Housesitting offers wonderful experiencesImagine if you can housesitting for four weeks in the middle of 400 acres of State Forest with you're nearest neighbor a decent drive away. It was in this environment we found ourselves, surrounded by so many of the wonders that the Australian bush can offer. We were right beside The Grampians mountain range here in Victoria.
We arrived early and spent the first two days with Maureen and Brian which was a true delight, it was a shame they were going away as we all got along so well. It turned out to be a blessing though as on day two we had dramas with local echidnas in the middle of the mating season. The excitement began straight away as echidnas were under the house. For the last 15 years echidnas have been mating under the back porch of their home. The dogs are certainly not keen on this and neither are Maureen and Brian as last year the echidnas broke the water pipe under the house with their enthusiastic lovemaking. When living on tank water such an accident is cause for major concern. After a couple of hours the lady echidna was recovered and taken in the car for a small road trip to get her away from the house. Her male suitors soon left to find another girlfriend so peace reigned once again.
See the full housesitting reference here.
In this house sitting position we have three dogs and three chooks to care for here as well as the house. The dogs are the best of friends and wander around the property looking for new adventures. It is so lovely to see dogs with space to move and able to run full speed as far and as often as they like. They are all different sizes, shapes, ages and personalities. Mac with his very first rabbit More photos of Mac here 
We walk through the forest with the dogs each day and they find rabbits and echidnas on the trails. The dogs are just so happy when out running and exploring, even though they know the area well each time we go walking it's like their first time ever. Their excitement is electric. Bonnie waiting for everyone to set off for a walk Just beside the home is a river full of water. I say this because it was totally dry up until a few weeks ago. We are lucky to see it in the wet and so far we have seen two black swans drifting along and hear ducks morning and night. Every time we walk the dogs they all rush into the water and have a splash, their coats are the shiniest I have ever seen.
In the afternoon two kookaburras arrive opposite the kitchen window and stay for a couple of hours looking to see if there is any food on the ground. But by far the best and most exotic is the arrival of kangaroos each morning and afternoon within a few meters (feet) of the kitchen sink. There are a few females in the mob with young and it's just delightful to stand and watch the young 'Joeys' peep out from their mum's pouch. As the mum leans over to eat the grass the Joey will often lean out to eat some grass as well.
You can see more kangaroo photos here The kangaroo's wander all around the house during the night, they must stay for hours. When you look out the window on a moonlight night you can see up to 15 kangaroos right near the windows, just quietly eating together. It is a mesmerizing sight to see such large creatures so close silhouetted against the night sky.
At night we were kept warm with the wood fire from a staggeringly large supply of wood. In fact, we have more wood here housesitting than we had in our own home. We didn't get much mobile phone reception at all even though we have the best rural phones available but have worked out how to get a decent internet connection which is a massive help. (Can't live without my email.) We take our portable internet with us everywhere we go on housesitting jobs so are totally independent in that regard.
It has certainly been a joy housesitting here. The dogs are such funny characters and when you spend a few weeks with them as we have done they really show their personalities. Must say I did have a tear in my eye leaving them behind. Even though I have lived in Australia all my life I have never been privileged to live in such an exotic area. I must have seen countless kangaroos during my lifetime but I have never been able to view them so closely and for so long. It certainly is one of the bonuses of a housesitting career in that we get to live in some of the most amazing environments. The other main bonus is we get to meet people like Maureen and Brian who have become friends for life.
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An added and unexpected bonus came from a visit to the Horsham Historical Society when I visited there to find out any items they had concerning my Mum's family as they came from the district. It was wonderful to find this Derringer pistol was used by my great great grandfather when he worked on the Cobb & Co coaches in the mid 1800's around Horsham.