We loved our stay at Frank’s! His house feels very private and has breathtaking views. There are plenty of kangaroos to watch during the day and heaps of birdlife in the established gardens. The location is simply beautiful.
Inside is spacious with a fantastic wood burning fire. We stocked up on firewood, firelighters and kindling at the servo in Diamond Creek on the way up (just 10 mins from the house). We also grabbed a few extra supplies at the HUGE Coles there.
In Hurstbridge (5 mins from house) we picked up bread from the lovely bakery and fish and chips for lunch from the Fish & Chip shop (closed Tuesdays!) You can also buy wood by the bag in Hurstbridge, if you run low. If you are staying for a week, I think getting a small load of firewood delivered on arrival day could make sense and is much more economical! We used 2 x $15 bags of wood a day. There is a small IGA with bottle shop in Hurstbridge, too. I’d recommend grabbing a bag of ice if you fancy a truckload of G&Ts as we did!
The living room at the house is huge with two large comfy couches, a cosy armchair and a decent-sized TV with Telstra TV console ( you can sign into your own Stan, Netflix, iView, SBS, Prime etc - just sign out again when you leave!) The view from the living room is gorgeous - plenty of boxing kangaroos on the hill! The fire heats it up brilliantly, but there are also a couple of small heaters to ease the early morning chill while you wait for the fire to ramp up.
We always take our own kit when we go to AirBnBs - matches, glad wrap, garbage bags, a few foil roasting trays, extra toilet paper, paper towel (good for lining cutlery drawers with!), condiments, olive oil, vinegar, a sharp knife, a heavy based frypan and a pod coffee machine. These came in handy and made cooking a total breeze. And speaking of cooking - the kitchen is big with a large pantry, dishwasher, double sink, huge fridge, excellent large new electric oven and convection microwave. It has pretty much all the basics and we didn’t want for anything - and we cooked 3 meals a day.
There are lots of bathrooms and the shower pressure is AMAZING. There’s a lovely bath with a view, too. Towels are the usual bath towel size. If you fancy something bath sheet size, BYO. We were happy with what was provided. The washing machine and dryer and modern and almost new - very handy.
There are 3 zoned areas to sleep in - so plenty of choices for big families/groups. I stayed with my adult children and we all had our own rooms and privacy. We stayed in May and it was cold at night, but a rustle about the cupboards turned up more blankets. Problem solved!
This house is VERY easy to relax in, as it’s ‘lived in’ and designed for families or larger groups. You don’t have to be SUPER careful here and it’s perfect if you bring your dogs - all surfaces are really easy to clean. The way-too-clean and way-too-pristine AirBnB is the enemy of dog owners!!
We had such a great stay and can not wait to go back to Frank’s again. This house is so close to amenities, but at the same time feels far from the city. A lovely getaway we will remember for a long time. Thank you so much, Frank, you champ!!