The cottage is our family guest house. We would love you to feel comfortable and at ease. 

Despite trying our best, we might miss something or perhaps you need a little extra something. 

Please do not hesitate to get in touch, sometimes it is really simple things that can impact your stay. We would love you to simply give us a call or send a message if you need extra supplies, information, help etc. 

The best number is 0406080320 or use the app that you booked through. 

The cottage is located at 27 Mill st in Clare, less than 100m from the Riesling Trail, and about 300m from the town’s main street.

Guests are invited to self-check in using the key safe for which the code will be provided before checking in time. 

Check in is from 3pm | Check out is 10 am

IMPORTANT NOTE: when arriving, please be mindful of low clearance of the carport. Max safe clearance is 170cm, fits most cars & SUVs, but larger vehicles like 4WD, vans, etc, will need to be parked alongside the carport.

We ask our guests to check out by 10 am. In some cases a later check out may be possible, however, please check with us first. 

Please clean all the dishes and put them away. We recommend using the dishwasher – usually the quick 30 min cycle is enough. 

Please remove the rubbish and put it in the bins provided near the garage. Green bin for compostables, yellow bin for recyclables, red bin for landfill waste. 

We ask that you leave the cottage in a tidy order, close all the doors and windows. 

Don’t forget to check for your belongings around the place. 

We will be looking forward to hosting you next time. 

We provide most of common items to help make your stay comfortable. However, if there is anything in particular that you require, please feel free to get in touch with us, or simply bring your own. 

The cottage is well over 150 years old, and is quite different from the contemporary Australian buildings. It can be incredibly warm and cosy, but requires a little planning. 

Start the AC heater (if it is not on yet) as soon as you walk in. Set it to about 24C, max fan, and point it to the ground. If you keep the door between the kitchen and living room open, this will allow warm air flow across both rooms. 

Please note, setting heat over 24C will quickly trick the sensor above the unit into turning off (thinking it has done the job). 

Start the wood fire as early as you can – it will take at least an hour for it to start to generate any heat.  Use the inbuilt fan to force the heat out (see tips below in the Wood Heater section)

Keep the door from the kitchen to the bathroom closed, draw the curtains/blinds, especially overnight. 

Turn on electric blankets at least an hour before you go to bed – this will heat it deeper inside the mattress and make the bed warm and comfortable. 

Additional blankets are available in each room for your use. 

Please also consider closing off rooms that you may not be using. 

If you are particularly sensitive to cold, we recommend bringing extra layers. 

This little cottage has been our home for many years, and we have tested all of the tips above over many winters. 

Slow combustion wood heater is a delightful indulgence in winter. There is enough firewood provided for several nights’ worth of cosy fire. We ask our guests to use it more for ambience and rely on battery powered reverse cycle AC to stay warm. Additional firewood is available behind the shed.
Please note, we are unable to light the fire prior to your arrival due to safety. 

Key tips:
– You can control air inlet with a small handle just above the door. Set to left, it limits incoming air and is good towards the end of the night when you want to prolong the burning process. Set to right, it allows extra air in and is most useful at the start of the burn process. 

– If you want it to heat the space more efficiently, turn on the fan (wall switch on the right hand side near the fire on the floor) and then control intensity with the turn switch at the base of the fire on the right-had side. 

– Please ensure the door is closed at all times, other than when starting and adding firewood. 

The thick walls inside as well as well-insulated roof will help prevent overheating indoors. We suggest closing the windows and curtains when you head out for the day, and opening everything up overnight. 

The AC works really well when kept on a lower setting for longer times rather than setting it super cold for shorter periods of time. 

Please also consider closing off rooms that you may not be using. 

Most of the artwork in the house is for sale. We ask local artists to select some of their pieces for the Cottage. All of proceeds go directly to the artist. 

If you wish to purchase any of the paintings, simply take a photo of it and send it through to us on 0406080320.

Prices vary depending on the collection and individual pieces. Shipping can be arranged or may be included in the artwork cost. Check with us!

We ask our guests to respect the house sustainability principles (below in this page), as well as peace and privacy of the neighbours. This cottage was a family home for years and the neighbours are our close friends and helpers.

The cottage has 2 bedrooms, one with king size bed, one with queen bed. 

There is one very large bathroom for the guests to share. 

To minimise environmental impact we choose very carefully what is provided in the cottage and how. 

Soap, shampoo & conditioner are provided in refillable containers and should be more than sufficient for an average stay. 

Unlimited WiFi is available at the cottage. You can find the password for it when you get in.

The TV in the house is equipped with a Chromecast. You will be able to cast content from your own device once you are connected to the local wifi.

Free-to-air channels may be of low quality due to the regional geography. We suggest to download appropriate channel apps to your own devices if you have TV related plans. 

If you have issues casting to TV here is a quick check-list:
– Your device (phone or tablet) must be connected to the cottage WiFi
– The app shows a casting icon – usually displayed on the right-hand side of the screen or frame
– You can see the TV in the selection list of devices to cast to. 

If you get lost in the settings of the TV, try the favourite method of the IT specialists – turn it off at the wall for a few seconds and turn it back on. 

Full-size fridge, cooktop, induction microwave,  as well as all cutlery, glasses, plates etc. 

We also provide a small blender for the guests’ convenience, a kettle, a toaster, as well as a pod coffee maker. There will be some pods provided, however, should you need more, we ask that you choose compostable coffee pods. 

There are no additional cooking supplies provided – if you are intending to do extensive cooking, please bring your own supplies.

We ask our guests to strongly consider their purchases in terms of packaging and waste, and sort their rubbish in bins provided (and labelled). 

The Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council offers a 3 bin system:

FOGO:
Food Organics Green Organics

Food waste – plant and animal based, paper towels, tissues, small amounts of paper, hair, tea bags, compostable coffee pods, coffee grinds, and other compostable materials. 

Recycling
Paper, cardboard, hard food packaging plastic, plastic, metal, and glass containers, and other recyclable materials. 
In the CGVC area the recyclables are sorted by hand, this way increasing amount of materials given another life, so we ask that you keep your recyclables clean and ready to be processed by separating soft films off the packs, scrunching aluminium foil into a ball  etc. 

Landfill
We call it the sad bin.
Put your soft plastics, and other non-recyclable and non-compostable items here. We hope there will be very few of them. 

All bedding linen and towels are supplied. If you are staying for more than 4 nights, additional linen can be provided upon request. 

The property has a lovely cottage garden with mature trees, as well as the secret garden that faces east and is extra cosy in the summer mornings. 

The outdoor shower and soon-to-be-added outdoor bath offer an exceptional opportunity for a nature surrounded experience. 

Please keep in mind that the garden is full of uneven surfaces and rocks, so please enjoy it with caution. 

No fires permitted outside.

There is at least one pair of Ringtail Possums living in the vicinity. Occasionally they like to make the roof of the cottage a playground. It is illegal to remove possums  more than 200m as they are highly territorial and live in bonded pairs. Any noise they may cause rarely lasts more than few minutes. You are welcome to leave some apples, sweet potato, and fruit picked from the trees in the garden out for them. 

The sleepy lizards that frequent the garden also appreciate berries, bananas, and cucumbers.