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| View a small portion of the Huon River from the lawn of the rental in Castle Forbes Bay. |
None of today’s photos of the property we rented for six weeks in the Huon Valley are ours. We “borrowed” them from Anne and Rob’s listing on Airbnb, found here. We’d have taken photos, but with packing in full force, the house is somewhat cluttered.
In 48 hours, we’ll have arrived at the Hobart International Airport for the less than two-hour flight at 10:10 am to Sydney. Shortly after 12:00 pm, we’ll arrive in Sydney and take a taxi to head to the Overseas Passenger Terminal in the Sydney Harbour. Once again, we’ll embark on another cruise in the South Pacific.
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| View of the property from the river. |
So far, including Wednesday’s cruise, we’ll have sailed on six cruises in the South Pacific in this past almost two years. With one more cruise remaining at the end of April, in 54 days, we’ll sail from Sydney to Seattle as we make our way back to the US.
We’ll have 40 days between both cruises during which we’ll stay in a property in Manly, very similar to this house in the Huon Valley where one area is occupied by the owner and another full apartment with all facilities constitutes the rental portion.
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| I’ve sat on the sofa while Tom lounges in this red chair, both very comfortable. See the dining table and chairs in the background. |
Oddly, when we lived in Trinity Beach, Australia, beginning on June 11, 2015, we stayed in another similar property where we lived on the fully equipped main floor while the owners occupied the second level.
Overall, we prefer to live in a single-family home for the added privacy, but with costs so high for rents in Australia, these types of situations have been our only sensible option.
That’s not to say that any of the owners intrude upon our privacy in any manner. They have not. They’ve been kind, helpful, and available when needed. Anne and Rob, our landlords for this property, have been exceptional, making many efforts to ensure we had a pleasant stay, and undoubtedly, we have.
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| Plenty of amenities and gadgets are available in this kitchen, making cooking a breeze. When I needed an item, Anne quickly provided it, such as a big mixing bowl, baking pans, hand blender. |
The property is in perfect condition, with no obvious repairs, painting, or replacement needed. Everything works. The furniture in the living room has been comfortable, especially when we’ve spent more time staying in due to my recent illness during these past six weeks than we may have spent in other areas.
Previously in Penguin, Tasmania, when I wasn’t as ill, we were often out and about, walking, exploring, and seeing the local sites and points of interest. However, here in the Huon Valley, we’ve only done as much exploring as our 100’s of photos indicate, not every day but at least once or twice a week.
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| The table by the sofa in the living room includes lots of games, books, and decor items. |
The house is well equipped with suitable dishes, flatware, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, and gadgets. Even the cupboards contained various teas, spices, oils, and other products, similar to those in Penguin.
The bed is comfortable, along with the bedding. Poor quality or flimsy sheet pillows and blankets situation can totally ruin an otherwise comfortable bed. But, here, the bedding was of the utmost quality, the pillows comfortable, the covers suitable for various weather conditions.
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| We’ve kept our luggage in the second bedroom, which is located on a lower level. |
Anne and Rob invited Tom for his first fishing-on-the-ocean experience, which he thoroughly enjoyed leaving us with enough fish filets for a few meals. We coated the filets in beaten eggs and coconut flour, pan-frying them in coconut oil, our favorite way to eat fish.
The availability of fresh produce plucked from the abundant garden was a huge perk we’d never expected. I was particularly thrilled when I made salads using celery, cabbage, and greens from the garden. Tom, whose favorite vegetable is green beans, enjoyed them with many meals.
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| Seating on the veranda. |
With the 400 gig allotment every 30 days at night, we could easily stream HBO’s Game of Thrones entire six seasons. On only a few rare occasions did we have to await the return of the signal when it slipped away momentarily.
Although we watch a little TV, we’ve been able to check out local and some world news from time to time. During the day when we’re in, we may have news on in the background, but neither of us pays much attention.
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| It has been delightful to have fluffy robes to use while here, as shown in the second en suite bathroom. Both bathrooms have heated towel racks, but we’ve never used them. |
Right now, snippets from the Academy Awards Red Carpet event is on. The awards show will be broadcast live from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Unfortunately, since we’ve seen none of the movies, we have little interest in the awards show itself.
The grounds and the pool are beautifully maintained by Anne and Rob, who is also retired, spending considerable time working and maintaining the property. The views of the Huon River are breathtaking, as shown in a few of today’s photos and many photos over the past weeks.
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| This is the master bedroom which now has a sofa by the windows. |
We’d highly recommend this property to any travelers. For information, click here, and they’ll respond quickly. Also, feel free to contact us with any specific questions that perhaps only a renter would experience.
Thanks to Anne and Rob for an extraordinary stay at your lovely property. We’ve already written positive statements in your “guest book” and posted reviews online reviews over the next few days.
My single suitcase is already packed, except for the items I’ve been wearing the past few days. Tomorrow, Tom will pack his clothing while I pack the third bag with miscellaneous items we’ll collect from around the house.
Tomorrow, I’ll briefly report on my condition after today’s final contact with Dr. Angela Retchford in Geeveston. Then, on departure day in two days, we’ll include the total expenses for the six weeks we spent in the Huon Valley.
Have a pleasant day!
Photo from one year ago today, February 26, 2016:
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| Tom was excited to see this Minnesota State Trooper vehicle when we toured AmeriCarna in New Zealand last year on this date. How ironic! For more photos from the car show, please click here. |