Maison
Our home is a colonial-style brick house. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, & an open-plan design. The master bedroom has a queen bed, walk-in robe, reverse-cycle air-conditioner, & timber ceiling fan. The second bedroom has a single bed, air-con. & ceiling fan, gets a lot of sunlight, & looks out onto the back garden. The third bedroom is currently a toy room but can very easily be converted into a ‘sleeping room’ for 1 or 2 person(s). The fourth ‘bedroom’ is an office where you can find a computer with internet access, & printer/fax.
The main bathroom has been renovated recently (June 2009) and is now a contemporary area with a spa bath (jacuzzi). The second bathroom contains a toilet suite & shower. The laundry has a washer & dryer.
The timber kitchen forms part of the large open-plan living area and is equipped with all modern conveniences. The pantry is new and a pleasure to use with soft-close drawers and doors. There is a new dishwasher, fridge, microwave, espresso/cappuccino machine, coffee percolator, quality cooking equipment, & a large breakfast bench for casual meals.
Adjoining the kitchen is a casual living space with LCD TV, DVD recorder, stereo equipment, and a new lounge suite. The nearby dining area seats 8 & looks out to the pool area & tropical gardens. There is a slow-combustion fireplace with fan which heats the house really well.
The second living room is a nice quiet place to escape to. It is the only carpeted room in the house & has a nice cosy feel to it. There is a leather lounge suite with 2 recliner chairs - watch TV, a DVD, use the Playstation, listen to the stereo, or read.
Adjoining the main living area is an outdoor entertaining area with BBQ, timber outdoor setting, hammock, speakers connected to stereo, tropical gardens, & in-ground pool. The garage has camping equipment, 2 adult mountain bikes, & kid’s bike (to suit 4-7yrs), kid's scooters, weights & weight bench.
Quartier
We live 90 minutes drive north of Sydney in the ‘City of Lake Macquarie’, although everyone who lives in Lake Macquarie will tell you they are from Newcastle which is the city next to Lake Macquarie. The lake is 4.2 times larger than Sydney harbour & the largest salt-water lake in the southern hemisphere. Our suburb is on the shores of the lake, picturesque, quiet, safe, & family-oriented. We have native bushland both across from our house & directly behind, full of trails.
We are a 5min drive from Toronto where you will find supermarkets, banks, shops, pharmacies, restaurants & cafes, clubs, a marina & public wharf, as well as medical facilities. There is a smaller community shopping centre near our house with a small supermarket, pharmacy, take-away food store, restaurant, post office etc.
There are so many things to do here. You can hire a boat & explore the lake. Or join a scenic cruises from Toronto wharf with ‘Lake Macquarie Cruises’. They offer a variety of cruises from the 2-hour coffee cruise to a dinner cruise. Kayaks may be hired from AusBoating in Toronto. There are many creeks & rivers to explore in addition to the lake. Or drop into the Toronto Yacht Club on a Wednesday afternoon for the local races – crews are often looking for additional hands & it’s a fantastic way to meet locals.
Visit the Hunter Valley vineyards (Tyrrells, Draytons, Lindemans), or smaller family-run boutique wineries - there are over 120 cellar doors to be found in the area! Wine tours, wine appreciation classes, cheese & chocolate shops, balloon flights.
Golfers will love the championship course at Cypress Lakes Golf Resort in the Hunter Valley, with its superb restaurant, & Golden Door Spa. Or the first class course at Horizons Golf Course at Salamander Bay, Port Stephens.
The Watagan Mountains are nearby, as are magnificent beaches of Newcastle (30mins drive). Newcastle is Australia’s sixth largest city and second oldest one with great history & heritage.
À propos de nous
We are a family of 3 – Derrick (45), Nicole (37), and our son Daniel (Danny) (5). Derrick is from Canada (originally from Quebec although he lived in Vancouver for 20 years before moving to Australia), and works for a large engineering company where he is involved with the production of large specialised vehicles such as fire engines. When in Vancouver, he was working for GVRD Parks in North Vancouver and was a member of the North Shore Search and Rescue team. Nicole coordinates clinical trials and assists in medical research with a biotechnology company. Both Derrick & Nicole are well-travelled. We speak English, plus Derrick knows some French from being raised in Quebec.
For pets, we only have 2 chickens, Henrietta (very tame, & cheeky) and Balu (timid but beautiful). They are fed layer pellets and kitchen scraps, and in return provide fresh eggs! I can have someone attend to the chickens if you do not wish to look after them, or if you are away sightseeing – that isn’t a problem as my parents live close by.
We are extremely respectful of other people’s property and possessions. We will provide you with a clean and tidy home to come to, with some essentials waiting for you in the fridge. Upon our departure, we will leave your home how we found it. In return we would appreciate the same hospitality.
Destination
We will be in Canada for 4 weeks from around 20th June 2010 , and would like to exchange with someone in Vancouver and the Eastern Townships, QC (Magog area or up to 30 mins drive). We would like to be in Vancouver for about 3 weeks and Magog area for 1 week - the order of which will depend on when you are able to exchange with us. So, we may visit Magog at the start of our trip from around 20th June, or at the end, from around 6th July for 1 week. Our only criteria is that we must be in Vancouver on July 3 for a wedding.
