Your Merricks Beach Family Hideaway

Enjoy the tranquility and farm views while relaxing on a hammock, and kids playing in the large yard or cubby house. This property consists of two separate, but adjacent buildings - a newly renovated traditional house and a new, modern house with open living and kitchen area enjoying garden views. Most suited to two families, not large groups of adults (max 3 couples).

[PLEASE NOTE - Next door there’s house construction underway from April 2025 until around April 2026]

Our family friendly batch is only two blocks from the smooth waters of Merricks Beach. Although not patrolled, it is a sheltered beach very suited to kids. At low tide there are some great rock pools to explore (try to spot the crabs and starfish). Feel free to use our sand toys and boogie boards, but please look after them.

There are also plenty of other beaches around within a few minutes drive (e.g. Shoreham, Somers and Point Leo which usually has some waves for surfing and boogie boarding).

You can use the Bluetooth on your iphone or ipad to listen to the music you have stored through our mini-Bose or you can listen to radio through the television.
There is a selection of DVDs you are free to use (in a grey storage box in the far left cabinet in the sitting area), as well as adult/kid games and books for the young (in that same cabinet). Feel free to use any of those that you like. Books for adults are in the lounge areas of the older house.

The kids will have fun enjoying the cubby house, the swing, climbing trees, the acrobatic ropes, and the local tennis court.
Please supervise children at all times when they are using the rooftop balcony and do not use glassware on the balcony (a selection of plastic tumblers are provided for your use instead).

You can set up the hammock (found at the top right drawer on the porch) between the two trees at the front of the house on the north side (you will see the ropes already set up). Please put it away when you are finished with it so it does not get damp from the rain.

Spot our friendly visitors such as the Australian King parrots, rosellas, cockatoos, koalas, echidnas but try not to approach them and scare them off. Koalas also can be found in our neighbourhood and the backyard so keep an eye out (or an ear out for them).

Linen and towels are NOT provided. Please use a bottom and top sheet and your own pillowcase. Please also bring and use your own towels, including tea towels. If you forget any, you could pop into the shopping strip in Balnarring. Every bed has a doona, doona cover, pillows and pillow protectors and there are spare blankets available in the suitcase in the sitting room.

Both main building have woodfire heaters which are effective in heating those spaces. In addition, the main bedroom in the older house has an electric wall mounted heart (with timer). The second bedroom has a mobile oil heater that can be found in the wardrobe. In the tower house there is a wall mounted heater in the kids bunk area (with timer), and a woodfire heater in the main area (please use the glove while the heater is hot).

Both building have a ceiling fan that helps cool the spaces, as well as cross house ventilation with strategically positioned windows. All windows have fly screens as well.

The west facing windows of the tower house have external blinds. The downstairs blind is manually operated (the rod is behind the curtain and you should pull it towards you when you are winding it). The upstairs external blind is externally operated and the remote can be found next to the TV remotes under the TV. Please do not use these when it is extremely windy as they may damage the blind.

To use the kitchen stove is an induction stove so please use the saucepans provided (please remember to turn on the power switch on the wall near the stove). There are saucepans in the lower cupboards on the left of the stove.
We regularly use the house so there are basic supplies in the kitchen. You are welcome to use some of these supplies (such as tea, sugar, oil), but if you are going to use a lot of the supplies we ask that you replace them or use your own. There is a great IGA in Balnarring. Feel free to use any of the herbs in the pots. There is also a foldable round table that fits four people on the veranda and extra stools and chairs around the place.

The laundry is accessed from the north side of the veranda and include a Bosch washer/dryer. Some laundry powder is provided but we advise you bring your own (as you may not like the one we use), and there is a fold down clothes line on the door as well as a clothes horse.