Windmill Lodge, perfect for big family groups!

Welcome to our beautiful suburban farm set on 70 acres. Centrally located, we offer all the comforts & conveniences for a great stay. Under 30 mins drive will have you relaxing on pristine Newcastle beaches, dining on the foreshore or wine tasting at famous Hunter Valley Vineyards. 10 mins & you're swinging through Treetops Adventure Park or cruising Hunter Wetlands on a segway. Or, like many, just stay put & unwind by the pool. Everyone loves our place! The space Windmill Lodge is a hidden gem. 70 acres in suburbia so close to the city makes our place extremely unique. Our home is beautiful and the property something very special. The house is for living! It is robust yet welcoming with a strong rustic and eclectic flavour. We have plenty of big entertaining areas for groups as well as several more intimate spaces...secret nooks and crannies should you feel you need your own space. The downstairs entertaining area is huge and the hub for many outdoor group activities. From playing chess, or having good old fashioned space invaders challenges to moving everyone out onto the large lawn area for a game of tug-o-war, corn hole, boule, volley ball, cricket or touch footie. There’s also a swing set for the little ones to enjoy. All this right next to the large salt water pool where one can simply cool off, relax and unwind. In winter, kick back and toast a few marshmallows over one of the fire pits. For those who want to keep the cooking simple, there's the huge BBQ and separate full sized hot coal spit in the downstairs entertaining area. We recently acquired the 'Global Warmer'. A huge wood fired smoker oven (its capacity can fit an entire lamb and/or pig) as well as an up top separate pizza oven (fits several pizzas at once). There is also an extra large paella set which caters for 25 servings. Please note that we usually have a supply of firewood and kindling made available for a modest charge. However, this is not always the case. Firewood and kindling can be purchased at nearby Bunnings or the service stations. (Please do not attempt to chop your own kindling). Moving upstairs, the gourmet kitchen is a delight to cook in and will ignite any budding chef into creative cuisine ...especially with the pantry well stocked with all the basics. The beautiful inside dining table will seat everyone in your group very comfortably with an array of coordinating table wear. All open plan, the kitchen and dinning hosts a large indoor living area, huge comfy lounges (all of which open up to the outdoor deck) and even more space for relaxing. All surrounded by a beautiful rural outlook. The landmark of which is of course the giant windmill. When it’s time to think about sleep we have a vast array of bed types and room configurations. Our permanent beds are very comfortable and mostly positioned in bedrooms that are large allowing flexibility for even the most tricky configurations. Four of our king beds now split to make 2 long singles. Ideally Windmill Lodge is set up to accommodate 14-17 adults with children making up the extra (portable) beds. Please be upfront and discuss your room configurations BEFORE booking should your group numbers exceed 16 adults. B1 master bedroom with ensuite (this room is huge) King bed plus double daybed and can comfortably have up to 3 fold outs for children or an extra queen airbed. B2 King bed or can split to 2 singles and can fit 1 small fold out or portacot for a child B3 King bed or can split to 2 singles, can also fit 2 extra foldouts for children. B4 King bed or can split to 2 long singles. There is a 3rd single bed and it can fit 1 extra foldout for a child. B5 King bed with permanent cot (cot linen not provided) and can fit a single fold out for a small child B6 king bed or can split to 2 singles, can fit one single fold out for a child. B7 Queen bed and can fit one single fold out for a child. Common areas We try to accommodate our guests in bedrooms rather than overflowing into common areas whenever possible. However, in accommodating some configurations, our common areas are spacious and can do the following; Upstairs living Queen fold out sofa bed (linen not provided) Outside deck has a small double daybed (linen not provided) Downstairs living Single bunk set Space for 2 -3 single or 1 queen blow up mattress or 2 -3 child fold out beds. (The downstairs couch also makes a very comfortable single bed) Linen is constantly being upgraded and added to. All is professionally laundered and all beds are fitted with 100% luxury cotton or bamboo sheets with quality bath towels and washers. Please note a linen charge may be added for those using additional portable beds. We can no longer provide air mattresses. Sulphate free shampoos and body washes, hair driers and many other day to day items are provided for your convenience. There is plenty to explore outside. Windmill Lodge is a working farm. The land surrounding us is part grazing and part wetlands. The bird life is wonderful. We have some walking /biking trails on the property and for the really adventurous we have creek access with a very rustic boat ramp for canoeing. Please bring your own life jackets if this is of interest and note that it tidal creek which can have a very strong current. If it's a wet day we have a huge array of games suitable for every age as well as Xbox and with two huge HD TV’s upstairs. There's the well loved piano and a guitar or two to be used and enjoyed by all. A vast supply of good books, a spiritual corner, yoga areas and a well equipped gym for those that want to keep up with their workouts (not available for 2night stays. Special conditions do apply with gym access so if required please enquire when booking). We are mid way between the beach and the vineyards and we are on a large and totally unique acreage yet still in suburbia. There isn’t another like it! From the road (cul de sac) we look like most other streets with a neighbour either side. Pass through the gates and you will be very pleasantly surprised. After 7 years of hosting large groups (over 7000 guests) our reviews and guest book say it all. Windmill Lodge has become a home for dozens of extended family groups. Guests coming together for whatever occasion from all over Australia and beyond. Bringing children, grand children and great grand children....they fill the house with love and laughter and take home the delight of wonderful happy memories. Windmill Lodge is truely magic for this. We love getting to know our growing family of repeat guests who are now rebooking every year. We will always keep improving and adding additional features over time. There is still much to be done so consider Windmill Lodge a work in progress and a place you will want to visit again and again. As enthusiastic passionate hosts, we aim for you to really enjoy your stay with us. We hope to meet you soon! Warmest regards, Tanya and Paul Please note...we really do love to accommodate most groups. However, we will no longer accept large bookings from very young groups, bucks or similar groups or from those who intend to play loud music (esp. party/dance/heavy rock) or hold a rowdy event. Please be up front and honest from the start when making a booking request. Please don’t mislead us! This is disrespectful and totally unacceptable. For example…do not say that you are a mixed group of couples and singles when you are all males on a golfing trip…whatever the age! Windmill Lodge is not for large adult groups wanting to binge drink and then be raucous into the night or go out in town only to return in a ridiculous state of drunkenness). We do not wish to share our property with these groups! Our neighbours love our usual guest groups visiting for family gatherings and other low key events. Noise should never be at a level which will cause a disturbance and must be kept to a minimum after 10:30pm. Please also note the flip side of living in suburbia is that occasionally someone else in the neighbourhood may have a celebration. Although it is rarely noisy late at night, we are not a wilderness retreat where you would expect absolute quiet. Guest access All areas of our home except the main office are available to guests. There is also a well equiped gym set up in the garage. The gym is restricted generally to longer staying groups so please enquire when booking. Access to the gym can only be arranged upon request and is not always available. Children under 16 are not permitted in the gym at all. Teenagers 16-18 must be accompanied by an adult. If using the gym equipment you must agree to doing so at your own risk. If you do not arrange this when booking there is no access to the gym. A selection of toys, many games and some miscellaneous sporting goods are available for guest use. Common pantry items and most household basics including shampoos etc are also available for guests...please use in moderation only what you need. There is ample parking through the side gates adjacent the pool fence. We ask that you please keep the driveway clear at all times. Your host family often stay on site and use the shed and studio on the property for work as well as for tending to animals etc. Their impact on your stay should be minimal. Walks through the wetlands and to Ironbark Creek, use of canoes, access to mountain bike trails and supervised horse or studio experiences will be open to guests once checked in if we are available to do so. Please check with your host before accessing outer paddocks and creek trails. Be mindful of muddy clothing and footwear when returning from an adventure during wet times. Clean up using the outdoor wash area downstairs. Our horses are very friendly and generally well mannered however they can be unpredictable creatures and should be observed for their beauty from a safe distance. They will be in a separate paddock during your stay unless your hosts are working with them. If you find a gate closed please do not enter the area before checking with your host. The stable area, sculpture studio and shed are by invitation only. Please do not enter these areas unless invited with your host. Other things to note We welcome families with young children. Children love our place. We will do our best to accommodate you and their needs but we cannot guarantee we are 100% child proof. Please supervise young children and put away or out of reach anything we have not thought of that could potentially be a problem. Please be extra cautious with children by closing the safety gate while operating the coffee machine. Our resident cat Jill is super friendly. Children usually love the responsibility of feeding her at the front door morning and night. Cats will be cats though so supervision is advised with the little ones and although tempting refrain from picking her up. Our pool area is undergoing some new construction which has already provided an amazing shelter, extra lounge area as well as a fire pit, pizza oven and smoker, additional undercover entertaining space and storage for lawn games and sporting equipment. Mains lighting is limited in these areas. The property has longer walking tracks which lead to Ironbark Creek. This is a tidal creek so please accompany and supervise young children closely on these walks. During extremely wet conditions trails may be inaccessible. Gum boots are advisable. After so many requests, we have now launched a ‘Pony Express Experience’ specially tailored to introduce the children to our pony “Vision” and our home bred horse “Fox in Socks”. This takes approximately 1 -1.5 hours depending on numbers. If interested please enquire ahead of your arrival. A note about pets. We love and welcome well behaved horses, dogs and some other pets by negotiation when making your booking (maximum 2). However, no pets are permitted on the property without prior approval from your hosts. Pets are expected to be kept outside most of the time and are not permitted in the bedrooms at all. Small non-shedding house dogs may be permitted in certain areas of the house after approval. Pets should never be left to roam freely outside (or inside) unless obedient and accompanied by their owner. We have free range chickens, horses, a cat as well as our own dog who live on the property. We have neighbours with sheep and goats so please be mindful of this. Horses can have low tolerance with menacing dogs. There are some secure areas for your pets to be kept close by overnight but the details and suitability of these areas should be discussed before arrival. Please do not plan to leave pets in the house unattended while away or if they have a tendency to bark and be a disturbance. Please note that dogs often behave differently when in a new environment and no matter how well trained, male dogs socialising with new dogs will often try to cover the scent of another...allowing this behaviour in our house is as unacceptable as it would be in your own home. Please use the outside wash down area if your pets get a little carried away with the great outdoors....especially if exploring Iron Bark Creek or during wet weather. Depending on the time of year mosquitoes may be active particularly on dusk. Be sure to close windows and flyscreens. The occasional appearance of cockroaches is also seasonal throughout coastal properties despite regular professional spraying. We provide a clean, safe environment. Please do your bit by keeping snack foods out of the bedrooms and clean up all food crumbs and spills promptly. Registration Details PID-STRA-9997