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It can sometimes be tricky to find a holiday destination that works well for your entire family. When you have different age groups, with different interests and different expectations of a holiday, it’s certainly a challenge finding the perfect family holiday destination.

Well, you can stop looking, because we have the ideal spot for you – the Bunya Mountains. Located in south-east Queensland, this natural wilderness area offers much for each member of the family. Here’s exactly why the Bunya Mountains makes a great family holiday destination.

There’s wildlife galore to interact with

One of the best things about the Bunya Mountains is the friendly, local wildlife that you’ll encounter. The mountain is home to a large number of wallabies who are quite used to human interaction. You’ll see them on the roadsides, in the backyard of your holiday property. Bunya Mountains Accommodation provides a huge range of holiday houses to hire – have a look here >> in the rainforest, at the café – in fact you’ll probably come across wallabies wherever you look. You can buy food from Poppies on the Hill Café or the general store to feed the wallabies, who are often tame enough to eat out of your hand.

As well, the Bunya Mountains is known for its friendly flock of king parrots and crimson rosellas, who can also be hand-fed with seed purchased from the Café or the Shop. It’s a common sight to see people surrounded by a flock of happy birds, sitting on their arms, shoulders and head. It’s a great experience for the kids – and the adults seem to love it too.

You might also encounter echidnas, bats, frogs, possums, sugar gliders, native marsupials, and a whole host of other native birds and animals at this natural wildlife paradise. It’s a truly unique experience, and one you don’t come across every day.

And your encounters with wildlife are not just limited to daytime, either. You can also go spotlighting at night to try and spot the many different types of nocturnal animals around.

There’s plenty of scenery to explore

The Bunya Mountains is renowned as a natural beauty area, and there’s a wealth of beautiful places and scenic vistas to explore. There’s bushwalks galore where you can discover the delights of the stunning mountain scenery, and they range from short strolls to long hikes, so there’s something for everyone. Visit some of the many lookouts and marvel at the view, or watch the fireflies in the rainforest during October and November. Try a

horse-and-cart ride around the mountain behind two enormous draught horses – the kids are sure to love it.

There’s even a giant strangler fig that straddles one of the walking trails, meaning you have to walk through it. Kids love it and it’s an ideal place to play hide and seek or snap that perfect holiday photo.

Play outdoor sports

With so much space, the Bunya Mountains is the perfect place for a friendly (or perhaps competitive, depending on your family) game of tennis, soccer, cricket, volleyball or badminton. There is a tennis court and racquets available for hire, but you’ll need to bring your own equipment to play other sports. And because the Bunya Mountains is at least five degrees cooler than lower elevations, it’s perfect outdoor activity weather all year round!

And if you’re into mountain biking, the Bunya Mountains is home to some brand-new mountain bike trails that are suitable for children – adventures await!

Go stargazing

The Bunya Mountains is a recognised dark sky area, so it’s the perfect place for a spot of stargazing. Take a star map and see how many different stars, galaxies and constellations you can spot (the answer is: a lot). Look for shooting stars, try your hand at a spot of astrophotography or just sit back, relax and enjoy gazing at the wonder of the universe.

Experience living history

Living history is all around at the Bunya Mountains. Look for the hand and foot holds in the large Bunya pines, that were made by indigenous climbers of old seeking the delicious bunya nuts. Or visit the Cedarvale History Cottage to discover the timber-cutting and indigenous history of the Bunya Mountains in greater depth.

Enjoy great food

Poppies on the Hill Café is well known for its great range of freshly-made and tasty locally-sourced food. You can dine in or pick up a BBQ pack to take back and enjoy at your accommodation. During bunya nut season you can try plenty of goodies created from the local bunya nuts – a healthy and tasty food source.

Limited reception and Wi-Fi

Now, this may sound like a drawback, but it’s actually fantastic to promote family interaction. We all know what it’s like to have kids constantly glued to their phones and continually on social media sites with friends – it really inhibits their ability to interact with, you know, actual real people. Having limited reception means that they’ll have to put down their devices and talk, socialise and interact with their family – and once they get used to the shock, they may even enjoy it! It’s a great chance to spend some family time without the distractions of technology – and to really get to know your kids again.

So, there you have it – the Bunya Mountains is sure to make for a memorable and enjoyable family holiday. And it can be as relaxing or energetic as you like – it’s really up to you. The Bunya Mountains is suitable for all ages and stages of life, so consider this mountain paradise next time you’re searching for the perfect family holiday destination.

Visit the Bunya Mountains Accommodation Centre website to choose your accommodation >>