The journey to Mt Mulligan Lodge sets the tone for the experience. A 22-minute charter flight from Cairns crosses sparkling ocean before climbing through rain and cloud, then descends over scattered eucalyptus trees and red earth to a grassy strip beside safari-style vehicles. Waiters greet arriving guests with trays of perfectly chilled champagne, an introduction to a place where the environment is rugged but the experience is polished.
The event marks the world's first Veuve Clicquot Sun Escape, a concept built around the house's association with sunshine and shared pleasure. The name Veuve Clicquot refers to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who was 27 when her husband Francois died in 1805 and left her in charge of the family champagne house in Reims, France. She became known as La Grande Dame of Champagne, perfected the riddling table used to clear sediment from bottles, and is credited with the first vintage champagne and the first blended rose. The yellow label, formally registered in 1877, has since become shorthand for the house's sunny, optimistic identity.
The article also offers a note on etiquette: the brand should be called Clicquot, never Veuve, since veuve means "widow" in French. Referring to it as Veuve is effectively asking for a glass of widow, rather than the champagne itself.
Mt Mulligan Lodge, set beside the giant sandstone escarpment of Mount Mulligan, provides a striking contrast between natural harshness and refined comfort. The takeover is the latest example of luxury hospitality moving into remote Australian settings, with the lodge acting as an oasis in a dramatic landscape.