Swanky Living On the Northern Beaches
The benefits of housesitting are so dualistic in nature, it offers extended travel opportunities which come with perks like gifted accommodations, access to toys, cars, fancy things, and personal trust. It is a genuine 50/50 buy-in from both parties. We feel the homeowners have way more on the line when they get into an agreement with a sitter. For example, today as we drove away for our daily outing, I couldn't remember if I left the stove on or not. It struck me that holy shit, these people have a lot of trust.
We love the fact that people trust humans so much that they offer something as personal as their home and pets. We want this to continue to be our reality because we are people who trust others to do the right thing and are so grateful there are people who feel the same.
Susan and Jeremy, Britts who have lived in Australia for well over 30 years gave us the chance to look after Monty, their 8-year-old Bearded Collie. This was the first time we applied for a sit because of the dog breed. He was everything we remembered about one of our 1st and most beloved dogs.....Morrie. Ok, ok....... maybe it was that they are totally rich and live high on a hill in a privileged area with a pool, toys and sunsets that make you crazy trying to capture them.
We were only 12 miles north of the Sydney Center, but it felt a world away. The northern beaches were all just as picturesque as the last. Each with perfect blue rolling waves always a dozen surfers hanging out in the surf with golden soft sand and cute Aussie lifeguards ready to save you if you get into trouble.
Walking was a chore here, up and down narrow hilly roads that lined the bays. Aussies have something against proper sidewalks so it makes for some fairly dangerous walking. Also, there is no yielding to pedestrians, they do not have the right of way.
Remembering to look right can be a challenge and can get you schmucked. Thankfully, we made it out alive and spent days on end at the beach.
We had a super cool old jeep that Monty hopped in the back and off we went.
The house was a stunning multi-level million-dollar home with sunset views of Scotland Island and Pittwater Bay. Hundreds of sailboats dotted the bay and offered daily entertainment. Float planes came and went on sunny days and landed just below the house. Still on our list is to fly in a float plane.
Kiss and Ride parking by the school. Meaning you can park but don't dawdle too long.
Long driveways uphill. Many expensive homes overlook the bay. Surfboards are attached to about any vehicle. We loved to be at the beach during the week and see guys take off their work uniforms and pop into the sea for a surf during their lunch hour. Our neighborhood, Mirrabooka Street....pretty wooded, and upscale. The lizard Ted that lived at our place. He even has rights to the swimming pool.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
The park was named after some Aboriginal word, highlighting the history of the people of the land. Some pretty cool rock carvings are preserved in the park. The photo of the Steel Aborigine and Brett was as close to one as we could find. It was kind of curious not to see any the entire time we were on the East coast. The Australian cultural book I chose to read is Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence which is a sad journey of Aboriginal Indian girls and their struggle trying to get off of the reservations back to their homeland.
This was the only park of about a dozen that had a local attendant collecting park fees. We were happy to pay the friendly Aussie. We had a smooshed-up blanket in the back of the jeep that looked like a dog, he jumped us right away to make sure we weren't smuggling one in the park. Dogs are not allowed pretty much anywhere in Australia, only limited beach areas and dog parks. This country is the NO DOG zone......my Mom would love it.
Thank You Monty, it was a joy to be your person for 3 lovely weeks.
We had a chill stay, but are starting to feel the road wear a bit and are starting to think about our retreat back, but not until we hit one more island nation. It is getting time for one last vacation before our final housesit, then back to the USA for some serious grounding. Here we come Fiji.
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