As someone who grew up on the coast of Far North Queensland, boarding a plane for Cairns felt like a long overdue homecoming.

As soon as we stepped onto the tarmac we were met with a familiar thick heat that enveloped us like a welcome party. It was here that we were to start our journey to Mt. Mulligan Lodge – a 28,000-hectare private outback property north-west of the city on land traditionally known as Ngarrabullgan, where champagne house Veuve Clicquot had taken residence in a global first: transforming the boutique outback hotel into its Veuve Clicquot Sun Escape at Mt Mulligan Lodge – an immersive luxury experience.

While air transfer was available, those small-plane averse (such as myself) jumped into the backseat of a lush Land Rover Defender and headed for the hills. The nearly three-hour drive that began amongst rainforest soon gave way to the red dirt of the outback as we wound our way through the Tablelands, Mareeba, Dimbulah, and then the long dirt driveway of the Mt. Mulligan station itself.

The lodge is situated on a working cattle farm, where herds of stately Brahman and Brahman-cross cattle roam freely across the grounds. At its centre, an all-inclusive luxury lodge accommodating just 28 guests at its fullest.

It was mere seconds after my feet hit the ground at the lodge's front entrance that a glass of ice-cold Veuve Clicquot was placed in my hands. The perfect libation, if you ask me, to close out a morning of bleary-eyed travel.

After being ushered to a private suite – complete with aircon, writing desk, oversized ensuite, and a balcony carrying my own corrugated steel bathtub overlooking the bushland – I quickly freshened up to head to our first event: a Sunset Hour aperitivo at the hilltop. Once more we were ferried in the Defenders to the summit, where a pop-up Veuve Clicquot wet bar was serving rounds of Yellow Label and Rosé champagne and canapés.

As the sun set over the mountain – a striking 18-kilometre-long sandstone massif revered in Indigenous Dreamtime legends as the birthplace of the Great Rainbow Serpent, Goorialla – we made our way back down to the lodge, where we enjoyed a Terra Firma Fire Table dinner, led by Head Chef Alex Muus and his culinary team.

Chargrilled Balmain bug with Café de Paris butter, bone-in rib eye, and butterflied reef fish were paired with glasses of La Grande Dame Rosé 2018 – one of the Maison's brightest and most precise prestige champagnes.

As day broke on Sunday, we were greeted with a menu of tours and activities to while away the morning hours. I opted for a tour of the nearby old mining town, the site of a tragic accident in the 1920s, and which had now been largely reclaimed by nature.

I was taken around by a wonderful member of the Mt. Mulligan team (and a Mareeba local) whose knowledge of the landscape and town's history was impressive to say the least. I was shown local wildlife, picked and tried indigenous fruits and leaves, and shown around the old township from its hospitals and brick chimneys to the entrance of the old mine itself.

The afternoon was all about Le Picnic, one of Veuve Clicquot's global signature experiences. Our luncheon had a menu crafted by one of my all-time favourite chefs – Audrey Shaw, the mind behind Melbourne's Carnation Canteen and Bar Carnation. Tuna crudo sprinkled with cumin and fresh lime, prawn cocktails (my first!), and spaghetti topped with champagne-marinated coral trout was paired with magnums of Yellow Label. (Why a magnum? We were told they maximise the flavour – take note).

We moved between the table and the poolside, refreshing our toes in the water, reaching for top-ups and eventually, meandering back to our rooms for an evening unto ourselves. I found myself drawing a bath as the sun set, connecting my phone to the in-room bluetooth speaker and turning the volume up on a little Crowded House and Rolling Stones to soundtrack.

For those wanting to follow the sun themselves, the Veuve Clicquot Sun Escape at Mt. Mulligan Lodge will run from 1 October 2026 through 31 August 2027 (excluding the seasonal closure from late January to early March), with two particularly indulgent ways in. The Luxury Couples Experience offers two nights in an Outback Pavilion for two, arriving by private helicopter from Cairns and taking in the full sweep of Clicquot experiences, from the signature dinner and Le Picnic-inspired menu to a private wine-paired lunch, ATV adventures, waterhole swims and stargazing. For those travelling en masse, the three-night Luxury Takeover opens the entire 28-guest lodge to your party, with a private program that can be tailored to suit.

And for those not quite ready to return to reality, the journey can continue at sister property Orpheus Island Lodge on the Great Barrier Reef, where the Clicquot spirit trades red earth for turquoise water – perhaps the only fitting way to follow a few days in the outback.

Moët Hennessy Australia and Veuve Clicquot support the responsible consumption of alcohol. Drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive.