About Us

Arborlee is situated high in the Border Ranges overlooking the Condamine River Gorge. It is 2.5 to 3 hours drive from Brisbane. The drive covers some very scenic country. The closest town is Killarney 25mins and Warwick 40mins. The small settlement of Mt. Colliery is 7 kilometres down the mountain.

The special features of Arborlee are birds, frogs, plants, fungi and other wildlife of the rainforest setting, the peaceful atmosphere, retreat context without other tourists, guided walks and scenic views. The setting is perfect for the bird watcher, amateur botanist, artist and photographer.

Arborlee is an affordable rainforest sanctuary. We share this sanctuary with Australia’s rare Albert’s Lyrebird and many other uncommon birds. See the Bird, Frog and Plant lists.

The Guest Unit opens through French doors onto a verandah and views to the rainforest.
The unit is self contained with two burner gas stove, bar frig, sink, cooking utensils, ensuite, a king bed or two long singles, linen and blankets provided and made ready for your first night.

We will usually be at home on the other side of the house and are available as needed. We will offer you space and privacy or you are welcome to join us for drinks on the back verandah. Guided walks can be arranged around the property.

We are familiar with the local and district sites and drives and are only to happy to help you plan your visit to the area.

Climate:

Summer 20deg - 28deg (cooler than surrounding area). Winter 0deg –20 deg. We occasionally get a light frost but the days are warm. When wet we often become surrounded by mist. It is definitely cooler than Brisbane and jumpers and coats need to be thrown in even in summer.

About us:

My husband Clive, and I grew up in the country with plenty of time to develop a love of nature. We share a passion for conservation, particularly for protecting rainforest, wildlife and Australia’s biodiversity. We both enjoy bird watching and look forward to sharing this with guests. I also have a developing knowledge of the diverse range of birds and plants.

We have a very gentle golden retriever who has been a part of the family for 7 years. She has been taught that wildlife is for watching. Despite our love of pets we don’t believe ideally that they belong in this context and ask that you leave your pets at home.

History:

With retirement around the corner we bought 42 ha of rainforest. We have now protected this area under a Nature Refuge Conservation Agreement. The house is built on a terrace, an area that was partly cleared prior to our buying the land. The area was used for timber getting since late 19th century and snigging tracks, wire rope and large old stumps are some of the remaining signs of this.