Archive for the ‘Accommodation’ Category

Sea Salt Beach House

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Sea Salt courtyard

Sea Salt courtyard

Every once in a while you come across a place where you can truly relax. A place where there’s just as much for children to enjoy as for parents and a place where you can feel like you’ve come ‘home’ even though you’re away. ‘Sea Salt Beach House’ is that kind of a place.

Sea Salt Beach House is great for families

Sea Salt Beach House is great for families

From the moment we arrived we felt welcomed by this modern and inviting tropical home. The home is spacious and airy with lots of natural light provided by the gorgeous French doors and large sliders which open out to the decks, courtyard and gardens.

Sea Salt Beach House dining room

Sea Salt Beach House dining room

Parents particularly mothers, will appreciate the attention to detail in the overall design as well as the individual features, furnishings, accessories and inclusions.

Details such as the elegant chandelier above the timber dining table, the water feature in the colourful courtyard, the collection of mirrors throughout the house, the fully equipped modern kitchen, the luxurious bathrooms, the tropical style rattan chairs on the front deck over looking the pool and little surprises such as the Martha Stewart Dinnerware and a pair of ornamental birdcages in the garden are delightful and help to give this holiday house a more personal, homely feel.

The children enjoyed having their own space in the colourful playroom

The children enjoyed having their own space in the colourful playroom

Sea Salt is exceptionally family-friendly, and has been designed with children and families in mind. It sleeps 8, is really well designed and caters for everybody. For families travelling with babies there is a highchair, cot, change table and even a potty. For families with primary school aged children there is a bright and spacious playroom with an assortment of toys, games and colouring activities. For older children there is a DVD player and swimming pool. For blended families or families travelling with grandparents there is plenty of room so everyone can spread out and have their own space.

The open plan living area of Sea Salt Beach House

The open plan living area of Sea Salt Beach House

There’s plenty to see and do in the nearby area as well. The Clifton Beach Shopping Centre is just down the road, the fine restaurants and exquisite boutiques of Palm Cove are a 5 minute drive away. For families with young children the award winning Cairns Tropical Zoo, is within walking distance from the house and a number of walking trails, parks, playgrounds and sandy beaches are also very close by.

Sea Salt Beach House

Sea Salt Beach House

Sea Salt Beach House is at Clifton Beach, 20 minutes North of Cairns, Queensland.

This post is part of a collection of travel photos from around the world,
visit http://www.deliciousbaby.com/ to see more great family-friendly pictures and stories.

Outback cattle station

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Alkoomie Station is a working cattle farm located about an hour west of Cooktown. Located right at the top of the Mount Dickson Escarpment the views from Alkoomie Station are absolutely amazing. You can see the township of Cooktown, the bush covered rolling hills and green valleys to the North and the South of the property as well as the ocean and on clear days even the Great Barrier Reef.

Access is strictly 4WD only and you do need to be an experienced driver to traverse the steep inclines and winding curves that the road up the hill presents in places. This drive is not recommended if you are scared of heights or suffer from anxiety! If there has been rain the road can quickly become impassable too so it’s always best to ring the station just before you set off from Cooktown.

If you love horses you’ve come to the right place, the horses here walk freely around the gardens and children are given a ride each afternoon. Longer trail rides can be organized for you as well which take you down some of the many tracks and roads around the property. You may even get to try your hand at mustering if you come across some of the resident cattle along the way.

Not far from the homestead is the fresh water swimming hole, this is an absolutely beautiful spot, where the bush is green and lush and the water is crystal clear. There are also plenty of walking trails for you to explore if you enjoy bushwalking, with plenty of animals such as wallabies, kangaroos and birds to be found here.

Accommodation here is available in permanent tent sites with proper beds, a toilet and even hot and cold showers, these are located a fair way from the homestead so you really can feel that you are ‘getting away from it all’.

If you’re looking for something a little more luxurious the fully self contained Homestead with 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms has everything you need to have a relaxing weekend away. The Homestead can sleep up to 12 people making it perfect for families or groups travelling together. You can bring your own food or for an extra charge meals can be provided for you.

There are 12 working cattle dogs living at Alkoomie that the kids will love playing with too, as well as turkeys and chooks. The four wheeler rides for kids are great fun and toasting marshmallows by the campfire each night is also an experience they’ll enjoy. There’s so much for kids to learn about life on a working cattle station and my kids certainly enjoyed their time at Alkoomie Station.

To organise your stay at Alkoomie Station visit their website:  www. Alkoomie.com.au

This post is part of a collection of travel photos called Photo Friday organised by Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for more great family-friendly travel photos and stories from around the world visit http://www.deliciousbaby.com/

Spurwood Springs Farm Stay

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Spurwood Springs Farm Stay is a great choice for families wanting to experience authentic life on a working farm. You’ll have the opportunity to ride a horse, help feed the animals and see working dogs in action as they herd the cattle. They have heaps of animals here including dogs, dairy cows, beef cattle, ducks, goats, sheep, horses and chooks.

Kids of all ages can get involved in helping out around the farm too there’s plenty of work to get into if you feel like getting your hands dirty and pitching in. Even the littlest kids can help feed the baby calves and sheep.

Farmer Tom is quite a character with a great sense of humour and will entertain you with his bush poetry and his amazingly clever dogs (and ducks!) You can also make delicious Aussie bush damper with Diane cooked over hot coals.

The hill top lodge sleeps 10 so there’s plenty of room for large families and Diane will make sure you’re well looked after, your accommodation also includes a hearty farm style hot breakfast.

Spurwood Springs is an hour and a half south of Cairns and just 5 minutes from Paronella Park