The Farmstay

The farmstay, is in its simplicity, a quaint 2 bedroom house, capable of sleeping eight or more adults and only a short 1/4 mile walk to the Magellan observatory. Containing a oven, stove, refrigerator, all the cooking utensils, couches, and a wonderful collection of movies to play on the VCR, it has all the comforts of home. Bookshelves contain quite a few books and magazines (I found that Zane is has published many photos in the Australian version of Sky and Telescope) to read from. 

Situated next to a clear running stream, the yard is frequented by brightly colored red and blue parrots. Kangaroos and deer were spotted just outside through the dining room. Within the boundaries of 120 acres, you have ample room to stretch your legs and looking for more unique Australian wildlife. We spotted Kangaroos on every single one of our early morning and late evening hikes. You can get as close as 100 ft from these graceful, but "dense" creatures. One time, we came over a ridge and surprised a mob of twenty or so and they exploded in all directions, some colliding with others, producing an audible "thunk". These large animals will amaze and enlighten your day. While not spotted on the property during our stay, Wombats and echidnas have been known to frequent here as well. 

Only 30km away from Goulburn, food and restaurants (the Thai restaurant is one of the best I have ever eaten at!) are only a short 20 minute drive to the North. They have an impressive sheep museum in Goulburn, which does a great job in educating you about the history of wool in Australia.

The capital city, Canberra is about 100km, or 1 hour south of the farmstay. We journeyed twice to Canberra and visited many of its attractions. We also journeyed to a few of the quaint country towns within 30 minutes. 

About 1 1/2 hours away are two cave complexes, one of which we visited for a day. These caves far surpass any caving I have done in the US and the Wombeyan cave complex could easily take 2 or 3 days to see all of them, even if visiting multiple caves on a single day. These caves have average tour times of 1-2 hours, and the sheer amount of unspoiled caverns (almost no formations are broken) will give you an experience like no other. 

All in all, a wonderful location for observing (lights from Canberra and Goulburn are virtually non-existent), and daytime activities. It also has the amenities for those nights where the clouds don't cooperate.

The Dining and living area are quite large, containing many comfy couches and chairs to read at your leisure.

Two bedrooms contain double beds, with dual controls for electric blankets. Light blocking drapes provide for a dark room when sleeping in during the morning. Two other twin beds and a fold out couch are in the far room to the rear of the living room (back area in image above) , also having light blocking drapes.

A unique sun room adjacent to the dining area provides a relaxing area to take in the nice sunny weather during the day.