Impressive Kalbar’s Romantic Wiss House Bed and Breakfast

Wiss House Bed and Breakfast

It is a long way to drive from our hometown of Muswellbrook in NSW to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. To break the journey on previous trips to holidays on the Sunshine Coast my wife and I have stayed at various hotels in Warwick. However on our most recent trip we decided to drive a bit further before stopping for the night.

I looked at the map and found that the next town after Warwick on the Cunningham Highway was a little town called Kalbar. (Actually, Kalbar is just 6 klm off the Highway). Kalbar is a delightful town located in the peaceful picturesque Fassifern Valley of South East Queensland's Scenic Rim in Australia.

In Kalbar I found the Wiss House Bed and Breakfast. This is in an old Queenslander style home that I discovered had an interesting history. It is a charming Federation home with exquisite decor full of antique furniture. It provides the charm of yesteryear combined with contemporary modern comfort. The old world charm was evident everywhere. Every little thing is thought of, such as the lights and light switches chosen to suit the time period of the house.

This ornate Federation house in its large garden setting looks rather grand with its profusion of gables, balustrades, and decorative eave brackets.

Wiss House hallway

The natural hoop pine and cedar timbers, stained and lead light glass, and the ornate pressed metal ceilings of the entrance hallway oozes warmth and quality.

The beautiful Wiss House Bed and Breakfast offers a choice of 4  luxury guest bedrooms, each with its own unique style. We chose the one with a gorgeous ensuite bathroom, with an old style freestanding bath tub. The large bed was very comfortable to sleep in, and had gorgeous linen. It was a lovely room

I noticed in one of the other guest bedrooms a wonderful four-poster bed, and another had a large bay window overlooking the front verandah.

The Wiss House Bed and Breakfast dining room was more like a grand banquet room, with a large dining table and upholstered chairs, chandelier, sideboard, and carved mirror on the wall. Meals are served on beautiful fine china and silverware.

Wiss House Bed and Breakfast

We enjoyed our breakfast in the dining room. We enjoyed our choice of cereals, fresh fruit platter, toast and spreads, juice and tea and coffee. There is also a cooked hot breakfast available which the other two couples staying there enjoyed.

There is a room set aside to relax in, with books and magazines to read, a large flat screen TV to watch, and a large DVD library to make a movie selection from.

Wiss House Bed and Breakfast house is set in a large garden with swimming pool and spa to relax in the warmer months. We arrived late in the evening of our stay so we missed out on dining on a three course meal prepared by the Gourmet Chef.

We also missed out enjoying afternoon tea served on the extensive verandas on three sides of the house. These verandahs provide scenic views over the town and the majestic mountain ranges of Queensland’s Scenic Rim.

Wiss Bros store

We appreciated sensing the wonderful history of Wiss House. Lionel Weiss and his brother Campbell had built a small store and adjacent house in Kalbar in 1880. A new store was built in 1909. Both this store and the house next door still stand today as a shop and house. 

The large timber house, known today as Wiss House, was built in Anne Street by Lionel Wiss for his family in 1908. Lionel died in 1932, and his wife, Maria Elise, lived in the house until her death in 1957. Their daughters, Adeline and Phyllis, remained there until the mid-1970's.

On Sunday 11 April 1993 the new owner of Wiss house started demolishing the front fence, front steps, side windows and roof in order to relocate the home to a new setting. Local Kalbar people gathered to protest and the State Heritage Minister issued a stop work order. Wiss House became the first test case to go to court about a heritage building being allowed to re-located or not. The decision was made that the house was to stay where it is. It was sold and many thousands off dollars spent on restoring it to its original condition and turned into a Bed and Breakfast. 

The charming resident host of Wiss House Bed and Breakfast is Sara Watson. She is a wonderful host who was very welcoming and provided us with exceptional caring service. Her hospitality was superb and set her Wiss House Bed and Breakfast far above any hotel.

Wiss House Bed and Breakfast

Kalbar is just ones hours drive from Brisbane or one hours drive from the Gold Coast past Mt Tamborine and Beaudesert. There are many place to explore nearby Wiss House Bed and Breakfast including wineries, lakes, antique shops, book shops, cafes, art galleries, national parks and waterfalls.

The Wiss House Bed and Breakfast is a delightful place to stay for one or more nights. either as you pass through the area, or make it your destination for a well earned rest.

Wiss House Bed and Breakfast

7 Ann St, Kalbar QLD 4309

Website: http://www.wisshouse.com.au