The world’s first cliff park is coming to the Gold Coast hinterland in January
High above the lush valleys of Lamington National Park, a new kind of adventure is taking shape – one that asks you to lean in, find courage and rediscover your connection to the natural world. Happitat, which is being hailed the world’s first cliff park, will open at Binna Burra on January 10 2026, inviting visitors to trade routine for raw exhilaration. Here’s everything you need to know …
There’s a rare kind of clarity that comes from standing (safely) on the edge of a cliff – that heart-stopping blend of adrenaline, fear and awe that sharpens the senses and stills the mind. It’s that very feeling that Happitat hopes to capture. Created by conservationist, alpine adventurer and former professional snowboarder Michael Neururer, Happitat isn’t your typical zipline park or mountain trail. It’s an immersive, full-day encounter with nature that blends adrenaline, mindfulness and awe in equal measure. It’s the kind of experience that gets your pulse racing and your perspective reset.
“Nature and adventure changed my life,” says Michael. “We created the Happitat experience deep in nature because we know happiness starts with finding space to stop, simplify and appreciate our environment, and it’s when you surround yourself with nature that it fills your senses and creates stillness within.”
Just 90 minutes from Brisbane and an hour from Surfers Paradise, Happitat rises out of the escarpments of the Gold Coast Hinterland – a dramatic fusion of ziplines, suspension bridges, via ferrata climbs, shaded rainforest trails and swimming holes. Inspired by cliff-based adventures across Europe, North America and Canada, Michael’s vision brings them all together in one extraordinary destination.
“In a single day, visitors can experience climbs and activities that would normally require travelling to different destinations,” he explains.
The journey begins with The Arete Via Ferrata Climb, a breathtaking 80-m bridge crossing that weaves through tightropes and timber walkways suspended high above the valley. From there, adventurers glide through Total Exposure, the park’s longest and highest zipline, which soars 200 metres above Lamington’s ancient canopy. The pace picks up at The Overhang Zipline Course, where you’ll swoop past waterfalls and rugged cliff faces, before easing into The Edge Park Explorer – a meditative finale of bushland trails, natural swimming holes and panoramic lookouts from a 12-m cantilevered platform.
“Happitat invites people into the raw beauty of nature, where testing your limits helps you rediscover your connection to yourself and the environment,” says Michael. “When people feel connected to nature, they’re more compelled to protect it, and that is a big part of what we’re all about.”
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Every aspect of Happitat has been built on respect – for nature, for safety and for the legacy of the land it inhabits. The team has invested over $1 million in environmental restoration, stabilising bushfire-affected cliffs, planting native species and introducing a zero-waste operational model. Visitor numbers are capped, guides are extensively trained and every system meets or exceeds Australian safety standards.
A second stage of the project will see the arrival of Walden, a cafe perched on the edge of the escarpment, serving locally sourced fare and hinterland views worth lingering over.
At its heart, Happitat is about more than adrenaline. It’s about courage, connection and the quiet clarity that comes from standing on the edge — literally and metaphorically. “Happiness starts with finding space to stop, simplify and appreciate our environment,” says Michael. And for those ready to take that leap, this cliffside sanctuary promises an experience that feels both grounding and transcendent.
Happitat opens January 10, 2026 at Binna Burra. Tickets start from $497, with early access now available at Happitat.