Tranquil family cottage by the bay, Macelay Island, QLD, Australia

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to Macleay Island, a small residential island located just south of Brisbane. Our house is a 2 minute walk down to the water, and we can see the bay across the road through the windows. Our neighbours and the community in general is incredibly warm and friendly. Life here is simple, tranquil and beautiful. Children grow up running wild, swimming in the bay, riding bicycles, climbing trees and playing in the dirt. Nearly everyone on the island has a boat of some kind, and so do we (though we struggle taking it out with two little kids). The island is about 7km long from top to bottom and comes with the necessities - a gelato shop, two medical centres, a grocery store, a few cafes and clubs and a gas station. It's a quick 15 minute ferry ride to get to the mainland (Redland Bay) and from there a 45 minute taxi ride to Brisbane airport, or a bus ride to anywhere else you need to get to. You get the feeling of being completely remote and isolated while actually being quite conveniently near the city when you need it.
  
  For some, this is a nice place to spend a quiet few days, and for some, it is a place to spend longer, settling into the simple lifestyle. But one way or another, whoever you are, I'm sure you will find something to love about it :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Staying with us on Macleay Island you will be exposed to a welcoming community that is almost completely Australian, while living with a family that is half Indian half Persian. We love playing music and singing, sharing prayers together with friends from different faiths and cultures, and playing games. The island culture is all swimming, kayaking, going for walks and bicycle rides, and congregating at the gelato shop. We have a small boat and an inflatable kayak that can be taken out, weather provided, to really experience the joys of living on the island. The community itself hosts various activities as well - a brass band, artisans market, art sessions, live music at the pub and more.
  
  Across the bay is North Stradbroke island, a tourism and wildlife haven with whales (from June to October), dolphins, turtles, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and more if you want a long day/weekend trip. We are also an hour's drive from Gold Coast or 45 minutes into Brisbane city from where you can access many more of Australia's most scenic spots.
  
  We hope that we will also be able to experience a little bit of the world through you. With our children being so young, having international guests is a wonderful way for them to learn about different languages, cultures and cuisines, improve their socialisation skills and build an all-embracing worldview.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We would love to welcome you into our home and life, and with two young children, there is plenty of help we need.
  - If you are good in the garden, or just willing, it is in constant need of attention: weeding, trimming, mowing, etc. and it would be a blessing to have someone help with it. Right now it is in a particularly overgrown state, being quite neglected since our younger son was born.
  - If you are good with children, playing with our older son (2yo) while we work would be super helpful.
  - If you like to cook vegetarian food, we are all vegetarians and someone taking on the task of cooking a few meals helps free time for us to do other things.
  - If you are handy and like building things, we will probably have some project around the house that needs help (cementing something, trying to build a treehouse or construct a shed, etc.).
  - If you are happy to perform house cleaning jobs (vaccuuming, scrubbing bathroom tiles, etc.) that is always helpful too.
  
  Generally, most of the work we need help with is around the house, but if you have a particular skill you think might be helpful that I haven't thought of here, we'd love to hear about it. We are an English speaking family, so if you need to practice English this would be a great opportunity to do so. If you happen to be interested in learning Farsi, my husband has been teaching it to our sons so you'll get exposed to that as well :)

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Persian (Farsi): Fluent
  Hindi: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We have a single bedroom with a double bed available for you to stay in. It is east-facing, so the sun rises through the window over the garden. There is a bathroom just across the hall from your room, and another one located outside just through the back door.
  
  We eat simple, vegetarian meals. Breakfast is generally cereal, milk and fruits. Lunch and dinner in our house often may be rice or bread with vegetables/lentils, pasta, dosas (Indian crepes), homemade pizzas, soup, etc. We can have meals together and would welcome your assistance with cooking. We'd love to also try any vegetarian recipes you have up your sleeve! If you'd like to eat out anytime there are a handful of places on the island open for lunch or dinner.

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  What else ...

  The island is a lovely place to spend some time, with strong artistic community. There is an arts centre walking distance from our home, and the two main beaches (Dalpura Park and Pats Park) are also within walking/biking distance. To get to the shops or ferry you will have to drive (we can either drive you or you can borrow the car if we don't need it), take bicycles (we have two bicycles and an electric bike.. the island is quite hilly so you'll need to be up to the task), or catch a taxi (there is a share taxi van that operates on the island). Once you're at the ferry terminal, you can catch a ferry to one of the other islands nearby (there are 3, <10 min ferry to any) or to the mainland (~15 min ferry ride). From the mainland (Redland Bay Marina) you can get to anywhere in Brisbane via bus (or often multiple buses). Google maps will give you an overview of public transport options from Redland Bay Marina.
  
  Life with two small children comes with a few adjustments which you will have to mould to while staying with us. Our older son sleeps for a few hours in the afternoon and he is a very sensitive sleeper so these hours are quiet, no-noise time inside the house. We also sleep quite early, by 8:45 - 9 pm, so after this the rest of the night is also no-noise time. This is also a non-smoking non-drinking household.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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