Spicers Hidden Vale

Last weekend, the Epic Australian team hit the road and headed west for a quick weekend getaway at Spicers Hidden Vale.

Spicers Hidden Vale is a luxurious country retreat about an hour’s drive outside of Brisbane, Queensland.  With 31 rooms in total, the accommodations are designed in the style of a traditional Australian Station aka Ranch homestead from a bygone era, featuring beautifully restored cottages scattered throughout the grounds.

Spicers Hidden Vale sits on 12,000 acres of true Australian Bush with nothing but the miles and miles of untouched,  glorious countryside in sight. The property also features a working cattle farm that elicits a warm, old fashioned feeling and adds to the overall rustic charm. The property itself is breathtaking, but nature continued to impress us as we watched troops mobs of kangaroos hop by while watching the sun set. We were blown away by the views the moment we pulled up to the property, a feeling that was maintained throughout the entire visit.

Once we arrived, we checked into our freestanding cottages, all appropriately named after specific breeds of cattle —ours being “Red Angus.”  The cottage was complete with a spacious bedroom, a separate living room with a gorgeous fireplace, a bathroom with a huge soaking tub (and heat lamps perfect for the winter!), and a large outdoor patio with sweeping views of the Queensland countryside.

There are a wide variety of activities offered at Spicers Hidden Vale. Whether you make the most of the on-site attractions such as Spa Anise, the tennis court, swimming pools,  laser clay shooting and archery ranges, or you decide to spread your wings and take off into the great outdoors via horseback, mountain bike, 4WD, or hiking; Spicers Hidden Vale has plenty to keep you busy throughout your entire stay. During our visit, we tried our luck at laser clay pigeon shooting (safe for the little ones) and archery.  While none of us managed to hit a single clay pigeon, we were a bit better at the archery and even managed a bulls-eye or two. We shared lots of laughs and really enjoyed our time with our instructor Ash— employed only 3 days at Spicers and already so passionate and knowledgeable!

Since we were only staying over for one night, we chose to take a 4WD drive tour of the entire property, an option available to all guests that includes either a picnic and/or cocktails at sunset. We were fortunate to have Spicers’ veteran Hayden as our guide. In just one hour we had a crash course on the indigenous trees and flowers, got up close and personal with herds of cattle, hand-picked huge lemons and enjoyed incredible views of the mountains.

To cap off the day, we enjoyed a gorgeous tasting menu— starting with delicious sea scallops with pear, petit pois a la Francoise and ending with sous vide cheesecake with rhubarb, hazelnut and ginger bread crumb. Yum! The lovely GM Andrea took care of us and even Chef Ash and the rest of the kitchen crew made an appearance. The restaurant is open to the public and offers a dining experience not to be missed… we all agreed it was one of the best meals we have ever had.

The food, the scenery and accommodations of Spicers Hidden Vale make for a lovely stay; ideal for a family holiday or a romantic getaway in any season. But what really shined through was the passion and warmth of the entire team. We were so impressed by the entire Spicers Hidden Vale experience, and are already counting the days until our next trip!