Mt Barney: Eco Wedding

We had the pleasure of discovering the hidden beauty of Mt Barney National Park just recently, attending a good friend's wedding there.  This was my first QLD wedding since I was 12 (that was my Aunt Leanne's wedding in Rockhampton and I wasn't allowed to attend to the reception, so not sure if that even counts) and it was fabulous.  The location definitely played a huge part in the success of the celebrations.  The other interesting element was the "eco-friendly" aspect of the wedding - with the Mt Barney Lodge where we stayed, being NEAP accredited (Natural Ecotourism Accreditation Program). 

The highlights of the weekend:

• getting there was an adventure in itself - we didn't have our GPS (long story due to car dramas), missed the turnoff at Beaudesert and ended up in a "locality" called Kerry.  The area is very picturesque with horse studs and historic buildings, so it wasn't a wasted detour.
• the setting was stunning - Mt Barney itself loomed in the background all weekend and was an amazing backdrop for the actually wedding ceremony which took place by a small brook running at the front of the Lodge
• bonfire after the wedding was a real hit - people got changed out of their suits and frocks into more campfire friendly jeans/jumpers and gathered around for more champers, toasted mashmallows and good times well into the night

A lot of people have been very curious about the whole "camping at a wedding" experience.  I too must admit to having a few reservations about how this was all going to work.   But effort had gone into making sure the process maintained decorum.  The shower blocks had clothes racks so the girls could hang up their dresses and they were done up with lovely flowers, hand wash and pretty towels - bit more like a country B&B.  It was actually pretty comical seeing people running back and forth between tents in dressed-up clothes - look liked scenes from Alice in Wonderland.