My name is Andrew and I stayed in the Boggie River Bush House for 5 weeks right up untill xmas. The first thing I would say about the place is remote. When they say Bush house they mean it. When I arrived here I was a little overwelmed, but after a few days I had come to love the place. The travellers are great and the owners have always been freindly and approchable.
Before I went to the Boggie I was informed by James that the place was a working hostel and not a party hostel and that if I wanted to save some cash before xmas then this was the placeto be. He told me the date he needed me to stay and what to expect when I got there. I wasnt suprised to find a contract to that effect when I arrived and was happy to sign. I too have been fined for leaving dishes out and agree it is a little frustrating but how else do u get through to a traveller? This has also helped to keep a clean kitchen and living area.
As for work most people I met when I was there started the day after arrival, but understand that its not James that controls the harvest season. He has always done his best for me and when I got sacked from 1 mango farm I was working again after 1 day off. If you are off work then all u need to do is ask to lend a van to go to town and on every occasion at my time the van was given with no hasstle. James also went above his duties on occasions one of which by giving me a ride into town when I was moving on. I have read some bad stories about James but in my time there I met 2 Scots who had stayed for 17 weeks and said that if your fair with James then he will return the compliment and this advise steared me in good stead. I would go back in a minute and managed to save some cash to continue travelling.
So in summary if you are looking to work hard and get paid for it, save money or get yourself back on your feet then this place is ideal.

today,after 7 weeks,the time has come to leave the BOGIE RIVER BUSH HOUSE.had an awesome time here,you'll get great help finding jobs,have nice people,really nice owners that help you in any case and just heaps of fun:)
kangaroos are all around,as well as wallabees and you can pet them...come here if you want to have a nice and unforgettable time.

it's just...
...GREAT FUN IN THE BOGIE RIVER BUSH HOUSE

Oh my goodness!! What can I say?! Myself and 4 friends escaped from the Bogie River Bush House last night after 8 days. We got out with the aid of 3 lovely people who arrived that same day and had the sense to get out immediately before handing over any money or agreeing to the ridiculous contracts! If it weren't for them there would have been no escape as there is no public transport so far out in the bush as this place was and mobile phones did not have signal for miles!

I am amazed we lasted the 8 days!! Hot water in the showers was an occassional luxury! Kangaroos and possums would raid our outdoor "kitchen" at night time. The kitchen consisted of a microwave, hob, filthy fridge and sink- oh and a kettle that worked at times!

You are given a box when you arrive which consists of 1 pillow, 1 mattress protector, 1 sheet, 1 pillowcase, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 knife, 1 bowl, 1 plate and 1 mug. All items are numbered and if you break anything or leave it out overnight you will be fined. I was "cellmate number 15".

The people living there are all great though, everyone is so friendly and welcoming- probably due to the lack of anything else to do there. All you have in that place is each other!!

We did not take the advice of others on trip advisor and wish we had- please be warned and spend your money elsewhere- James is raking it in from the people already there!

I'm not sure who has written the positive reviews about this place I can only pressume they were made by the owners themselves.

This place is a nightmare. The owner is nothing short of a crook and I have already reported him to the local ombudsman. He will fine people for the slightest of misdemeanours such as leaving a cup in the sink ($5 for that one) but he doesn’t just charge the individual who left the cup, oh no, he'll charge everyone $5 ,irrelevant if they were involved or not. If you leave several dishes out you will all be fined $20!! This happens on a daily basis and makes up the lion’s share of his profits.
It’s a scam, the owner will lure you there by promising work only to tell you (after you have paid your deposit and first weeks rent) that there is no work at the moment but that there will soon be some. That’s his way of capturing you into the hostel so he can fine your [--] until the cows come home.
But that’s not the best of it. If he believes that you are using too much water, he will simply switch it off. We were unable to flush the toilets every time we went; the showers were rationed and we could only cook when the water was switched on for short periods of the day.
There are FAR better hostels in Bowen, ones that the farmers actually prefer working with. Choose anything other than this one and you have made the right choice. Do that and the added bonus is that you don’t have to deal with the arrogant and dictatorial owner of the Bogie River Bush House. STAY AWAY, don’t say you’ve not been warned.