Archives for April 2013

One of the highlights on our way from Sydney to Melbourne was Wilson’s Promontory National Park. The park is one of the most loved National Parks in Australia (it’s Lonely Planet’s favorite) and sits at the southernmost tip of the mainland.  This place is so well-loved that if you want to camp you’ll need to throw your name into a lottery… 6 months in advance! Obviously, camping in the park wasn’t going to be an option of us. Instead, we found a caravan park in the nearby town of Foster (40k north).

The park has so many beaches, hiking trails, scenic drives, and water activities to offer that you could happily spend weeks checking them all out. We had to settle for two days.

With our limited time we opted to relax at Squeaky Beach, check out several viewpoints, and complete a couple of easier hiking trails.

I can definitely see why Wilson’s Prom is such a beloved fixture in Victoria and Australia as a whole.

xo, jill 

After wrapping up our first house sit (just north of Sydney), we had a week until we needed to report for our second (southeast of Melbourne). The timing and geography worked out perfectly. What did not work out perfectly was our first night on the road. We stayed at the house with the dog until early evening and didn’t plan our sleeping arrangements very well. We were hoping we could just camp at a National Park on the way. It being the very height of the holiday peak season, that didn’t happen. After driving around to a few full campsites and attempting to sleep in the car in a dark parking lot, we decided to take full advantage of the beach. Officially, camping on the beach in this location was against the rules… but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. We woke up with the sun and were already back on the road before any of the legal campers were stirring.

Our destination for the day was Jervis Bay. We were after those famous white beaches and beautiful turquoise waters. Of course, all accommodation along the water was fully booked, but we kind of expected that. We ended up making a reservation at a zoo/caravan park and then accidentally checking-in at the caravan park next door. Both Mike and the receptionist were confused as to why there was no evidence of our reservation… and it wasn’t until the next day that we figured it out. Oops!

Your home away from home.

It’s no secret that Australia is expensive. To help cut costs during our stay, Mike and I have tried a few different accommodation options that differ from the traditional hostel or hotel stay. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing a few ways you can save on accommodation while traveling in Australia. 

First up, House Sitting.

House sitting has been a lifesaver on this trip. We’ve house sat for two families for a total of 30 days. Not only have we saved a considerable amount of money (approximately $900 each*), we’ve also enjoyed the comfort and stability of having a home away from home. If you plan to spend more than a month or two in Australia and can be flexible on location, I highly recommend seeking out a house sitting opportunity. Here’s a bit about how it worked for us:

PREPARATION

I knew for a while that I wanted to try house sitting in Australia. While in Vietnam, Mike and I met an Australian couple who was happy to answer all of my house sitting related questions. This conversation helped me to prepare paperwork before even leaving Abu Dhabi.

The first task to complete was obtaining a background check. There’s no better way to prove you’re not a criminal than by providing a homeowner with a background check. Mike and I both took a few trips to a few different police stations in Abu Dhabi to obtain a police check. It was an annoying process but well worth the effort.

Next, I contacted friends and family that I had previously house sat for. I asked each homeowner for their permission to use them as references and asked them to write up a little paragraph about their experience having me house sit. Mike did the same. We also asked a friend to write a bit about us as a couple on a personal level. (Thanks, Molly!)

BEGINNING THE PROCESS

There are so many websites out there for house sitting that I quickly felt overwhelmed. I was so overwhelmed that I put the process aside for awhile. It wasn’t until I couldn’t sleep one night in an unappealing hostel in Marochydore that I felt motivated to really start the process. I downloaded an ebook and read through it that night. The ebook itself didn’t contain groundbreaking information, but it did give me the confidence to finally take the plunge and register for a few sites. It also contained a very helpful chart comparing different sites that helped me decide on which two sites to use. With the websites decided upon, it was time to create a profile.

Writing up our bio was a difficult task. It felt like a cross between a cover letter and online dating. I made sure to focus on our experience and interests that relate to house sitting, as well as our love of animals. I tried to give an accurate representation of our lifestyle while also making us stand out. Choosing photos was a deliberate process as well. I first selected a photo of us together with both our faces unobstructed (easier said than done, thanks sunglasses!). Then I chose individual photos that illustrated our interest in animals. (One man said it was the photo of me with the cat that won his family over. Score!) I took a deep breath and our profile went live.

Next it was time to wait.

GETTING OFFERS

After a week or two the offers began to roll in. It just so happened that Christmas was coming up and plenty of people were in need of house sitters. At this point it was just a matter of deciding whether or not the offers and location would work for us, and then working out the details with the family.

The first family we house sat for asked for police checks and references, and wanted to meet us beforehand. We drove down to their place (it was nearby) to meet and get to know each other. Over the course of several weeks we exchanged several emails until everything was in place. We spent 11 happy days over the holidays caring for their home and their hilarious dog, Dino.

The next family we house sat for also wanted police checks and references, but were much more relaxed on communication. I spoke to the husband twice before showing up to the property. Here we spent 19 relaxing days looking after their home and their moody but lovable cat, Molly.

Each scenario was different, but both worked out. For Mike and me, it’s about being flexible and doing whatever makes the homeowner feel at ease.

HOUSE SITTING WEBSITES

Like I said, we registered for two sites. One was much better than the other.

1. Mindahome.com.au – The vast majority of our offers came from MindaHome. The service focuses solely on houes sits in Australia, costs an annual feel of $49 AUD, and is easy to use and navigate. When home owners contact you a message goes directly to your email. There’s no need to click on links or sign in to read or respond to the message.

2. TrustedHousesitters.com – This site is for house sits worldwide. We were only contacted a few times via this service and the message system was inconvenient. Unlike Mindahome, to access a message you need to click a link and login to the site. Since I was often using my phone to read emails, having to complete this extra step was really annoying. Often I didn’t even bother reading the message because by the time I was able to find wifi to use my laptop to click the link, the offer would already be filled. If you are available to house sit worldwide, you’ll probably find TrustedHousesitters.com more worthwhile. It costs $72 AUD for 12 months. (The ebook included a nice discount).

THINGS TO KNOW

A few things to keep in mind if you’re interested in house sitting:
1. Get police checks and references in advance. Every homeowner will want to see them.
2. Most homeowners prefer couples (or sometimes single females).
3. Most locations will require a car. There are few inner city house sits and they are highly sought after.
4. Be willing to pet sit. Most people are really looking for someone to take care of their pets while they are gone. Looking after the house itself is just a bonus.

Our time house sitting in Australia is definitely among the highlights of our trip. It’s nice to not worry about where you’re heading next or paying for accommodation each night. We both enjoyed taking a breather from constant travel, cooking our own healthy meals, and snuggling up with pets. A little bit of routine and normalcy can go a long way when you’re traveling. At the end of each house sit we felt refreshed and ready to get back on the road.

If you have any further questions about house sitting, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email.

xo, jill

*Average cost for one night in a hostel dorm room is $30. $30 x 30 days = $900 per person or $1,800 total.