Australian Wildlife Overview Tour (3-day wildlife tour from Brisbane)

The Kooralbyn Valley Resort is now our default accommodation for this tour (Cougal Park B&B has now closed due to ill-health of the proprietor).  It is showing its age a little, especially as it closed down for a decade after a previous owner declared bankruptcy, was reviving well under the new owner but then forced to close again during Covid lockdowns, but is in a good location and we are assured by the manager that our guests will have clean, comfortable rooms.

Alternative options include staying at either O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat or Binna Burra Mountain Lodge for one or two evenings (additional cost - see below).

The bushland surrounding the Kooralbyn Valley Resort harbour many kangaroos and wallabies which emerge in the early morning and late afternoon to feed on the grasses of the Resort, including the extensive golf course. Wedge-tailed eagles, kookaburras, cockatoos, lorikeets, frogmouths, spoonbills and many other birds may often be seen on the property or nearby.  Occasionally we may be lucky enough to see a koala or (at night) a squirrel glider (a small gliding possum).

Rooms have private ensuites with both shower and bath (guests with disabilities can opt for a room with accessible shower) and patios (most popular are those that overlook the golf course and the hills beyond).

Chef Wayne Golding is highly experienced (including internatonally and on TV) and adept at preparing tasty meals for guests with any kind of restricted diet.

If time permits, guests can enjoy a swim in the pool, a wander along bushland trails or participation in various activities offered by the resort.


                                                                                         

O'Reilly's and Binna Burra

These ecolodges existed long before the term "ecolodge" or "ecotourism" existed, and both offer wonderful opportunites for exploring the rainforests and other ecosystems of Lamington National Park.

O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, on private land nestled within Lamington National Park is internationally famous as a birding hotspot, and many of the birds are so accustomed to humans it i far easier tophotograph them here than elsewhere. The first treetop walk to ever be constructed in a rainforest is also here, a joint project by O'Reilly's and the Lamington Natural History Association. There are many cabins, many of which are connected to one another and to the main lodge by a covered walkway, perfect for continuing to watch and photograph birds even while it is raining.

We frequently arrange one or two nights there on our 3-day wildlife tour or custom tours.

The beautiful lodge and heritage cabins of Binna Burra tragically burned down in the dreadful fires of 2019.
The safari tents and luxury sky-lodges remain, as do the many kilometres of wonderful walking tracks through the forests of Lamington National Park. With sufficient notice (since there is now far less availability of rooms at Binna Burra) we can arrange one or two nights there on our 3-day wildlife tour or custom tours.

Andrew Drynan Reserve

If you intend staying there, please book with Barry Moran, 07 55441281.

There are various other options for staying overnight in the Scenic Rim. Closest are Running Creek Cabin and Rathdowney Hotel/Motel, but there are various other cabins, B&B's and campgrounds. Kooralbyn (as above) is a 40-minute drive.

Outback tours

This is not a luxury trip but we do value comfort,  safety and  enjoyment of the "dinkum" (genuine) Australian outback (some call any rural areas "outback" but this is misleading). There are no five-star or even four-star hotels after we pass the first few hundred kilometres.  We head far  away from the crowds - just wide open spaces, a variety of outback habitats, plenty of kangaroos, cockatoos and emus, and brilliantly starry skies. "I didn't see nearly as much wildlife on my package tour to Uluru" one lady told us.

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