Fine wine on isle of style

Views and vino: Bedarra Island off Mission Beach is hosting a series of wine-tasting weekends.

WHEN you simply don't wish to be found, when you need to escape, unwind and experience the finer things in life, there is no better place to disappear to than Voyages Bedarra Island.

This is one of Australia’s most exclusive resorts, an indulgent tropical private haven, lying just off our beautiful coast.

At Bedarra, guests can do as they wish, when they wish.

With a maximum of just 32 guests, no one’s going to cramp your style.

Voyages Bedarra Island is an exclusive private hideaway situated 5km off the coast near Mission Beach, about 140km south of Cairns.

Comprising 16 superbly designed and appointed villas, a spacious open terrace restaurant and truly magnetic bar and lounge, Bedarra attracts those travellers who wish to indulge their senses and savour the finest of luxury service and style as well as exquisite cuisine from a freshly prepared menu every day.

Inspired by author E. J. Banfield and his novel Confessions of a Beachcomber, Bedarra first attracted residents in the early 1900s.

The Coleman family took ownership of the island in 1938 and immediately established a small tourism venture, with some of the first guests returning to the idyllic location to secure small parcels of land for themselves.

Voyages Bedarra Island will host the first in a series of Sommelier Weekends this month, matching Champagne Louis Roederer and Katnook Estate Wines with specially created gourmet degustation menus.

Set against the backdrop of the private hideaway of Voyages Bedarra Island, off the coast of Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef, the Sommelier Weekends – running from August through to October – will give guests the exclusive chance to savour, sample and learn more about wines and champagnes.

The first event, on the weekend of August 14-15, will feature Louis Roederer Champagne and Katnook Estate Wines, with chief winemaker Wayne Stehbens revealing blending, maturing and ageing secrets that give both varieties individual yet distinctive styles and flavours.