Peter and Marie are wonderful hosts who have done an excellent job providing a comfortable self-catering sojourn away from the crowds. They welcomed us on arrival and offered many tips on where to observe the many birds and other wildlife in the area. Our Lomandra Cottage had all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. There is no wifi, but that is the point of being there, otherwise one would choose one of the many touristy accommodations at Lakes Entrance 10-minutes drive away. There's a fully-equipped kitchen (with generous breakfast provisions), wood-fireplace, and a TV with DVD player (if one must look at a screen of sorts). The bed is comfortable and shower room generously sized. Set in a farm with Alpaca paddocks and facing a lightly forested gully, this is an ideal setting for one to retreat from urban life to savour some quiet time. We were in East Gippsland for a spot of birding, and the cottage grounds provided opportunities to observe a variety of birds. Some of the birds we spotted around the cottage included the Eastern Spinebill, Lyrebird, Rose Robin, Whistling Kite, Wonga Pigeon, and the ubiquitous Superb Fairy and White-browed Scrub Wrens. Crimson Rosellas and King Parrots will make a daily appearance on the balcony hoping for birdseed. Apart from the birds, there's always the curious Alpacas, or the wild Samba Deers, Wombats and Echidnas. Araluen Park Cottages is a welcome respite from urban life and an excellent base for nature treks and birding in East Gippsland. …
We stayed at Lomandra Cottage for four nights, and were very much awed by the rich gully which supplied many varied birds to observe and photograph. Peter and Marie Ann were very generous with their time and knowledge, sharing with us the different species of birds around which they have photographed and curated into a handy bird reference book, and the places we could visit to see more. They also supplied breakfast supplies consisting of eggs, bacon, milk, and bread, together with a kitchen larder that had everything we needed to cook most of our meals (such as aluminium foil, kitchen towels, and condiments). We loved our stay, and even when it got chilly on some nights, we were all ready to set up the fireplace as Peter had earlier showed us how to use it. We could observe birds in the front and back of the cottage, and on most afternoons/evenings, we did just that, enjoying the chittering of the wrens, watching the antics of the greedy King Parrots, and even spotting the elusive lyrebird and rose robin.…
We booked Lilly Pilly cottage for our Easter break. It was amazing Peter and Marie you have an amazing place all the little extras just made our stay just perfect. You both should be very proud of what you do. Thank you so so much for an amazing time. I loved feeding the birds every morning and afternoon. Oh and I’ve named them all lol.
Well, not exactly *with* the birds, but the claw-foot bath on the verandah of Dianella Cottage is right next to a bird bath. It's been very dry in Victoria and so the bird bath was rarely without visitors - thornbills, whip birds, fantails, Wonga pigeons, finches to name just a few. The King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas used the bath too, but were even happier with a snack of some bird seed provided in the cottage - some of them even eating from our hands. And then there's Ajax, the alpaca, who was quite happy to accept the odd morsel of the apples we bought at the Metung Farmers' Market. The cottage is one of four nestled in the hills above Lakes Entrance, only a few minutes drive away. They are situated around a gully that Peter and Marie Anne are rehabilitating back to the local rainforest species. It's peaceful, but not too quiet, because you are surrounded by bird song, the croak of frogs and the distant roar of the surf. We were met by the hosts at our cottage, who ran us through the eco-friendly features and gave us tips on things to do to enrich our stay. You can tell they take pride in what they have created and the service they provide, wanting to share their love of the place and for their guests to have a great stay. The one-bedroom cottage is spacious and thoughtfully decorated with many of Marie Anne's leadlights and vintage pieces. The kitchen has all you need and some pantry basics in addition to generous breakfast supplies. There's a BBQ too, which sparkled with the same clean shine it shared with the rest of the cottage. We spent four nights at Dianella - we loved the bath, sitting on the verandah and watching the birds, a walk in the gully below the cottage and lying on the grass at night watching the heavens. We ended up doing fewer activities than we planned because we wanted to spend more time at the cottage. It was a truly restful experience. …
This was our 3rd stay at Araluen Cottages and each time it's harder to leave. The cottages are extremely comfortable, beautifully clean and well presented with every thing you need provided to help make a great stay, even down to wild bird food as the variety of birds that come in to feed are stunning. Nothing seems to be too much trouble as Peter & Marie Anne ensure that there are more than sufficient provisions including eggs from their own hens, for cooked breakfast.
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing