Durras North Cottage

Durras North Cottage is a perfect family holiday destination, with the lake and beach just a few steps away. Set in national park, the village is renowned for its native wildlife. The front veranda looks directly over the lake and sea. The house has coffee machine (ground coffee), pillows and doonas, and good quality kitchenware. Please bring your own linen - sheets, towels, tea towels, bath mat. Mobile phone coverage is good. The small shop has wi-fi access. The house is compact but perfect for a family or two. The front verandah is enclosed so is good for young children. Older children will want to explore the large backyard and wider neighbourhood. The house has two bathrooms, one inside with a stand-in tub/shower and toilet, and one in the outside laundry with a shower and toilet. We have a washing machine and outdoor clothes line. We wash up the old fashioned way (no dishwasher)! There is a wood bbq outside. Please note there is often a total fire ban in force over the summer - signs at the shop will alert you if a fire ban is in place. There’s plenty of kindling around and larger firewood is available at the shop. Please refrain from borrowing firewood from the neighbours, I have had some interesting explaining to do on a very small number of occasions... We are on rain water in tanks so ask that guests are very careful with water usage. This is our most important house rule. Please don’t flush the toilet for number ones and keep showers short and reasonable. We realise a lot of city folk are not used to being so careful with water so please consider this rule before booking with us. Excess water usage means our water runs out and the sewerage tank overflows! We ask that guests take their shoes off inside. Please bring your own linen - sheets, towels, tea towels, bath mat. The beds in the first two bedrooms are queen size but in the main room the mattress is extra deep so please bring large queen/king sheets. The bunk room is quite small and suitable for children, beds are single size. The oven is a bit tricky. Turn on the range at the wall switch. Then push buttons 2&3 under the timer display at the same time. Turn on temperature and oven type (fan, grill etc) as desired. There are mosquitos all along the coast so we recommend covering up in the evening and applying insect repellent if outdoors. Close external doors after 4pm (main door at the back and door to the verandah). Windows are fitted with flyscreens. The kangaroos are cute but roos = poos. They leave grassy areas with plenty of droppings. There is a rake behind the door in the outside laundry if you wish to rake this away from the lawn. There are nature trails to enjoy on foot, and some hard climbs nearby for the more adventurous hikers or mountain bikers. Some of the trails are not accessible due to the fires that came through the area in early 2020 and remediation work is being carried out. Locally-made honey is often available for sale (although the hives were affected by the fires) - if in season you’ll see the signs on the right as you come into the village. Durras Lake is a host to some of the best fishing on the South Coast. The lake is an estuary surrounded by Murramarang National Park. Its water way is rich with estuarine fish including flathead, bream, whiting and flounder. Prawning in the lake is also very popular. The bird life is spectacular including pelicans, sandpiper and golden plover. We have a large lace monitor lizard who lives in a tree in the backyard by the fireplace. She mostly does her own thing but occasionally you’ll see her strolling around. We also have a juvenile blue-tongue lizard who lives under the outside laundry up from the outside tap, and although he is quite shy you will often see him poke his head out to see what is going on. Please enjoy watching our wildlife, but do not feed the lizards or the kangaroos around the village. The lake periodically closes to the sea due to sand build-up. As at January 2022 the lake is open and the water is fresh and clear. Our house is a family holiday house. It is bright and neat and clean, with quality kitchenware and is in an amazing location. You’ll love your stay but please keep in mind it is a family holiday house, not a luxury resort. All spaces including the outside laundry/shower area. The converted garage is for owner’s use. Available by mobile phone, text or email. Our lovely house cleaner lives a short drive away and cleans following each stay. A sleepy village with just six streets and a small shop open daily during holiday periods and otherwise on weekends. Walk to the beach or bike around the village. There are a number of nature walks in the national park surrounding the village and mountain bike trails for those feeling adventurous. There’s a boat ramp by the lake with car access, in front of Durras Lake North Holiday Park. You may need to turn the electricity on in the electricity box on the outside wall of the house. The water pump is in the outside laundry and may need switching on at the wall. Rubbish goes out Sunday evening for (very early) Monday morning collection.