blog – Affordable Luxury

Meet Linda: Noosa Avalon Farm Cottages

Meet Linda, owner of the beautiful 30-acre property, ‘Noosa Avalon Farm Cottages’ in Pinbarren on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. The property consists of three cottages, Avalon Homestead, Kangaroo Lodge and an Amphitheatre to enjoy and relax with a step back in time to a simpler lifestyle.

‘Noosa Avalon Farm Cottages’ started as a 30-acre bare paddock 30 years ago, without power, water or even a phone, Linda started it all while living in a caravan with her two children as a single mother without trees or wildlife. The property has now been reforested by Linda herself and enjoys many species of birds, butterflies, native animals including feather tailed and sugar glider possums, lizards, frogs and micro-bats that eat 300 insects every night.

Linda prides herself in the cottages being poison free since 1986 and has been a leader of environmental tourism and education since 2002. The cottages boast 5 kW solar panels and 80% of all buildings and our cottages are recycled and built with pre-loved materials. Each cottage has 5000-gallon rainwater tanks and the property itself has a 60×70 meter lake, 8 metres deep which is home to rare Mary river turtles.

The property is home to friendly cows; Woody, Creamy, Bubbles, Red girl and Bambino, who assist guests in composting their scraps, with extra straps going to the trees for local wildlife to feed on – nothing gets wasted. At the farm, recycling is done wherever they can, with septic systems allowing everything to stay on the property.

“It is expensive to be green, to lock up your land for your dreams of a better world, this is a drop in the ocean, but many drops make the worlds oceans, lakes and rivers.”

“How can you love and protect something, if all you see is cement and bitumen? We have an amazing world let’s look after this beautiful planet as we need the earth but the earth does not need us. I love to share my passion with families, friends and stressed out people to bring them back down to earth. I could not have achieved what I have done without the amazing people that have walked my road with me with there love and support, I thank you all.”

Interested in experiencing the wonders of Linda’s cottages? Click here to book now!

What’s on in Sydney | July

It might be frosty outside but it doesn’t mean you should be cooped up inside! There’s plenty to do in Sydney this July so grab your coats and head out the door. From music festivals to outdoor ice skating, there’s plenty to do this winter!

Australian International Music Festival – Sydney Opera House

The Australian International Music Festival is one the most popular events in Sydney and brings in a crowd from all over the world. The event provides a fantastic musical and cultural experience to Sydney and aims to expand your mind! Talented musicians will be performing at the Sydney Opera House, the City Recital Hall and Darling Harbour!

Winterlight – Parramatta

Winterlight is returning just in time for the school holidays and it’s a magical hub where you can skate, eat and play. Situated in Prince Alfred Square in Parramatta, this winter wonderland is not to be missed. The event will include the largest open-air rink in Sydney for you to skate on and a giant thirty-metre ice slide! After all of the skating, they also have warm winter snacks for you to munch on!

Carraigeworks Winter Night Market

The Carriageworks Winter Night Markets are back and it’s going to be better than ever! At the markets, there’ll be more than 50 stalls from leading Sydney restaurants and bars. This year, the stallholders will be inspired by the theme WILD, which highlights using native and locally sourced produce. As well as all of the delectable delights, there will also be live music and cooking demonstrations!

Ice skating at St Mary’s Cathedral

Throughout June and July, you’ll be able to skate in front of the breathtaking St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney CBD! In the evenings, the park will be illuminated with a glowing hue and you’ll be able to soak in the atmosphere while you skate in an open-air ice rink! Once you’ve tired yourself out, you’ll also be able to warm up with some snacks and hot choccy from the food vendors! If you bring the whole family along, there’ll also be jumping castle, music and much more!

Apollo 11 Exhibition – Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences

The Apollo Exhibition commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Moon landing! It’s hosted at the Museum of Applied Arts & Science and is displaying over 200 objects. Key objects that will be displayed in the exhibition include items from all around the world! The exhibition will also have a new virtual reality experience where visitors will be able to watch the moon landing from a new perspective!

Bastille Festival

French food and culture are returning to Circular Quay and The Rocks to celebrate the 7th annual Bastille Festival! The four-day event will be home to 100 food stalls that showcase the best of French cuisine! Whether you’re craving raclette, crepes or a glass of champagne, it’s all here! The festival will include a Parisian Foodie Village, a Gourmet Produce Alley and a Mulled Wine Cinema!

Bondi Winter Magic

It might be too cold for an ocean dip but it’s the perfect temperature to go ice skating! Bondi has transformed once again into a winter playground by the sea at Bondi Winter Magic. Whilst you skate around, you’ll have a spectacular view of the ocean and a 22-metre Ferris wheel! Along with this, Bondi Pavilion will also be home to Bondi Feast, a fringe style winter festival!

Need a place to stay in Sydney? We’ve got some stunner apartments in Sydney that you can stay in at Aabode.com

Meet Jo and Jim: Gypsy Willows House and Villa

Meet Jo and Jim, owners of the gorgeous 25 acre property, ‘Gypsy Willows – The House’ and ‘Gypsy Willows – The Villa’. It features beautiful gardens and views; 2 hours from Sydney, and just 3kms from the historic Wollombi village in Hunter Valley Wine Country.

Enjoy a BBQ or glass of wine on the covered entertainment area, gazing out at the peaceful view of beautiful Narone Creek valley and Gypsy Willows own 20 acres of farmland. Horses and cows graze in the foreground and kangaroos visit most days.

The owners? Meet Jo and Jim. Jo and Jim are retired professionals living in Wollombi, after having moved from Sydney. The pair came to Wollombi to visit friends for the weekend a few years ago and returned home having purchased a gorgeous cottage/weekender on top of a hill.

Their young daughter got the pair into horses, but the property that they had spontaneously purchased was unsuitable for that, leading them to sell the weekender in hopes of purchasing something a little more suitable later down the track.

“I wanted to build a house and garden from scratch on virgin land, which we did on our 100 acres, a property we love”

On that same property, Jo and Jim decided to breed gypsy cob horses (those used for pulling gypsy caravans in Britain).

A couple years later, 25 beautiful acres across the road became available…where Jim and Jo built a second home, but this time it lead them into the accommodation business.

I mostly enjoyed developing the gardens, which I do myself – and have contributed to the building of the houses as possible, but my skills are limited, being a “suit”

Can you guess where the name came from?

In struggling to find a name for the accommodation property, they used the connection with the horses as inspiration, and ‘Gypsy Willows’ was born!

We have tried to make the houses as luxurious as we could for country cottages and have tried to include all the obvious little extras including pay TV. We also went for more modern, light houses which we think people are now looking for and which is different from most country accommodation places.

Gypsy Willows is a totally private property, and is not overlooked by anyone. The property is based among expansive valley views, which is home to a large number of eastern grey kangaroos, which graze the valley in a large mob of up to 50, as well as horses and cows grazing Gypsy Willows paddocks.

More generally as a retiree and retired to the country it helps to keep in touch with the world.

I guess you could call the whole thing so far a bit of a hobby and a “labour of love”.

Jo and Jim would love to welcome you to stay at their beautiful home in the Hunter Valley, so get booking as their property has been booked out every weekend since June 2018!

Staying with a larger group? Gypsy Willows – The House is likely to be more suitable for you.

Heading to the Hunter with a smaller group? Gypsy Willows – The Villa is perfect for just that!

Sites that must be seen: WA

When travelling, there is always that concern that you’ll miss something that is a MUST see, which is why we’re starting a series of blog posts with sites that must be seen!

Let’s start in Western Australia.

Kalbarri National Park

Within Kalbarri National Park alone there are a countless number of things that you MUST see! Bring your camera, a big bottle of water, and a fly net, because boy are there a lot of flies down there.

Kalbarri National Park is one of Western Australia’s best known parks, with scenic lookouts, gorges and coastal cliffs. When heading to the National Park, you will need a car as you will have to drive through a magnificent 80 kilometer gorge. Throughout the gorge there are a number of pit stops and walks that will take you to amazing formations such as Nature’s Window, and the Loop, Z-Bend and Hawks Head.

Coral Bay

You’ll want to pack your snorkels for this one! Head up the coast of WA to Coral Bay, where the fish, coral, and marine life is plenty! Choose to either snorkel from the bay or head out on a coral viewing boat to experience the beautiful underwater world that is the Ningaloo Reef. Be sure to book early as tours often book out, especially around the school holidays!

Looking for something a little more adventurous? Head to the area between March and June and swim with the largest fish in the world; the whale sharks! We know what you’re thinking. Sharks? No way. These sharks aren’t ordinary flesh eaters, instead they’re filter feeders (meaning they live off plankton and krill)!

Not your thing? Head to the area between June to October and experience the migration of the Humpback Whales, or November and February for turtle nesting!

Horiztonal Falls

When you think of waterfalls, you generally think of large amount of water falling from a height. Horizontal Falls will change your perception of a waterfall, the falls are situated at the very top of Western Australia. They are fast moving tidal current squeezes through two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range, and have been described by David Attenborough himself as “Australia’s most unusual natural wonder”.

Purnululu National Park

A must see when travelling WA is Purnululu National Park, most well known for the incredible rock formations known as the Bungle Bungles. The Bungle Bungles are distinctive striped beehive like domes that rise approximately 300 metres above the surrounding grassland.

Be warned however, as the tracks to get to the Bungle Bungles have a bad reputation as a rough and difficult 4WD track.

Windjana Gorge National Park

Windjana Gorge National Park is known as one of the Kimberley’s most stunning gorges, with water streaked walls that rise to incredible heights of 100 metres. Unlike many Western Australian National Parks, this one is easily accessible.

Fun fact: Over 300 million years ago, the whole area that is the Windjana Gorge National Park was under the ocean!

Be sure to book your accommodation through Aabode.com!

24 Hours in Sydney

Whether you’ve got a quick layover or are here for a quick weekend getaway, there’s a lot of things you can do in Sydney in 24 hours! If you’ve got no time to space, check out our 24 hour itinerary for Sydney!

7am – Flour and Stone

Start off your day with some of the best pastries in Sydney! Flour and stone in Woolloomooloo attracts a small cult following every day and just fits over a dozen people. Whether you’re after some delightful desserts or a hearty start, flour and stone will sort you out for today. Also, don’t worry if you see a giant line! It’s bound to happen, so just grab it to go and perch yourself on a park bench to enjoy the start of your day.

11am – Tamarama beach

It’s no visit to Sydney if you don’t go to the beach! Start of your daily activity by heading over to any of the beautiful beaches on offer! We recommend Tamarama beach for its picturesque views and relaxed vibes. If you’re heading to Bondi and are looking for a toned down beach, just stroll along the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk and you’ll get there in a jiff!

1pm – The Grounds of Alexandria

This is possibly one of the most aesthetic and instagrammable spots in Sydney. Filled with plenty of greenery, mesmerizing floristry and rustic industrial décor, The Grounds is not a place to miss. It’s the home of specialty coffee, homemade lemonade carts and amazing eateries that gives all other instagram foods a run for their money. It’s a lively place to eat, drink and relax. Perfect for your afternoon pick me up! If you don’t want to head out of the CBD, just head to their sister location Grounds in the City!

4pm – Circular Quay/The rocks

Although Circular Quay can sometimes have its fair share of tourists, you at least have to see the harbor bridge once today. Whether you take a stroll down to the Botanical Gardens or head over to Museum of contemporary Art for some eclectic exhibits, you’ll be sure to have an amazing time! If you happen to be there on a weekend, peruse over to The Rocks and check out the Friday Foodie Market and the Rocks Market.

6pm – Butter Sydney

Think sneakers, fried chicken and champagne. Live your best life by having dinner at Butter, home to possibly the best fried chicken in Sydney. After a long day of swimming, walking and exploring, you need a fat feed to satiate your hunger. Whether you get the fried chicken sandwiches or their OG 3 pac, you surely won’t be disappointed.

8pm – Chinatown

Time to walk off the fried chicken. Take a short stroll over to Chinatown and explore this urban delight. Got some spare change in your wallet and some room for dessert? Head over to Emporer’s Cream Puffs and grab some mini cream puffs for 35c each! However, beware, there’s almost always a line! Whether you want to head into a gaming arcade, have some dessert, drink some bubble tea or play pool, Chinatown is a great way to end the evening.

10pm – Earl’s Juke Joint

If you’re still up for some last drinks, head on over to the New Orleans styled cocktail bar, Earl’s Juke Joint. Trust us, this is where you want to be. Sip on some Singapore Slings and nibble off a charcuterie board to enjoy the rest of your night. This decadent bar exudes intimacy and a little bite of New Orleans. If you’re looking to turn up, this won’t be the place for you, but if you just plan on having some good company, with some better drinks, it is.

After a long, enjoyable and filling day, you need somewhere to rest your head. Head over to Aabode.com for an abundant array of Sydney properties!