
• Rustic Outback Cabin family $169.00

booking & cancellation policy

* Rates are per room, per night.

* Rates include some activities.

* Meals and drinks are not included in the rates.

* Long weekends require a minimum of a two night stay and incur an extra charge of AU$10 per night.

* Extra Person / Child Policy: Prices stated for triple and family cabins are for 2 adults and 1 child and 2 adults and 2 children respectively. (Children 2 - 15 yrs). Extra cost per adult, per night is: AUD $ 10.00. Children under 2 years of age stay for free, however Cots are not provided.

* No BYO Alcohol.

* No domestic pets unless otherwise authorised.

* All transactions are in Australian Dollars and include GST.

* No smoking in rooms.

* Tours – no refunds given. Route subject to weather. Notice of cancellation is received within 72 hours a credit will be given for the full amount and date can be changed for a convenient time at no extra cost. If notice of cancellation is received after 72 hours 100% of funds will be forfeited.

BOOKING & CANCELATION POLICY

* A 15% deposit is required within to confirm the reservation.

* If notice of cancellation is received within 72 hours a credit will be given for the full amount and date can be changed for a more convenient time at no extra cost. If notice of cancellation is received after 48 hours 100% of funds will be forfeited.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.