Congo Camp House in the forest

Rustic, character filled, architect designed cabin with a master loft and two small bedrooms constructed largely from recycled building materials, located on 5 acres of forest close enough to the ocean you can hear it in the distance. Just to be absolutely clear, the Camp House is not 'on' the beach but it's close. It takes about four minutes to get to Congo Beach by car. We are 'pet friendly'. Maximum guests - six people. PLEASE READ THE HOUSE PROFILE BEFORE YOU BOOK!! This is so you know exactly what to expect and avoid disappointment. There is also NO wifi. As far as 'value' is concerned, some have found it a tad expensive for just a couple while others with a party if six thinks it's great value. Please NOTE! It's a MAXIMUM OF SIX ONLY please! VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE...if you are interested in staying at the Camp House then you will need to provide your own bed linen, towels and tea towels. We provide doonas and pillows for a queen, double and two singles (two pillows per person). You MUST also be prepared to take away ALL your own garbage when you leave and make sure the place is clean and tidy for the next folks. PLEASE DO NOT BOOK AND THEN COMPLAIN ABOUT HAVING TO BRING BED LINEN, TAKE AWAY GARBAGE AND CLEAN UP BEFORE LEAVING WHEN THESE ARE THE EXPLICIT REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE...if you are not comfortable with this arrangement then DO NOT BOOK. I have had people agree and then complain about this and give me a bad review. Camp House is usually checked after visitors leave by a friend who keeps an eye on the place for me. I also like to get a report from you on the condition that the last guests have left the place. It's usually between good and pristine but sometimes unfortunately it's not. Important COVID-19 note: Airbnb has made it a requirement of all hosts to follow new COVID-19 cleaning protocols. For the Camp House this will mean that guests will need to make sure than when cleaning before check out, that they wipe down benches and tables with a cleaning fluid and spray aerosol sanitiser on all taps and door knobs and handles before departing. In addition you'll need to mop the floors with disinfectant. I apologise profusely for this additional inconvenience however i expect you'd use a cleaning fluid to wipe benches and tables anyway and a quick spray of door knobs and handles wont take much time. It's probably the mopping that's the added burden...sorry :( Congo Camp House is located within five acres of eucalypt forest and, as the crow flies, it's 1.6 kilometres from the coast and four minutes drive to Congo Beach (the closest). There are seven wild, frequently deserted beaches, all within the Eurobodalla National Park, that are within eight minutes drive. Because it's not really a house, like a normal house, and because there's a real "outside-inside" feel and because most people spend their time sitting on the kitchen deck or around the fire pit, it became known as the "Camp House". For those that love the idea of camping but not so much the inconvenience and still want a sanctuary from the elements and a comfy bed to sleep in, then this place is ideal. I have found over the past eight years hosting on airbnb that this place is a good compromise for families and groups who are divided on whether they want to rough it at a campsite or stay in a place where you can be very comfortable. This is sort of seven star camping!! I want to STRESS it's NOT a hotel! There's going to be cobwebs here and there, although i try to stay on top of that and there WILL BE DUST from time to time, especially in the outside kitchen. We get little visitors like possums and bush rats in the kitchen and there's usually lots of birds hanging around and occasionally wallabies and kangaroos pass through. It's very much a bush experience and not for those expecting Hyatt style luxury. I want to stress this is a "Camp House" and it won't always be pristine and sometimes that will also depend on just how well the previous guest cleans the place. We don't have a regular cleaner because it's fairly remote and therefore we found the expense only makes it much more costly for you, the guest. However i have had a number of bad guests very recently which has been very disappointing, who have left the place in a poor state so i now pay for someone to come in after each visit and assess the condition of the house to provide me information i may need for reviewing guests. The Jarrah kitchen is outside on a big timber deck, under cover of course, and sheltered from the southerlies. Sometimes the Kookaburras will come and steal food from right under your nose, WHILE you are cooking and there will be mosquitos sometimes and moths and beetles. You are living in the elements just like if you were camping but there's very comfortable beds and a beautiful big bathtub. If it's raining and cold lying on the cosy couch in front of the little potbelly stove reading a book while listening to the rain on a tin roof is just wonderful anyway. There are insect screens throughout and upstairs there's a big mosquito net so inside you are generally protected from the bugs unless you've left the doors open . Unfortunately the big double glass doors have had to be sealed permanently because they will not close properly, while i wait for a tradesperson to fix them. Difficult when they are all rebuilding homes destroyed in the recent bushfires. same for a large window upstairs. From the start we wanted to limit our impact on the five acre forest it's nestled in because it's home to LOTS of wildlife. We have tried to use recycled products where ever possible. So the Camp House features lots of beautiful recycled hardwood timber that used to be joists and bearers from old homes and it's lined with lime washed plantation hoop pine. The doors and windows were sourced as second hand castaways. The insulation is made from PET plastic bottles and the building is sited so that we can make the most of the northern sun in winter. The end result is an amazing little building that seems to belong where it is within the forest. There is the master loft with queen size bed upstairs which offers beautiful views of the forest and two small and cosy bedrooms downstairs (two single beds and a double). It's very private. The outlook is pretty much just forest. It's simple, unhurried, peaceful and at nights we generally sit around the fire and talk or play music. We really like that mostly the people who stay understand and appreciate what we have tried to create here and so far mostly everyone has treated the Camp House and the forest with great respect. The nearest shops are in the small country town of Moruya about ten minutes drive away and where you can get just about anything you need food-wise. There is a bus service that runs between Sydney and Moruya but you'd need a car to get to the Camp House from Moruya. The coastline of the Eurobodlla is arguably the most beautiful and most wild coastline in NSW and mostly national park. There are so many beautiful and wild beaches to go to and an amazing array of national park destinations nearby. You have access to the whole house and the five acres (2.5 hectares) during your stay. Check in time is around 1pm and check out is midday but we are fairly flexible. If there's no one booked before you then you are welcome to arrive as early as you like and the same for check out times. If no one is booked after you then you can leave as late in the day as you wish. Just check in with me the day before and we can let you know then. If there are bookings before and after you i can sometimes check their arrival and departure times to see if we can accomodate peoples wish to arrive early or leave late but just depends on the comings and goings. I'll try to help though. Unfortunately I don't see you at all as I live elsewhere. I'd like to be able to meet my guests because the ones i have met in the past have all been really nice people. I try to make myself available at all times over the phone if you need help. I have a neighbour very close by who checks on the place after each guest has gone to make sure everything is ok. The immediate area around the camp house is forest and the coastline is spectacular and mostly protected within the 35 km long Eurobodalla National Park. The Camp House is located in a rural/residential area so you will hear Livestock like cows and donkeys in the distance. The Roosters next door have finally departed fortunately. You really need a car in this neck of the woods. There's no public transport. We have a resident Brush-tailed Possum nicknamed "Pedro" who can appear from time to time. Pretty harmless and cute. It's a good idea not to leave any food out in the outside kitchen because they can sniff around after you've gone to bed and make a bit of noise. More recently he appears to have a wife and child and three of them can make some noise after you've gone to bed. Please be reasonable about using the firewood. No bonfires please and please be especially careful with the firepit. If it's windy and warm or hot then just do not light it up because it doesn't take much for a few sparks to get into the nearby grass and start a bushfire. Make absolutely sure the firepit is extinguished before going to bed because strong southerlies can come up during the night. There are definitely snakes in the forest but Ive only seen two in 18 years. Just be mindful of them and do not let little kids wander into the forest unsupervised, especially during the warmer months. There is a bird bath there and it's a delight to watch the birds of all sorts of species line up for an afternoon bath. If you are of a mind please change the water for them if it looks dirty. Just turn the bowl over and fill it up again. And PLEASE make sure that there is always a piece of solid timber in the bath for a perch for the birds. I was really upset to find that Someone removed and burnt the perch that was there and as a result a wattlebird drowned in the bird bath.