We are a mature couple with a twenty something son, who travel widely throughout Europe and prefer to stay in private accommodation rather than hotels. This was our first visit to Australia and we particularly wanted to stay close to Manly. We were unaware of how attractive Manly is in its own right and as a resort, or how easy it is to reach the very heart of Sydney from there. As a city, the roads in and around Sydney can be really busy, so we preferred to use the very enjoyable ferry, which regularly runs the short journey and lands right between the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Gum Tree Cottage is a short bus ride from Manly Beach and the Ferry, nestled in a quiet and attractive residential area. The impressive Westfield Warringah Shopping Mall is located nearby, on a main road which allows easy travel to more shopping and other destinations. Gum Tree Cottage is a single-storey house on the same plot of land as the owner's home. It shares the same driveway and parking, but the houses and their gardens are separated, so there is a real feeling of privacy for both. The house consists of an open plan lounge/ dining and kitchen area, with a good sized shower room (i.e. no bathtub) and two well furnished bedrooms. The kitchen is fully equipped, including hob, oven, microwave and toaster etc. The lounge is spacious and comfortable with a television equipped with a number of channels, Netflix and a video player, so we could watch a film (although most of our European Region DVD's don't work down under) or listen to music. The decoration is light and cool throughout the house, which adds to the comfort, whilst the air conditioning catered for our warmest days. The garden deserves a mention because although not vast, it added so much pleasure to our visit. It has a lawn with trees, shrubs and flowers, and we were lucky to be able to enjoy picking our own tomatoes and passion fruit from vines in the garden. There is a covered BBQ patio area at the front of the house which allowed us to sit outside in hot and even wet weather, as it was still warm. There is also an area of open, but sheltered decking at the rear, which we guess will escape the hottest sun. The wash house is also sited at the rear, with washing and drying machines. We enjoyed watching and feeding the visiting birds, which include colourful lorikeets and cockatoos, as well as the other garden wildlife. In fact, the house and garden have a country feel to them rather than town, so visitors are likely to encounter some wildlife, including insects on occasion. We consider this property to be suitable for most small families and all age groups, although anyone who wants very local entertainment and access to the beaches without the need to use transport (although buses are local and quite frequent)...