Gay Hall Homestead, Quorn, Flinders Ranges

A picturesque rustic stone homestead on 200 acres located on the Willochra Plains, a couple of kms from the historic town of Bruce. Approximately 40 minute drive from beautiful Melrose and Mount Remarkable, and a 20 minute drive to historic Quorn, home to the world famous Pichi Richi Railway. The homestead consists of 3 bedrooms, a well equipped country style kitchen with AC and wood fire, bathroom with inside toilet, sun lounge with a small bar and main lounge with reverse cycle AC. The space Booking: 3 night minimum over long weekends and 4 night minimum over Easter Property: PLEASE NOTE: This property is isolated and a good distance from any towns. To access this property, there is a 12 kilometre dirt road that can be bumpy, dusty, muddy or slippery, depending on the time of the year and road grading schedule. The up side is, you have no neighbours, can have campfires, can make as much noise as you like, can enjoy brilliant sunrises and sunsets, and you've got it all to yourselves. Additionally, we are in an extremely low rainfall area so please limit your towel usage and consider this when taking showers. 'Gay Hall' homestead (circa 1920) was the original house on a 6000 acre wool growing property that stretched further to the North. The property now comprises of the 200 acre 'house paddock' and still has some of the original infrastructure such as the shearing shed and implement shed. Please feel free to explore the 200 acres that mainly stretches South and West from the house, but keep in mind this was an operational wool growing farm so there are numerous items lying around, some of which could be hazardous. That said, with all its flatness and saltbush, this exploring may not take too long. The well equipped country style kitchen comprises of a large fridge and electric stove/oven, microwave, toaster, kettle and some basic condiments. There is also a wood fire combustion heater in the kitchen. The comfortable lounge comprises of a reverse cycle air conditioner, digital TV, dvd player, games and an old piano (slightly out of tune!). A washing machine is available but we ask that it gets used minimally to conserve rain water. The three bedrooms have all been recently painted and have pressed tin ceilings, ceiling fans and polished Jarrah floor boards, and are equipped with extra heating and cooling appliances if required. Region: From the house looking South, you can see Mount Remarkable next to Melrose, a beautiful town to visit. To the East is the Horseshoe Top-End for keen 4 wheel drivers (contact them first). And looking far to the North West, the highest peak is Mount Arden which is past historic Quorn and near Warren Gorge, home to rare Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies. These are some of the great locations to explore and the property is conveniently located to a number of Flinders Ranges sights. Things to know: The house itself is showing wear in some sections with cracked walls (joys of a stone house with fluctuating seasons!), although this does add to its character. The house is supplied with rainwater only and we encourage you to bring your own water for drinking as we cannot ensure the rainwater is always safe to drink. We also ask that you keep showers short to save water, and suggest you will anyway (especially in Winter) as the shower isn't the best!! Also please limit your towel usage and avoid bed hopping. There are also snakes around in the warmer months so keep a look out for. When walking around the property, please note that this was an operating wool growing property so there are still plenty of old items (steel, wire, old machinery, trip hazards, old bottles, fencing etc) lying around. We suggest you keep to the main tracks in your vehicles as some recent guests have deviated from the main track and caused damage to their vehicle. We do allow pets but do expect the house to be vacuumed prior to your departure, otherwise an additional cleaning charge will be applied if pet hair is left behind. Access and location: This property is relatively remote (you cannot see your neighbours) and you will have very limited interaction with us. We are contactable by phone or email during your stay, but it may take some time to attend the property if an issue requires attention (especially if a tradesman is required). An IGA, service station and hardware store (both limited open hours on the weekend) and hospital are located in Quorn, and another shop and hardware store with fuel is located in Wilmington (usually only closed on Sunday afternoons). You may also be required to switch on and off the amenities such as power, water and gas depending on the timing of your stay but typically the cleaner will do this prior to your arrival. Access from the Wilmington to Quorn bitumen road is via 12km's of dirt road. Typically the road is good for 2WD vehicles but after a rain, a 4WD would be required as it gets very slippery and muddy. The Telstra 4G network is available but other carriers are intermittent. There is no Wifi/Internet available other than what is available on your phone. Summary: We have tried to give you the most honest description of the property as we can to ensure you know exactly what to expect when you arrive, hopefully without putting you off! We have owned this property for 17 years and know the previous family who owned the property well. As a family, we have had many enjoyable trips to this property and believe other families (who want to leave the tent or caravan home for a change) will do too. Guest access The house, shearing shed and all 200 acres of the property (mapped supplied for boundaries). There is one shed locked near the house and a small sleep-out that will be unavailable.