A most bearable job, by gum

Bird of prey show in Lone Pine.

Nestled on a 4,860-hectare farm set among rolling hills and lush bush land, this early 19th-century property offers a true country - and indeed Australian - experience, which is only a one-hour drive from Brisbane.

The property is centered around the old homestead, which holds a lot of history. Each of the 31 restored guest suites and cottages has its own distinct character, from the quaint comfort and the communal lounges to the old-world Heritage Suites and indulgent Luxury Suites.

Every room has breathtaking views of Australia's outback, with cows grazing on the grassland and wallabies bouncing around the bush. The air is clean and sobering, and tranquility fills every corner of the resort - though your afternoon nap may be interrupted by the cows' mooing.

A winner of the Deluxe Accommodation category of the 2012 Queensland Tourism Awards, the resort caters for a wide variety of experiences - from family groups looking to go horseback-riding or mountain-biking together, to romantic candle-lit dinners, to conferences and weddings, Stever says.

Visitors are also able to get up close and personal with wild kangaroos, deer and koalas.

The vegetation on the Hidden Vale property had been mapped as high- and medium-value bush land for koalas, but unfortunately much of the original forest of red gum - koala trees - has been cleared for agricultural land over the past 150 years.

Spicers has worked with the state government on a conservation project to reintroduce this species in the area, with more than 15,000 gum trees already planted.

Very likely, when visitors hike around the koala forest, they may see a bundle of gray fur sitting high in a tree.