Sean Collier is the owner of Cabins in the Clouds (Kirawa), a property located approximately 40km north of Maitland. The property is a wildlife-friendly sanctuary offering short-term eco-accommodation in the form of one boutique bushland cabin named Kirawa. It is Sean’s intent for the property to continue in these purposes and to expand to include another cabin or eco-tent subject to Council approval. A section of the property is fenced off and Sean would like to make this area suitable for wildlife rehabilitation.
Cabins in the Clouds (Kirawa) covers 9.56 hectares at the top of Mount George, on the edge of an escarpment with views across to Barrington Tops. There is one cabin on the property which is now part of Cabins in the Clouds.
The natural vegetation of the site is a typical dry sclerophyll forest with an adjacent small segment of a dry rainforest. The forest classification is a Spotted Gum – Iron Bark Forest and this classification applies to the general forest of the area. Due to clearing (possibly for fire control) there is very little understorey. Noteworthy flora includes broad leafed grass trees (Xanthorrhoea arborea), three-leafed water vine (Tetrastigma nitens) – a very large specimen, stiff jasmine (Jasminum volubile), native olive (Olea paniculata) and stringybarks (Eucalyptus spp.).
Wildlife known to inhabit the property includes eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), red-necked wallabies (M. rufogriseus), common wallaroos (M. robustus), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus); bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus); eastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis), green tree snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulata), red-bellied black snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus), eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis), diamond pythons (Morelia spilota), wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), yellow-tailed black-cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus funereus), crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans), brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), king parrots (Alisterus scapularis), wonga pigeons (Leucosarcia melanoleuca), laughing kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae), lace monitors (Varanus varius), grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus), microbats and various other frogs, birds and small marsupials.
