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Finding an ideal charming guest house in Kuranda does not have to be difficult. Welcome to Cassowary House, a nice option for travellers like you.
While staying at Cassowary House, visitors can check out Wrights Lookout (2.1 mi), which is a popular Kuranda attraction.
Rooms at Cassowary House offer a refrigerator providing exceptional comfort and convenience.
If you are driving to Cassowary House, free parking is available.
While staying in Kuranda, you can get some delicious falafel at Falafellicious, which is a short distance from Cassowary House.
During your visit, be sure to check out popular attractions like Peter Jarver Gallery (0.7 mi) and Honey House (0.5 mi), which are all within walking distance of the guest house.
Cassowary House looks forward to welcoming you on your visit to Kuranda.
Black Mountain Road, Kuranda, Queensland 4872 Australia
Cassowary House
50 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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It’s very difficult to rate this property. If you are a birder, you will probably love it. We saw the cassowary and numerous other forest birds and animals. On a night trip, arranged by the hosts, we saw sugar gliders, a variety of possums and tree kangaroos. My birder husband was very happy with the stay. However, if anyone in your party is not as devout, there are several things to be aware of. We stayed in the forest shack and it is humble with a capital H. The furnishings are a mishmash of found items that really never had better days. Wildlife outside is great but unfortunately the wildlife gets inside here. BIG BLACK SPIDERS the size of your hand suddenly appear on the walls. Not just one but many. During the night, all night long, the tree rats drop fruit on the tin roof of the shack, so don’t expect a good night’s sleep, unless you’re a birder of course.
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Date of stay: September 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It feels like a million miles away from everything in the middle of rainforest. We stayed in the room above the garage that had the toilet outside on the porch. There are two rooms above the garage the one we stayed in had a little kitchen area (fridge, microwave, sink) I don't think the other one did? Ours had a separate toilet on the porch area, shower in the room. The other room had all of those things in the room. I liked our room though because it was on the back of the garage with the porch looking into the rainforest, while the other one looks out on the driveway. Our friends stayed in that one. When we arrived we were in a hurry, I always plan too much in one day. We booked the night spot lighting tour and we had time for a shower (came straight from diving on the reef) but not to eat too, so she got us a menu for the pizza place and gave us her phone to make the call and said she would let the guide know we were going to be a little late so we could eat. Very nice of them both. We found a white lipped tree frog in the toilet area (I left the door open by mistake). Saw birds from the porch (king parrots). In the AM breakfast at 8 was great with fun fruit from the area, hard boiled eggs, lots of bread products and jams, honey, plus juice, tea, coffee and lots of birds. We saw rifle birds, catbird, butcher birds, brush turkeys, a tree rat kangaroo and 2 cassowaries about half way through breakfast. So we were very lucky they did not come later in the day, since we would have been gone. We only had one night to give for this place due to packed schedule. It is in a good location with food and places to shop in town of Kunranda about 10 minutes away.
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Date of stay: May 2014
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â I liked the apartment above the garage with the outside bathroom.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Definitely hard to rate this place. We stayed in the Catbird Cottage - quaint but very rustic. Bed very uncomfortable & noisy to sleep as no insulation on roof so rain sounds like a freight train & wildlife dropping stuff on roof all night also. However, the lack of sleep was absolutely worthwhile as seeing the cassowary up close was an experience we will never forget.
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Date of stay: May 2014
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We got stuck in the Victorian lockdown. I tried to contact Leonie via phone and email, but received no personal response. My cancellation via booking.com she refused. Luckily I could gift our booking of 2 nights to friends, whom Leonie told that she had not been able to accept the cancellation because of the commission she would have to pay to booking.com. I know that this is false because I had offered to cover the commission in my personal communication with another host and was told that the host would NOT be charged if they accepted the cancellation. Because of Leonie's refusal to communicate with us directly, her stubbornness or her lack of ability to read the contract conditions in which she had engaged with booking.com, I would recommend people to be careful when booking with this property. There are plenty more hospitable places to do business with.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arrived here with a written confirmation of our booking for the correct date. pregnant woman had no record of our booking even though it was her name on the confirmation! She could move some woman, a family member, out of the room and it would be ready in 2 hours. Judging by the general air of decay we declined her offer and had to wind our way back down the road to a trusted and reliable hotel in Cairns. You’d think in these difficult times business owners would make an extra effort to welcome guests but not this place!
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I wrote polite comments in the Gregory's guest book, but here I have to be honest. As a birder and bird photographer, Cassowary House was the biggest disappointment in several decades of visiting birding lodges around the world. The visitor should know that Cassowary House is a private residence first and a birding lodge second. It is nestled quite literally in dense rainforest - the vegetation extends right up to the walls of all buildings. This creates an "away from it all" feeling, but makes it well nigh impossible to actually see very many of the forest birds one hears calling around the lodge. And then there are the dog(s). One can understand the desire to have a German Shepard or two for protection when living in a secluded spot like this. However, it does not make one feel welcome when, even after two days, the dog comes charging furiously at you from within the main house whenever you approach. Nor does it help that the dog starts barking at the slightest sound. Nor does it help when Sue puts cheese on the balcony tray for riflebirds & catbirds only to have it immediately eaten by the dog. Cassowary House has its upside. The rooms are large, comfortable, and fairly priced. The breakfasts are sumptious. The Gregory's are also to be commended for their efforts in conservation, especially with regard to Southern Cassowary. As others have said, this is perhaps the only reliable place to go if you need that bird for your list. Cassowary House is perhaps best enjoyed by those who can identify Queensland forest birds by their calls alone, and who love big rowdy dogs regardless of their behavior.
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Date of stay: September 2013
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A surpisingly relaxing and special place to stay. So close to Cairns and yet feels so far away, up the winding mountain road, and just a 5 minute drive to Kuranda, it feels like you are in the middle of rainforest. The breakfast here is a real highlight, more fresh fruit and freshly baked (and beautiful tasting) bread and muffins than most can handle! The birds and wildlife are on the doorstep, almost in the house, and occasionally there is a Cassowary in a room! The rooms were comfortable and clean, with most things you could want on hand. The local bird and wildlife knowledge is second to none, with Sue seemingly knowledgable of the location of all possible beasts and birds anyone could want. Even as a non-birder, I found it fascinating to see many of the birds easily seen here, including the famous Cassowary 'Missy', and the several different honeyeaters (I think this was what they were called!). With so much within driving distance and such an idyllic location, I can not recommend it highly enough! Would go back specifically to have breakfast on the balcony with the rainforest laid out within reach. Fantastic.
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Date of stay: November 2011Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A great place to stay. Phil & Sue Gregory, who run the B&B as well as Sicklebill Safaris are very hospitable & welcoming. They have a vast knowledge of the birds, and can arrange tailormade tours for bird watching My husband & I engaged them for a 10 day private tour of Queensland, to search for endemic birds. We had a fabulous time and saw over 250 species.
Cassowary house is a delight - breakfast is served on the raised porch - and is fit for a king. Plenty of fresh fruit and homemade bread & muffins. You will not starve here - evening meals are substantial, tasty and good old fashioned home cooking.
The Cassowary visits most mornings, and we even managed to see a Duck-billed Platypus in the creek.
If you enjoy peace, wildlife & good food, you can't go wrong here. Birders will love it .
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Date of stay: October 2011
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cassowary House is tucked away in the rainforest. We made our way down a dirt road off Black Mountain road and were met by Sue, the host with a wealth of knowledge of rainforest and its fauna. From the start, we knew we had fallen upon a gem. Never come here if you hanker after 4 or 5 star accommodation, but don't miss it if you like nature and in particular, birds. We stayed in Catbird Cottage, and absolutely loved the isolation and the smell and proximity of the rainforest vegetation. We slept in the queen-sized bed in utter warmth and comfort and really loved being in the rainforest without being close enough for leeches or ticks. We made our way up to the main house (and its accommodation) early next morning to find that another guest had been filming the male Victoria Riflebird as he sat on his chosen performance perch - a topless slender tree. While we were on the verandah of the main house we saw, and walked close by, a female cassowary, talking softly to her as we took some amazing photos. Back up on the verandah we saw the spotted catbird, Mc Leahy's and Graceful Honeyeaters, Helmeted Friarbird, Black Butcherbird, and most exciting, both male and female rifle birds. The female fluffed up her feathers and sat in a tree so close to the verandah that any little camera could have taken a prize photo. Cassowaries moult and Sue and her son Rowan gave us a 'feather'. This was the end of our trip to North Queensland, and had we know about this wonderful place we would have stayed longer to soak up more of its atmosphere, bird sightings and Sue's food, which unfortunately we were not able to sample, but did read about in Trip Advisor later. Top marks to these knowledgeable and enterprising people who willingly share their knowledge and welcome guests with genuine warmth.
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Date of stay: June 2015
Value
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I booked this along with the Platypus tour way in advance. Your accommodation is in the rain forest amongst nature so don’t expect it to be bug free or noise free. It was exactly how I imagined it to be. We were in the Catbird cottage with a kitchen , sitting area and double bed. There is a toilet with good shower. My wife didn’t like it as there were insects and it was dark ( duh what did you think there would be ) it’s a bloody rainforest for gods sake. It is very dark but there is electricity and lights, sure there are a few bugs but it’s their home what do you expect. I had a great time and loved it. Lots of birds like the Riflebird and don’t forget the prehistoric looking Southern Cassowary which showed up with his two youngsters. Fantastic , the breakfast was amazing with heaps of fruit, eggs, cereals, amazing bread, muffins and hot coffee. Best breakie I’ve had. The tour was great with our Phil pointing out all the birds and finding us tree kangaroos and then the Platypus itself which was the highlight of my holiday. Phil has a amazing knowledge of birds and had me wishing I was going on another tour with him. Anyway my wife didn’t like the secluded site or the noises so we cut our stay short and went to a luxury hotel where my wife was happy at last. I on the other hand sulked for days. I will be back ( myself ) for a week next time. Thanks guys it was great.
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Date of stay: January 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Kuranda area.
LOCATION
AustraliaQueenslandKuranda
NUMBER OF ROOMS
4
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