WOW WOW WOW - this place ticked all the boxes. We had a great 4 days at Mudbrick Barn. Satnav took us to Manjimup centre, so just check you are definitely heading to Upper Warren 20 mins away. This idyllic place is everything. And more. The bird life is amazing - TAKE BINOCULARS if you have some, we spotted a kookaburra and blue wren in the fig tree. Django is an old soul who is living his best dog life with all the comings and goings. We were given tips on where to head for a day out and meals to eat at. Tall Timbers was a great little spot along with Two Little Birds Cafe. The morning ritual of feeding the alpacas and donkey was a hit with my 8yo son.
We bought $20 fishing rods from BigW before we came and that was such fun - no idea what we were doing, but it was fun nonetheless - caught a lot of weeds! This place is rural with all the comforts you need. Even though we had a bit of wifi allowance each day, it wasn't needed. We grabbed some board games from the office and had such fun around the log burner. We also took marshmallows and long skewers from home for the all important marshmallow toasting with our hot chocolates each night.
If you want to experience the simplistic unspoilt beauty of the Karri Valley, this is the place to go with children. There were other cottages on the property so there are pockets of families having walks with their groups. My son took his bike too, and had a bit of a ride around the hen's house and donkey barn - totally safe and nice for him to explore.
We have come away with the Karri Valley being our most favourite place in Australia so far - Margaret River has its own charm and pull, but the Karri Valley really gets under your skin and hits your soul.
Thank you to Clover Cottage and their wonderful owners Paul and Petrina and their wonderful friends Graham and Jenny who were overseeing the property for a few days - your welcoming nature is what gives this place the true essence of contented living in nature - and sharing a piece of your world with us in the busy suburbia rat race. The loaf of bread and roaring fire on arrival just set the tone for the rest of our stay.
We look forward to coming back again to make more memories and explore the place some more. 4 days was no where near enough (we didnt really want to come back truth be told!)