New winery, day spa planned for Kurwongbah

A new winery, wellness retreat and eco tourist park planned for a Kurwongbah cattle property will preserve koala habitat and include extensive habitat replanting and restoration.

A development application lodged by IB Town Planning on behalf of owner Laura Heazlewood shows 85 cabins, six vineyards and a restaurant with a winery are planned for the 57.98ha property.

The application seeks a material change of use for the land at 201 Browns Creek Rd, which is currently zoned for rural (agriculture precinct) and limited development use.

If approved, the site would become home to a tourist park with 85 cabins, a spa/wellness retreat, and check-in pavilion, and a winery consisting of six vineyards and cellar door sales, as well as a two-level restaurant with integrated wine production facilities.

The upper level of the restaurant is planned to include private dining rooms and large void areas overlooking the main dining room, the cellar door tasting area and the winery production area.

The plans provide car parking for 172 vehicles as well as a bus zone.

Restoring habitat

Vehicle access and parking would be restricted to an area adjoining the check-in pavilion at the front of the site, with visitors transferred to the cabins, winery and restaurant by a shuttle that uses an internal path network to ensure site works are minimally invasive.

The proposed cabins will be elevated on stumps to ensure minimal impact on the land below and will be set among existing trees.

“To complement the proposed development, extensive habitat replanting and restoration is proposed throughout the eastern and north-eastern part of the site to create additional habitat and amenity for the eco retreat and reinforce the existing sparse vegetation cover within this part of the site,” the application says.

Water treatment

Day spa-style relaxation services for guests - including massage, flat tanks and a swimming pool – would be built on the property, which would also be home to market gardens, including native produce.

The six vineyards would be set on undulating terrain between the eco retreat and existing residential and agricultural area on the site, while agricultural activities would remain on existing cleared pasture in the western and north-western space on the site.

Roofs will be connected to rainwater tanks, while it is proposed paved areas will discharge water to grassed areas, and then to on-site dams that will provide a passive stormwater treatment system, before flowing Sideling Creek.

Developers plan to collect effluent, which will be treated using a series of on-site treatment systems.