Bangalow

Robyn & Jeff, Bangalow, NSW, 23rd June, 2009. A most enjoyable two-day stay. Rooms very comfortable, setting beautiful and service superb!! Will strongly recommend. Thanks to our hosts.

Cressida & Eric, 21st June 2009. It was just what I was expecting - in fact it was even better. We really enjoyed our stay. I wish we had longer to explore the bush & sit & read in this beautiful living area. Thanks very much! We will recommend to other people.

Good Rain

We have had a lot of rain over the last few days, so now our tank is 2/3rds full, which is great. 15mm fell last night.

Roger and Antu from Bermagui (ex Canberra) stayed after being in Nannup. They did not have much time in the afternoon so I sent them to Redgate, Voyager and Leeuwin. They really enjoyed the gallery at Leeuwin Estate. They then had a look around Prevally before going to Redgate Beach just before sunset. Roger said the sky and waves with the setting sun looked really wild and he took a lot of photographs.

They also wanted to see the Boranup Forest so they got up at 6.00am in the dark and drove there. The sun was just up when they got there so they had a magical drive through the forest. They got back in for breakfast about 8.30 and by 9.30 they were gone. I sent them back to Perth via Mowen Rd as it is much quicker.

MinPing & Vincent, KL, Malaysia, 18 June 2009. Lovely place to stay. Friendly people and amazing rooms. Thanks a lot.

Rob & Joy, Gymea, N.S.W. 18.6.09. A very comfortable stay in a great location. Excellent breakfast to. Thanks.

Robyn & Stefan, Tecoma, Victoria, 17.6.09. We have enjoyed the meals, relaxation and brilliant advice of Dirk. A most comfortable stay. Many thanks and all the best for your future as B&B hosts. You are doing a wonderful job.

Corporate Accommodation

We are getting more reps staying with us as we become better known. They are wanting a more peaceful setting which they don't get from the B&Bs in town. They also like the wireless internet facility. For any reps wanting a corporate rate they should read the following.

Hi Marcus,

Confirming what I said this morning, we are happy to offer a corporate discount to any reps within your organisation.

All that is required is for them to book via the booking button on our website, where they can see the rates and availability.

They need then to complete the booking with their credit card at the prices shown. I process the payments manually, but if they write in the comments section “CORPORATE RATE REQUESTED” with their company name, I will deduct the discount before processing the payment.

I will be shortly instituting a surcharge for the different credit cards with an option for direct transfer. That will be shown in the Terms and Conditions on the Booking Button page. If an invoice is required with bank transfer details, that can also be requested.

The direct link to the booking button is : https://www.thebookingbutton.com.au/public/reservation/PropertyOverview.do?channelCode=LOARINGBNBDIRECT

Regards,

Dirk Hos

Cheryl & Chris, Perth & Dubai, 15.6.09. Most enjoyable, tasty breakfasts and comfortable rooms. Well done! All the best.

Winery Tours

A guest who has booked in for later this month asked the following:

Hi Dirk

Do you have any suggestions of local Margaret River winery tours. My Boyfriend and I would love to explore the regions wineries and local cuisines. Can't wait to come down. Warmest Regards,

Kelly

My brief reply was as follows:

Hi Kelly,

There are quite a lot to choose from although as the season gets quieter, not all the tour groups operate every day.

Wine for Dudes	www.winefordudes.com	0427774994	Smaller buses and younger clientelle.
Margaret River Tours	www.margaretrivertours.com	0419917166	Well known
Bush Tucker Tours	www.bushtuckertours.com	97579084	Popular and a bit different
Margaret River with Neil McLeod	www.toursmargaretriver.com.au	97572747	Local personality who gives the history and context of the places he visits.
Others	http://www.margaretriver.com/tour_result.asp	Margaret Visitors Centre	Quite a range and can book through them as well

All the tours will pick you up from here and drop you off again. Usually about 10.30 to 4.30 or so.

The tours are great and give you the opportunity to drink a fair amount, and not have to worry about driving. Also you quickly make new friends on the buses as after a few tastings, everyone becomes a bit more chatty.

An alternative, if you just want to do some tasting, and also see a bit of the region, a drive south from Margaret River to Augusta and back makes a good day out and you will be able to visit several wineries on the way. As long as one of you doesn’t drink too much, it is not a problem.

My suggested tour is to go down Caves Road, drive through the Boranup Forest, perhaps visit a cave (or all three), have a look at Hamelin Bay, go to the Leeuwin Lighthouse climbing to the top if enthusiastic. Lunch in Augusta (maybe the old bakehouse), then Brockman Highway to Warner Glen Road and up to the Berry Farm for afternoon tea and a taste of their wines, jams and chutneys. Along the way are several wineries and a meadery. You will then be back in town in time to look at some of the shops in the main street and check out where you want to go for dinner.

You could also decide to have a good lunch at some of our top class winery restaurants. A short list starts with Voyager Estate and includes Leeuwin, Watershed, Cullens, Vasse Felix, Saracen, Woody Nook, Swings and Roundabouts, Amberley, Driftwood, Lawrence, Flutes, Providore and many more. Plus the breweries do great lunches also (Bootleg, Colonial, Cowaramup and Duckstein). Along the way to any of these you will pass many other wineries to visit.

There is a service in Margaret River called Designated Drivers who will go to the restaurant or winery where your car is, and drive you back to here in your car. Cost is about $25 and is good if you have opened up that second bottle of wine and suddenly realise you shouldn’t be driving yourself anymore.

Don’t forget, that on your way down to here from Perth, if you leave in the morning, there are plenty of wineries and things such as the chocolate factory and cheese factory to visit in the afternoon. Most things close 4.30 to 5.00, and although check-in at our B&B is from 3.00pm, you can come in any time after that, even after dinner.

And you can also visit some more attractions on your way back to Perth the following day as the wineries open again at 10.30am (usually).

I hope this has given you some options to ponder on and I look forward to meeting you and your boyfriend.

Regards,

Dirk Hos

Whale watching

The whale watching season has started. Young Lizzie stayed for two nights and toured the Boranup Forest as well as the Berry Farm and some of the wineries. But she was very excited this morning and left without having breakfast, as she wanted to go to Augusta to go out on a boat and hopefully catch a glimpse or more of some whales. She then was heading back to Perth so I showed her a quick way to return.

Sharron and Tony enjoyed two nights, spending last night watching the latest James Bond movie on the big screen in front of the fire. They had the sound up quite loud and the booms coming from the sub-woofer vibrate through to our area. We know what it is so it doesn't bother us, but can frighten the watchers as it is very realistic.

Sharron & Tony, Perth, 12 06 09. Best B&B we stayed in on our extensive Southwest tour.

Phil & Denise, Wangaparaoa, New Zealand, 110609. Very confortable stay, thankyou.

Pauline, Canberra, 11/6/09. Very peaceful and relaxing. Great location. Definitely will be back.

Tracey and David spent two nights here, after a few days in Perth. This was their first visit to the west

Tracey and David from Adelaide spent two nights here, after a few days in Perth. This was their first visit to the west and as they are serious wine lovers, Margaret River was high on their agenda.

They visited a large number of wineries, and really enjoyed Swallows Welcome, where Pat Negus showed them around the garden and their lovely mud brick chapel. Tracey said some of the wines from Watershed were really great and they also enjoyed a Voyager Estate Cab-Merlot, especially with the duck from Ze Arc of Iris restaurant in Margaret River.

David & Tracey, Adelaide, 10/6/09. Great room, fabulous location - enjoyed our stay immensely! We will be back - hopefully with our friends.

Ashleigh, Ontario, Canada & Ross, Perth, 9/06/09. Gorgeous room, beautiful house, lovely hospitality, fantastic breakfast. Thank you for a wonderfully relaxing escape. :)

Dorothy & Stan, Sydney, 9/06/09. Thank you for a lovely overnight stay -truly relaxing. We were accepted as part of the family. Thank you.

Nico & Katie Photos 2

Our stag horn fern out the front. This is over 32 years old and was collected from a fallen tree near Mission Beach, Queensland. After living on trees in Belair (Adelaide), Mosman Park and Nedlands, it thinks this old marri tree in Margaret River is pretty good. It would prefer warmer weather though.

Katie telling Nico to go get her another cup of coffee.

Photos from Nico & Katie

Dear Dirk en Pam,
Wij denken nog met veel genoegen terug aan ons verblijf bij jullie. Hierbij wat foto's.
Hartelijke groeten,
Nico en Katie,
Holland

Casey waiting for breakfast to end, then she can have hers.

Breakfast on the alfresco talking to mine host.

Got to have my porridge for breakfast!

Look carefully and you can see the kangaroo eying off the grape vines. Even though there was an electric fence around them, the kangaroos would just ignore it and break it down to get at the leaves. I have now put galvanised iron bird netting around them so the grape vines are safe at last.

Foggy Lake Grace

Went to Lake Grace and then to Perth this weekend (and then back to Margaret River via Lake Grace again). Took my daughter in to have a check-up and catch up with her husband Andrew on the farm. He was busy with seeding.

Spraying prior to seeding in a paddock in Lake Grace. I had left a bottle of glyphosate on the back of the ute and so had to find it this morning before I left to go back to Margaret River. The paddock was covered in fog and it was very hard to find the ute. It was only when it came into a small area where the fog had cleared that I was able to see it. The ute and sprayer then drove off into the fog and disappeared. They have GPS and foam markers to keep track of the area they are spraying.

Wangaratta Tourists

Gwen and Bruce Diffey run a B&B in Wangaratta and so were very interested in comparing Margaret River with Wangaratta. They initially were only going to stay one night but I convinced them to stay another night as there was a lot more to see than they initially thought. I'm sure they left here wondering if there is any comparison at all. Their B&B website is www.viabellavista.com.au.

Winemaker on tour

Philipp from Germany is a young winemaker in his home town of Offendorf on the Rhine. He spent 5 nights with us while he checked out as many wineries as he could. He also visited all three of our caves and thought they were wonderful. He climbed the Leeuwin Lighthouse but nearly got blown away by the strong winds. He was very impressed with the hospitality of the vineyards, even spending 4hrs at the Rockfield Estate. I hope he makes better wine than the Moselle I had once at Trier.

Philipp, Germany, 6.06.09. This was easily the best B&B in which I stayed! Perfect place to relax after days of visiting the winerys in the area. Thanks very much Pam and Dirk.

Gwen & Bruce Diffey, Wangaratta, 05.06.09. Dirk & Pam ~ Thankyou very much for your hospitality. The room was beautiful and the breakfast was great. Thanks again.

MARGARET RIVER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

MARGARET RIVER SHORTS

Date: 6 June 2009 Venue: Margaret River Cultural Centre Contact Details:  Brad Fergusson - Margaret River Shorts Director:  P: 0403 827 215 / E: mail@mrshorts.com / W: www.mrshorts.com    CHECK OUT THE NEXT TARANTINO! The Margaret River Shorts final 12 and awards presentation will be held on Saturday June 6 at the Margaret River Cultural Centre. There will be live music, food and wine - bar opens at 6pm.  Show starts at 6.30pm. Margaret River Shorts is a celebration of storytelling in the region and Australia and awards prizes for: • Best Film – Open. Best Short Films from Around the World. $2500 cash in prizes. • Best Southwest Film – Best Short Film made in or by residents of the Southern Part of WA.  $1000 cash in prizes. • Best Grommet Film – Best Short Film made by a person under the age of 18. $500 Cash in prizes. • Best Surf/Sports Film – Best Film made with major content to do with surf or sports. $750 cash in prizes • Best Audience Reaction – Audience Choice. $250 cash in prizes.  Tickets will be $15/$10 conc. Available on the door and from Arts Margaret River or by going to www.artsmargaretriver.com.

Bunny Orchid

I took this three weeks ago and now all that is left is a stalk with some seed pods. It was amazing that these bunny orchids, which are the first to come up after summer, came up before the rains and then don't last long at all.

Balgas in the morning

The sun was glistening on the damp leaves of the grass trees.

Bird Bath

This is our fourth bird bath. A lovely deep one set right outside the alfresco area. All our regulars (scarlet robins, fly catchers and honey eaters) love having an early morning bath.

Morning sun after overnight rain

The forest was beautiful this morning after 15mm of rain, with the sun glistening on the leaves.

Foundation Day Long Weekend

We've had lovely weather with just a few patches of rain to keep everything fresh. Ran out of eggs this morning so Pam had to run to the hen house and grab a few warm ones for guests. 16 eggs in a morning is quite a feat, mostly poached but also scrambled and fried, sunny side up, on lovely crunchy home made toast.  

One young couple complained they only felt sufficiently hungry for lunch at 2.30pm and then after eating a pie at the Berry Farm, could only manage some cheese and olives with a glass of red wine for dinner. I'm afraid Jeanie and John got no sympathy from me. But I'm sure they will be back soon to do it all again.

Barry & Shayne, Perth, 1.6.9. Thank you for your hospitality, the rooms were lovely, very enjoyable. Love the breakfast. All the best.

Karly & Todd, Perth (ex Airlie Beach), 1/6/09. Thanks for the wonderful weekend Pam and Dirk. A very beautiful place to stay & we will be back. Thanks again.