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Description of house and contents

What previous guests have said

If you have rented the house this is the place for detailed help on how things work. Please take a moment to read it in any event it has information that will make your stay more enjoyable.

How to get there

From Canberra: Go to the roundabout at the Pacific Highway and turn left (do NOT turn right into Bateman's Bay).

Go 8kms from the 100 km/h sign (it is 7.9kms on my speedo). There will be a Mobil service station on the left and a turn right to South Durras. Almost immediately, you will go over a new bridge with an old barn on your left after you have turned (confirming you have taken the correct turn-off).

Go for 7kms (6.9kms on my speedo) you will come to the 50KM sign (ocean is on your left). Keep going straight. Do not turn right where there are lots of black and white arrows suggesting that you should turn. Keep going straight. The road becomes a one-way road. Tthe ocean (Durras beach) is on your left. You come to a .junction. Turn left. Then first turn right (150m or so). Continue to .junction (shop is on left) and turn left. Then first turn right (50 metres or so) into Murramarang Cres. No 31 is on the right just after the divided road becomes a single carriageway road.

From Sydney: After passing through Ulladulla continue towards Batemans Bay. The turn-off to South Durras is 8kms north of Batemans Bay, about 30kms or so south of Ulladulla (but that is an approximation). The critical things is do NOT take the turn to NORTH Durras, wait 5-6kms further for the turn to SOUTH Durras. You cannot drive from North Durras directly to South Durras, you have to come back to the highway. So if you inadvertently take the NORTH Durras road, you will have to turn back. TOP

Keys

The keys to the house are in a key safe (about the size of two matchboxes) on the post near the front door. (see picture right) Press the buttons of the four numbers that will be sent to you after you have booked. Press down the latch at the top of the key safe and the front coomes away with the keys attached. To return the keys to the key safe press the same four buttons again to lower the latch and return the front of the key safe. If you mess it up lower the CLEAR lever and start again.

The front door requires two full turns CLOCKWISE to unlock and two full turns ANTI-CLOCKWISE to lock. It is the reverse of usual locks.

It is best to return the keys to the key safe when you go. It saves losing keys and allows anyone in your party to return to the house without worrying about keys.

The key to the lower bedroom-bathroom is next to its door and uses the same four numbers. TOP

Mobile phone coverage

Telstra NextG works very well at Durras. Optus works adequately. Vodafone works, but not as well.

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Internet

The house has free wireless internet with a cap on usage. You will find a Telstra USB modem in the top kitchen drawer in a box marked interent. Plug it into the USB port and follow the prompts. DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS ACCESS TO THE INTERNET TO PLAY GAMES!

If you want to send and receive email via Outlook or Outlook Express, do as follows:

Tools, E-mail accounts, View or change existing accounts, Next, Change. The write down what is in the Outgoing mail server box (you will need to re-enter this when you return to your home or office). change whatever is in the Outgoing mail server box to: mail.bigpond.com (notice there is no au). Then Next, Finish.

When you do send and receive, the Outbox will clear. TOP

Pantries, stores etc

There are two usually well-stocked pantries: one in the kitchen and one between the two bedrooms. By all means use things in the pantry, under the sink, in the laundry and in the bathrooms. But please replace stuff as it runs out. And please do not leave a scrap at the bottom. If something looks as if it will run out, please replace it. There is no need to replace every single thing you use, but just replace an equivalent value with an eye to ensuring the next user of the house is not left high and dry. TOP

Water, drinking water

The house uses rainwater, so please be wise with water. The small tap next to the kitchen sink is fine filtered and is best for drinking and tea and coffee. The water from other taps is quite drinkable, it may get some slight discolouration from tannin (the same stuff as in red wine) from gum leaves. All the water is given at least one filter in the downpipes.

If the water from the tap gets badly discoloured it means the tank is running low. It is fairly simple to switch to the lower tank. Go to the bottom of the concrete tank behind the lower garage. Look for a double outdoor power point on a small post under a piece of fibro sheet between the concrete tank and the green poly tank. Turn off the switch that is on and turn on the switch that is off. Open the tap at the bottom of the green poly tank. Close the tap at the bottom of the concrete tank. Water will now be pumped from the lower poly tank. Please tell the owner you have done this. Contact Owner. TOP

Gas

The kitchen stove and lower heater (not there in summer) run from two large gas bottles outside the kitchen. The BBQ and upper heater (not there in summer) run from two large bottles outside the upper lounge. If you run out of gas go to the appropriate large bottles. You will find a small red or blue gas tap on the pipes coming from the bottles. Turn the tap 180 degrees from the gas bottle which has run out to the full bottle. Then, please, either tell the owner Contact Owner or ring the gas supplier Outer Reef Gas on 0400722119. The gas supplier will, obviously, bill the owner. TOP

Single inflatable beds

The two yellow rooms have single inflatable beds in their cupboards. Take them out of their bags, plug them into a power point and press the inflate buttom. Use the cover provided. To deflate take the plug out of the other end of the bed and it will deflate rapidly. Fold it, put it back in the bag and back in the cupboard. TOP

To open the skylights

In the back of the left side laundry cupboard (adjacent to washing machine) you will find a long aluminium pole with a hook on the end. This extends so you can reach the handles on the skylights and wind them open. Don't forget to close them before you leave! TOP

DVD, TV, CD library

The house has an extensive DVD, VCR and CD library. Feel free to use. Please, please, please put them back in their correct covers. TOP

How the TV, Pay TV, CD and players work

IF THE REMOTES DO NOT WORK IT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE THE BATTERIES HAVE RUN OUT.

LOWER LOUNGE

This has:

Free to air TV, DVD and Austar (Phone 132432).

From the TV remote hit POWER. Hit source. Hit TV for TV and use TV remote to change stations (ABC 1, 2, 3, SBS 1, 2 and 3  and 6 commercials).

For Austar hit source on the TV remote and hit AV1 (Cable STB) and then use the Austar remote.

For DVD hit Component 2 (DVD) and then use the DVD remote. A dozen or so DVDs are in the shelves behind the TV.

UPPER LOUNGE

This has: Free to air TV, DVD, VCR and Austar (Phone 132432) with special record function. 20 movies have been recorded feel free to override)

From the TV hit POWER and the SOURCE to get:
VCR on AV1 (lots of tapes in shelves behind lower lounge TV); DVD on HDM1; and Austar on Component 1 Cable STB. Use the appropriate remote after selecting the source.

Audio: Use the Sansui box at the bottom of the heap of black boxes under the TV. Press INPUT. Only three have been programmed to work. Radio is tuned to Radio National (105.1). Nothing else is of any moment. Some FM music stations broadcast good luck finding them and tuning them.

The other output is for music. Press till you get ipod. Put your ipod in the slot and play away.

You can keep pressing INPUT till you get DVD/CD. Put CD in slot and listen. There are 100 CDs to choose from or play your own.

If all else fails read the instructions (jammed next to the boxes under the TVs) or get a teenager.

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Oven, stove

The over is electric. Turn it to the temperature you want and the fan you want. Stove is gas. Standard press in sparker to light.

Exhaust fan switch is in the middle of the power point near the stove. TOP

Washing machine/dryer, clothes line. Linen, towels.

Experience tells us that holiday-makers prefer not to have the hassle of bringing their own linen and bath towels. So we supply linen and towels. You will find all you want in the cupboards in the bedrooms. Each bedroom has two sets of linen stored in that bedroom. Please stick to the linen in each room and put it back in that room.

Between tenancies over summer it is not possible to collect towels and linen used by previous tenants.

It would be great if you could wash any towels and change linen. If you do not get time to wash all the linen and towels you have used on your last day, leave it for the incoming tenants. At least load the washing machine with one load.

Washing machine/dryer combo is standard. Powder in far left of the drawer and softener in the middle. Nothing in the right.

To do a quick wash: Press POWER. Turn dial to QUICK. Press >II on the dial. Wash takes 30 mins.

To dry: Press POWER. Turn dial to DRY. Press DRYING TIME button to, say, 90 mins. Press >II on the dial.

To interrupt wash or dry just press POWER. Machine stops. Wait 2 mins before opening the door. Add, subtract or whatever. Then start again as above. TOP

Blinds

Please take care when opening and closing the blinds. The metal cords can come off the rails easily. TOP

Dining room table folds out

The dinning room table folds out so you can dine with eight, or at a push 10 people. Please take care folding out the leaf. You have to hold it with two hands or it will crash and break. There is a warning note on the fold-out leaf. Please put the warning back when you close it up. TOP

The BBQ runs off the main gas. The steel plate goes ont he left witht he holes on the left and the grill goes on the right. Please clean the BBQ after EVERY use. Any scraps or fat left of the BBQ attracts possums and native rats -- who will leave little dark brown calling cards. TOP

Light switches

BBQ light is on near the door as you leave the garden room. Fairy lights for the garden room run off the power point in the garden room. Central garden room light is one of the three switches next to the full-length non-opening window in the dining room. The light outside that window runs off the single switch to the left of that window at head height. TOP

Garbage

Garbage night is Thursday night (red bin). Every second Thursday (yellow bin). It is best to recycle as much as possible beause the ordinary red bin fills very quickly. You can put all organic material in the white plastic bucket near the sink and from time to time take it out to the big burn-out tree stump about 50 metres from the back of the house. Birds and animals eat the lot. TOP

Animals, food scraps, bird feeders

Do not leave any food overnight in the garden room. Possums will break in, take it and leave their little brown and yellow calling cards (very unpleasant). Do not be concerned about weird noises in the night. It is not someone breaking in, but a kangaroo or possum.

Bird feeders. If you put sunflower seeds (there is a container in the upper bedroom) on the bird feeders you will see an astonishing number of bird species. Some will hand feed. There is a bird feeder on the top deck and one on a tree out the back. TOP