Russell and Cheryl's place was a wonderful relaxing home for me and my young family during our weekend stay.
From the moment Russell met us upon arrival, until we left, we had a relaxing and enjoyable stay. The beds were quite comfy and the kitchen was well stocked with all necessities (olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, coffee, etc.) and they even provided some lovely arrival gifts including a litre of milk, a bottle of Yarra Valley Red and some lovely cheeses and crackers to go with.
We really enjoyed the outdoor deck area and it's beautiful view providing a tremendous amount of viewing of the soaring cockatoos, quick lorikeets and the laughing kookaburras. It was a very warm (32C) few days while we were there and the AC unit worked very well when we did use it.
The selection of DVDs was great and welcomed at the end of a busy day seeing the sites. It allowed for the kids to chill on the couch while the adults relaxed on the porch sipping wine and playing pool.
Local area: We had dinner at Healesville hotel out in the back garden which was really nice atmosphere and even had a play area (secret garden) for the kids (4 and 5 yo) to play. There is a really great park (Queens Park) for the kids to play just near the main turn off of Maroondah Hwy to head to the house. The next day we went to Healesville Sanctuary which was only a 10 minute drive away from the house. We ended that day at the local public pool (it was a 32C day) which is in Queens Park. The next day on our way back to Melbourne we stopped and had lunch and ice cream at the Chocolatier.
The only thing to be aware, if you are planning on working or relying on internet, is that there was no internet available (as written on the chalkboard next to the fridge) during our stay. This didn't impact us because the kids were happy with the DVD's available (Incredibles, Lion King, Bolt, etc.) but if internet is required perhaps just confirm if internet is available with Russell and Cheryl before booking.