Happitat: Queensland’s newest adventure park for thrillseekers

Explore Travel

ACM reporter (and non-adventurer) Ashley Walmsley was one of the lucky few to try the soon-to-open Happitat adventure park in Lamington National Park, offering a first-person look at the thrills, views and what visitors can expect.

Transcript

00:00Queensland's Leamington National Park. Majestic, tranquil, sprawling and best viewed from here.

00:14Or so one of Queensland's newest tourist ventures, Happy Tat Adventure Park would have you believe.

00:20With its graduated rock climbing, zip lines and hefty dose of nature, the park aims to

00:26instill an admiration for the natural environment, albeit from 200 metres above the canyon floor.

00:33From the Binnaburra Lodge car park we're led down into the forest, eventually opening out into

00:38a wonder of environmentally sensitive construction with the Happy Tat Base Camp fresh and ready to be tackled.

00:45Even the toilets look like something from raw hide.

00:48Having waited in vain for the Fellowship of the Ring to turn up, I decide to get my gear on,

00:53strapping into a safety harness which is essentially an adult nappy made of seat belts and buckles.

00:59Add some breakdancing gloves and a brain bucket and it's training time.

01:03The training area includes church pew like seating with practice cables where the hymn book holder would normally be.

01:10This is so we can brush up on our skills on the ever important habit of clipping on and clipping off,

01:15something we would become quite good at by the end.

01:18A scaled down training course upskills us on what to expect,

01:22with the only difference being the lack of a fatal shear drop below.

01:26With little time given to stew over the matter, it's on to the Ariti Via Ferrata, which I'm probably mispronouncing.

01:35This is a staggered climbing course featuring carefully positioned footholds, cargo net, log bridge, suspension bridge and steel rope crossing cable,

01:44on which, for the immature, gives the chance to be a ballerina.

01:49There's an odd mix of emotions going on here, with the unmistakable sense of fear delightfully dancing internally

01:55with the awestruck wonder of the view across the Nanambar Valley.

01:59Reinforcing the idea to connect with your surroundings and embrace the moment,

02:03the bridge treads have reminders on them like breathe and be courageous,

02:08which are considerably more helpful than the other thoughts such as don't die and avoid vomiting.

02:15It's then zipline time and there's all manner of buckling, pulling, securing, re-buckling

02:20and a bonus harness wedgie given to ensure complete safety when sailing out over the abyss.

02:26And then, it's one small step for man, or ten-year-old boys in this case.

02:37All right.

02:39Well enjoyed. What could go wrong?

02:41The stopping mechanisms are, thankfully, a long way improved from the old car tyre whiplash system

03:01adopted on traditional flying foxes on the home farm back in the day.

03:05Still, it's a fair rag-doll effect at the end.

03:14Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

03:16Hello.

03:17Hello.

03:18Oh, way far back.

03:20You can't get anyone here.

03:21There are three ziplines in all, each with their own slightly different view of things,

03:25but each featuring an exhilarating rush.

03:28And while your heart rate is up and you feel a sense of accomplishment for doing all three,

03:33you realise there is one more ascent in order to get back to where you started.

03:38And it's a doozy.

03:39With my only reference points being cliffhanger, vertical limit and the monkey bars in grade four,

03:44it was refreshing to be able to take my time and embrace the wonder of creation all around me.

03:50The scenery, wildlife and café in this part of the world are truly divine and worthy of the trip in itself.

03:58But pushing through that fear factor and emerging in the happiness on the other side,

04:03that's what this adventure is all about.

04:06Happy Tat Adventure Park opens on January 10, 2026

04:10and tickets can be purchased at happytat.com.au

04:25Bye!

04:36Bye!

04:38Hello everyone!

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