As the seasons shift across Tropical North Queensland’s outback from the wet summer season into the drier and cooler months, the land around Mount Mulligan takes on a rhythm of its own. The team at Mount Mulligan Lodge chatted with their Activities Manager, Nieve, about what makes a stay at Mt Mulligan Lodge at the start of the new season so special.

In the words of prominent Australian travel journalist Steve Meacham who recently stayed at Mt Mulligan Lodge “when it comes to guides in the outback, there aren’t many more qualified than Nieve Liveri at Mt Mulligan Lodge – Liveri is a trained nurse, jillaroo, saddler, shearer, marine biologist, bush botanist and snake catcher – and she’s only 25”.

Nieve has bared witness to how the landscape at Mt Mulligan changes across multiple seasons, and has a unique sense of what makes each season in outback North Queensland so unique. “At the lodge, we notice the seasons evolve first observing the changing light across the escarpment, then breathing in the cool scent of native mint and eucalyptus that fills the air, and finally listening to the increased chorus of birds and native wildlife that comes to life with the season shift”, Nieve explains.

“I always say to guests: leave your brain on the dirt road or in the heli—we’ll take care of the rest. We take the thinking out of your holiday so you can truly switch off”

It’s not just the views that strike guests when they arrive, though they are spectacular. Nieve describes that first moment with an arrival Champagne in hand, stepping into the open-air lodge, eyes adjusting to the scale of the place, as “one of quiet awe”. “I always say to guests: leave your brain on the dirt road or in the heli—we’ll take care of the rest. We take the thinking out of your holiday so you can truly switch off”, Nieve says.

And over the days that follow, that initial awe deepens. Certain moments stop guests in their tracks: watching the sky ignite with colour at dawn after hiking through the stillness of the pre-dawn bush; resting by the weir at a secluded lookout as the sun sinks behind the mountain; stargazing in silence under the clearest night sky they’ve seen in years. “They realise this isn’t just a holiday,” Nieve explains, “It’s something more special.”

Nieve’s top picks from our bespoke experiences for the season ahead?

  • Sunrise gorge hike – “a slow, steady climb with a reward that’s hard to put into words”
  • Myra Myra Ridge – “for panoramic views that make you feel like you’re on the edge of the world”
  • Celestial Dreams– “a stargazing experience that brings astronomy and awe together”

But perhaps the greatest transformation is internal. “They go from running around like headless chickens to lying by the weir with a fishing rod and a beer—and not feeling guilty about it. By the end of a stay, guests are moving at the pace of the land. Slower, softer, and more present.”

If Nieve had to sum up the Mt Mulligan experience in three words? “Magical. Adventure. Peaceful.”

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