Illawong Nord's Wharf

IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT READ TO THE END BE SURE TO SEE THE NOTE ABOUT LINEN* BELOW (SORRY TO SHOUT BUT PEOPLE SOMEHOW STILL MANAGE TO MISS THIS DETAIL).

Illawong is an old family holiday house with absolute water frontage on Lake Macquarie. It has a panoramic north facing view which provides a spectacular setting year-round for relaxing by the water. It has its own jetty. The house has three bedrooms and a bathroom on the air-conditioned upper level. Each bedroom has two single beds. Note in the photos two of the single beds in one room are pushed together to make what might look like a double or queen-sized bed but that actually equates to a king-sized bed. This can also be done in a second bedroom. They are easily separated if desired, hence the listing as single beds. There is an optional linen service* (see below). On the middle level there is large living area opening onto a full width deck overlooking the lake. The kitchen and main bathroom are on this level. There is a bath. There is a huge DVD library, a selection of odd books, lots of board games, jig saw puzzles and Lego with a Lego table. There is Wi-Fi. On the lakeside level are the laundry and barbecue facilities, including a paddle ski and small canoe. The house is on a large garden block and is adjacent to a grassy reserve and the Nord's Wharf itself. The garage is not available for use but there is plenty of parking. Trailered watercraft can be launched at boat ramps at south Nords Wharf or at Cams Wharf. Mooring of boats to the jetty overnight is not permitted due to the risk of unpredictable changes in the weather resulting in damage to both. The town of Nord's Wharf is a quite lakeside village. The Nords Wharf Trading Post cafe and general store is just a stroll down the road. It is 10 -15 minutes' drive to Catherine Hill Bay beach, Caves Beach and Swansea.

Please note this is not a 5-star resort. Is not even a 3-star motel. We think it is fantastic and a great relaxing family get-away but some people have come with unrealistic expectations, been disappointed and complained. The house is regularly and thoroughly cleaned at considerable expense, but if you are not able to cope with the odd daddy long legs or ant etc, or you expect The Block style furnishings and styling, this is not the place for you. However, we do try hard to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible - we like to think of it more as a share house than a rental, and as such appreciate guests taking some care with the property e.g. not trashing the carpet or the walls, putting the watercraft away after use (it's not Club Med either) etc. We do try to provide a lot of the things that we find annoyingly absent from holiday stays we have rented ourselves e.g. lots of plate, cups, glasses and cutlery; garbage bags; a generous allotment of toilet paper; tea towels; salt, pepper, hopefully some cooking oil; there might even be a tin of tomatoes etc. We encourage a take-one-leave-one mentality, but we can't guarantee particular items will be there (apart from what the cleaners restock) because sometimes I think people might clear out all the "free" stuff as they leave, (including the wireless speaker, Lego, pillows etc.).

Sorry, no pets. Maximum 6 people. No party weekends due to the quiet residential location.

*NOTE THERE IS AN OPTIONAL LINEN SERVICE comprising bed sheets, pillowcases and bath towels if you would prefer not to BYO. (Blankets and pillows are provided). It's $160 for 1-2 people, $175 for 3-4 people and $190 for 5-6 people and is billed at less than cost price (the cleaners charge me min 2 hrs to go and make up the beds (=$110), plus and extra hour to strip the beds and take the linen to the commercial laundromat (=$55) plus the laundromat fees (approx $5.50 pp, min $24). Nonetheless, having this as an opt-in alternative keep the tariffs down for those people who are prepared to BYO, which is most as it turns out. If you would like to avail yourself of this service please be sure to put it in the comments, preferably at the time of booking because last minute requests can be difficult or even impossible for the cleaners to accommodate, depending on their schedule.

Check in time is 3 pm; check out is 10 am.