The Platypus Bushcamp back story and about us.
In 1987, a German gentleman named Rainald Feldmeier came through Finch Hatton and met Chris and Hester Vanhouwening, who owned the land where the Bushcamp is today.
Chris and Hester had built a beautiful river stone home up Van Houweninges Road, so when Rainald shared his vision to create a backpackers, they loved the idea so they came up with a plan and started building what was then called Platypus Safari.
Construction started with a high set slab timber hut just above our hammock area with the office and entertaining area below, a few more huts were constructed along the creek and swimming hole and the place was going great.
The huts had tarps for roofs and everything was pretty basic but it seamlessly with the rainforest and was completely different to what any backpackers we used to in that time.
In 1989 Jennie came along and absolutely loved the place and as things unfolded her and Rainald fell in love.
She said when she first met him, she knew she had to be careful because he rode out of the forest bareback on a black-and-white Appaloosa horse without a shirt and khaki shorts.
Their life took a different turn and ended up riding horses through the outback, so they handed the property back to Chris and Hester.
In 1990, the Bush Camp was taken over by Peter Alde,n who still lives locally, he carried on from where Rainald and Jennie left off and built things like the dining area, the kitchen and the showers and toilets.
There was a recession around that time and things were a bit tough in the backpacking market so in 1992 Peter handed the place over to Wazza who had been bringing him backpackers out this way for a few years.
Wazza is quite the character and the most well-known person of the Bushcamp as he owned the property for 31 years. He made a few more additions and replaced some buildings after a cyclone came through and had a beautiful building built now called the creek side retreat as a refuge just in case of floods and it is spectacular.
We are the Leverett’s and as a family we purchased the property in march 2023 and have spent the best part of 2 years making the property look and feel the best it ever has.
Becoming the custodians of this property was no easy task and keeping it looking and feeling great take a great team and a whole lot of effort.
Please keep in mind that this is our home, and we are opening up our home to share it with anyone who is willing to respect us and this property.
We are country people with country morals and have no tolerance for anyone who’s not respectful towards any of us or the property.
It’s not the easiest task to open up your home to everyone, so please make sure you leave this property in a better state than when you arrived.
What to expect at The Platypus Bush Camp.
When you walk into the property, it feels like you are taking a step back in time with the rustic Aussie building style and freshly raked pathways through the rainforest.
There are 4 creeks that are continuously flowing through the property and into our huge crystal clear natural swimming hole.
The Treehouse style huts and campgrounds are along the creek and swimming hole so you are always looking at or listening to the flowing creek.
This property is very unique, and then we throw in some country hospitality and humour so we can all enjoy our time on this absolutely incredible slice of paradise.
We are off grid and work with nature and still have all the modern amenities like flushing toilets, stunning hot showers with rainforest views (if you like), large fully equipped camp kitchens with everything you need, there is even a pizza oven and usb charging ports, professional coffee machine and you can see and hear the water from the kitchens and the dining areas and campsites.
Pets are welcome – we love animals but they always have to be on a lead as we don’t want them affecting any local wildlife or going through our gardens or private spaces.
If you think it might be a problem to keep control of your pets this is not the place for you. As an adult you’re responsible for yourself, your pets and your kids so if anyone is not respecting our home you will be asked to leave.
There is a central fire pit with seating and a cooking plate, and an undercover fireplace/dining room as well if there is any rain or bring your own fire pit and use at your site.
The property is located in the Pioneer Valley just outside Mackay, Queensland and a short drive from the Whitsundays.
We are 2 kilometres from the breathtaking Finch Hatton Gorge in the Eungella National Park. Just 1 hour drive from Mackay and 2 hours from Airlie Beach and the drive here is beautiful too.
Two or three nights is a good amount of time to be able to explore the area, including The Eungella National Park, Finch Hatton Gorge (Araluen Cascades & The Wheel of Fire,) while still having time to relax/explore at the Bushcamp.