When fully occupied with 14 people, the rate is only $68 per person per night! Further discounts apply for more extended stays of 7 or 28 days.
After enjoying the steep and narrow roads down into Wiseman's Ferry (if you are coming from Sydney, enjoy the trip over on the Wiseman's Ferry and the short 5-minute drive from the ferry to the home. Relax in style in this 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom riverfront 2-storey home with river access via a drive-thru garage for boats, canoes or paddleboards.
Like most houses of its era (1960's), the drive-through garage was ideal for smaller boats, but larger ski or wake boats may not fit through. There is 6m of flat concrete from the rear garage door, then a 10m ramp to the river. The width of the drive-through garage is 2930mm, and the height is 2050mm. If your boat is too large, most visitors use the Public Boat Ramp in Wiseman's Ferry and then boat up to the house. You can leave your boat at the rear of the house for the duration and then repeat the process in reverse when leaving.
Recently fully and tastefully renovated, this home will provide guests with a cosy and luxurious retreat with something for everyone. Relax and unwind with Lower MacDonald River views to the rear, sandstone escarpment views to the front, and green paddocks full of kangaroos and horses.
The ground floor level of the home is self-contained with two separate bedrooms (1 x Queen and 1 x 4 bunk beds) plus a day bed with a trundle in the lounge area, sleeping 10 comfortably. There is a wall-mounted TV viewable from the day bed, which also serves as the lounge for this area. There is also an undercover breezeway area with seating for those hot summer days or for storing skis or canoes. This downstairs level has its own entry to serve as a kid's or teenage retreat or as accommodation for those with mobility issues.
Upstairs via an external staircase, you can enjoy 3 Queen bedrooms (the main with an ensuite) and a separate powder room next to the main bathroom. The lounge has a 6-seat lounge with a large footstool that converts to a table for doing puzzles, a 60" TV, and a DVR with various movies provided for your viewing pleasure. The dining room can seat 8.
Enjoy your morning coffee sitting in a wingback chair with a footstool in the reading nook, watching the MacDonald River meander by. The large, fully equipped kitchen will have you cooking up a storm, or you can take it easy and have a BBQ on the rear veranda overlooking the river. You can also head to the front veranda to watch those kangaroos.
You can also take a short drive back to Wiseman's Ferry to have a delicious meal at the historic Wiseman's Ferry Inn, visit the Bowling Club or the Golf Club, or have breakfast at one of the many cafes and restaurants.
If you want to enjoy a circular drive from the home to St Albans and back to Wiseman's Ferry, this will take about 35 minutes each way. Lunch at the historic Settlers Arms is always a great experience.
Explore and hike along the historic Great North Road (Convict Road), taking a backpack with a picnic lunch, water, and good walking shoes for this activity. Or pick stone fruit in season at one of the many Hidden Valley farms just before you get into Wiseman's Ferry.
You just can't beat this area of the Hawkesbury for things to see and do, along with water sports and wildlife such as wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, wombats, bush turkeys, king parrots, and even sea eagles flying along the river.
Travelling back through Wiseman's Ferry in a Westerly direction, you are also within 35 minutes of Castle Hill, Dural and Rouse Hill or 45 minutes to the historic town of Windsor. A further 10 minutes past Windsor and you will be in another of the Hawkesbury's historic towns; Richmond where you can also catch a movie in the Regent Movie Theatre once owned by TV personality; Mike Walsh. Just up the hill from Richmond you will find the beautiful Kurrajong Village with quaint village eateries, clothing and gift shops.
Travelling north from the house will find you in Gosford, a mere two hours away. Along the journey, you will pass through the quaint villages of Spencer and Mangrove Mountain. This makes 83 Walmsley Road Lower MacDonald the perfect location to act as your base for some terrific day trips and shopping.
You can be as lazy or busy as you wish; it's up to you. Even those wintry, wet weather days, where you will wake up to the beautiful misty MacDonald River, are not a problem when you can watch a movie, play a board game, read a book, do a jigsaw puzzle in fully split system, air-conditioned comfort or by a roaring fire at the Wiseman's Ferry Inn. And in summer, the smell of the Australian bush will fill your senses after a sun shower and bring a sense of calm you have been seeking.
The property is serviced by a rainwater tank, which will be filled before your arrival. If you have a full house of 14 persons and/or are staying longer than a week, natural rainfall or a water truck may need to refill the tank. There is a gauge on the tank to indicate water levels. If a water truck is required, contact the host, who will arrange for this to happen. Until the water truck arrives, please be mindful of water usage. Rainwater tanks service all of the homes in the valley in this manner.
Let's discuss the elephant in the room - This is the house for you IF you value a newly renovated property with many lovely pieces of furniture, vases, and other expensive adornments. If you feel anyone in your group (adults or children) is unable to look after the property to the highest level possible or might decide to take items from the property that don't belong to them, then consider renting another property. All unsatisfactory behaviour and treatment of the property will be reported in your online review.
We are extremely generous, courteous and accommodating hosts, so we expect our guests to appreciate this and behave accordingly.
So, if you are happy with everything you have read here, why not bring some friends, your boat, a book, enjoy a bottle of wine, throw a line off the back lawn, and see what you can catch? If you love the Australian bush, rivers, historic towns, and some peace, our house is for you!!!
