Nature at Tree Fern Lodge Country Retreat - Accommodation Berry - Kangaroo Valley

Nature Abounds

We call our house Tree Fern Lodge because of the abundant tree ferns on the property and in the nearby rainforest.

Our land totals about 12ha (30 acres), of which about 4ha is open rolling grassed fields, and the rest is high quality warm temperate rainforest.  We are at 530m altitude, well above the coastal plain, which means we are always about 3-5C cooler than the coast.  Great for winter fires and less oppressive than the coast in summer.  We’re also high enough to catch the cloud coming in from the sea, and often the associated rain, which means lush vegetation.

The open grassy fields are great for spotting wombats just before dusk (sometimes earlier if its overcast) and we have a big resident wombat population.  You’ll see the large burrows around.  We also often see echidnas, and there are several wallabies (shy, and you may hear them more than see them).

Our bird population is large and very diverse.  There are often rosellas near the house, but they are shy.  We have a pair of spectacular king parrots that often visit and these can be hand fed if you are careful (we provide native bird seed for this purpose).  There’s a bird book in the house to help identify the many birds you will see.  If you stand on the verandah at night near a light you will also see, or more likely glimpse, the tiny insect eating bats that fly at high speed near the lights catching insects.

Because we maintain the property as a nature reserve and we want to keep the abundant wildlife happy, we don’t allow pets of any kind at Tree Fern Lodge.

And what of the vegetation?  We have abundant rainforest, and several seasonal garden areas.  The perennial garden is at its peak in January.  A walk around the property is a good constitutional!