Day 38: Home Away From Home

[Trudie7]

phrase of home

1. a place where one is as happy, relaxed, or comfortable as in one's own home.

Based on the Northern Beaches, Sydney, we moved from a large newly renovated home to a small beach cottage. As a family of four requiring extra space for when family & friends wanted to stay, went about building on the dual access property, a seperate apartment.

It was never our intention to use it as an Airbnb but somehow came across the idea. Usually we are away travelling at Christmas so decided to list during this period to see what would happen.

The surprises & delights experienced from running our Airbnb, booked solid now for just over 3 years, still amazes us everyday. It has been a process that has evolved over time, including, learning about our guests needs & the way they live when they travel.

‘We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.’

This is why I travel extensively myself to discover more about how we can live our best life. I love the comforts of home but also crave & enjoy adventure & different experience; the people, how they live, culture & location.

It’s an honour to be able to provide our Airbnb guests with a wonderful space, a home away from home, where they too can discover & enjoy more about the area & themselves. We are grateful everyday for being able have access to the great outdoors & living by the ocean in Sydney, Australia.

At the moment whilst we are unable to travel as far & wide as we have previously, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the celebration stories shared via the Airbnb Community. What an incredible way to stay connected, learn, discover, reflect & slow down time. It still provides us with the ability to loose & find ourselves whilst having to stay at home.

Thank you 🙏

Would love to hear about when you last travelled & had any home away from home experiences.

[Jason1470]

 

 

 

Hi @Trudie7

Thank you for such a lovely post. The location of your ABB rental sounds spectacular. I once did the Bondi to Coogee walk when we first migrated to Australia and I remember this place to have one of the most stunning coastal scenery backed by some jaw dropping properties.

A solid booking for three straight years is not just a reflection of the popularity of the location but also perhaps it is because you are an amazing host. Reading your post I am certain your hospitality would provide any guest with ‘a place where one is as happy, relaxed, or comfortable as in one's own home.’ 

Our last trip as a family was within the West Australian fortress (as most Australians now seem to call it due to its hard border restrictions rules😁)  itself: three weeks of work related training in Fremantle and tend days road trip with my family. We travelled to the magnificent and unspoilt SW region of WA and visited Albany and Busselton. We did ABB throughout and had the most amazing time. The most dominant feeling I had throughout the trip was one of gratitude - of being able to move freely, to explore without any restrictions and to be able to forget about COVID-19. (Some photos are attached)

 Like the rest of the travel community, my feet itch for the open road and I hope and pray that travel in the new world will be just as wonderful and magical as it was Pre-Covid. The ugly scars of this virus will remain fir a long time to come, but I’m sure that it is this very scar which will prove to be the one common factor which will bind us together.

I wish you a glorious 2021.

Best,

Jason

[Katie]

Those blue skies @Jason1470 👌☀️ 😍 I loved the south of WA when I visited, I remember the rugged coasts and the amazingly tall forests that just made it feel magical. I feel like I can smell the woody scent of the trees just thinking about it!

How does the Underwater Observatory work? 

[Jason1470]

Hi @Katie 

The South Western region truly is one of the most underrated parts of Australia, and has not quite caught on with international tourists due to its remoteness. The colours of the waters and the crispness of the air are to be experienced to be believed!

The underwater observatory, which was established in 2003 and plonked as one piece one the seabed, is one of only six underwater observatories in the world. 

It must have been quite a challenge I would imagine, designing a building that could sit on the seafloor, withstand the brunt of winter storms, and allow people uninterrupted views of marine life.

Made of concrete and steel, the UWO is shaped like a large water tank, is 13m deep and 8.5m wide, weighing 550 tonnes with 11 viewing windows. The sheer engineering feat of the build and the transport is very impressive – the structure was built in Fremantle, floated down to Busselton, put into place and held down using 12 anchors driven 18m into the sand.

The Underwater Observatory tour starts with a relaxing train ride on the Stocker Preston Express along the 1.7 kilometres long Jetty. Once at the UWO, you descend 8-metres below the ocean’s surface as you will be lead through the natural wonders that lie beneath the Jetty where its piles create Australia’s greatest artificial reef - host to an awe-inspiring forest of vividly-coloured tropical and sub-tropical corals, sponges, fish and invertebrates. There is a spiral staircase that leads down and has thick plexiglass windows which provide the visitor with dramatic and immersive views of the underwater world.

And to think that this wooden jetty was to be demolished after it sustained significant damage due to a cyclone in 1978, if not for a bunch of some passionate locals!

[Katie]

Sounds amazing @Jason1470, need to add it to my travel bucket list! I had no idea it was there when I visited 🐠

[Trudie7]

@Jason1470 I very much resonated with your reply thank you. I too have feet that itch for the open road 😊 Your WA trip sounded sensational, I love the photos. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful country, I too am grateful & look forward to exploring more of it, whilst we can’t travel abroad.