Our home is situated on the waterfront, surrounded on three sides by a beautiful bushland setting, at Coal Point, Lake Macquarie, one of Australia’s best kept secrets. Our home is 15 metres from the waters edge, with everchanging lake views.

Modern kitchen with gas/electric stove, dishwasher etc. Triple and double glass sliding doors open both the kitchen and dining rooms to the waterfront verandah. You feel you are on the lake itself. We have polished timber floors throughout the home. All mod cons, including new 40" LCD TV,Hi-Fi sound system (Classical, Jazz etc.CD's)/ASDL internet access/PC computer in study, piano in lounge room alcove. Our main bedroom with ensuite has a view of Echo Bay, and the moored yachts.

The "children's" section of the house has three bedrooms, sitting room and bathroom with separate toilet. We found this arrangement excellent when our own children lived at home.

We live in a secluded peaceful bushland setting, teaming with birdlife, including resident lorikeet and rosella parrots, kookaburra’s, magpies, currawong’s, Australian minors and bower birds. We enjoy relaxing in our many top spots. We have a stone table setting at the waters edge, front verandah with views over the lake for miles, private courtyard, and many seats in our bush garden. Our courtyard and waterfront gardens have been recently landscaped, using local Gosford Sandstone.

Our home could also be described as a holiday home, for ourselves and our 5 children, who have all left home. You can enjoy swimming, canoeing, sailing, snorkeling, fishing, barbecuing, and wineing and dining by the lake.

Lake Macquarie is 4 times larger than Sydney harbour, and is located 7 miles (10K) inland from Newcastle (Australia's 6th largest city). We are 90 minutes drive north of Sydney City, 120 minutes by air conditioned trains each hour to Sydney.

Our home is centrally located to drive north, south, east or west, giving you access to a range of attractions for that special Australian experience.

We have lived in this area for 27 years and have a great rapport with our neighbours.

Also available are lake cruises, whale and dolphin cruises, golf, tennis, famous Hunter Valley Wine Country, plus Newcastle with its working harbour and beautiful beaches for surfing and swimming.

Visit Sydney and its glorious harbour, with the Opera House and Harbour bridge. Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley are part of the early convict settlement and the great north road built by convict labour in the 1800’s. English, Irish, European settlement only occurred from 1788 in Sydney, after the arrival of the First Fleet under Governor Phillip.

Visit Noel’s brother Daryl and wife Phillipa at their Cedar Creek Stonehurst vineyard some 45 minutes drive in the mountains.
Many beautiful golf courses are within 20mins - 40mins drive from Lake Macquarie. The courses number some 8, with the Belmont links course being most highly regarded by our German exchangers. So much to see and do.

We live on a peninsula jutting into the lake, and are surrounded by water on three sides. The town of Toronto is 5 minutes away by car, and has excellent shopping in a village atmosphere, with a variety of cafés, restaurants and large clubs, or picnic on the delightful foreshore. Three large grocery supermarkets are available for convenience shopping. A delicious fresh seafood outlet is situated at Carey Bay, just down the road from our home.

Toronto has a private Hospital, a Polyclinic, ambulance station, fire station and golf courses. Some 10 golf courses are within 30 minutes driving time. For nature lovers, visit our Shortland Wetlands, Blackbutt Reserve and see many of our unique Australian flora and fauna. Drive 20 minutes towards the mountains early morning, or late afternoon, and see kangaroos in the wild.

A car is necessary. We have a 2009 Toyota Corolla Ultima automatic to include in the swap, as we would intend driving within your country.

Our exchange with Germany and France for 2014 has been arranged.

Vietnam for 2 weeks February 2014.

Open to any dates

We are interested in beautiful places anywhere in the world. Places with history and interesting villages are always special.

Our daughter will be living in Vietnam for 12 months. We would like to visit her in February if possible for about two weeks.

Japan is on our list of favourite places to visit.


East Coast of America

Cananda - Quebec Montreal.

Queensland- Daintree, Cairns Area, Maleny sunshine Coast

New Zealand - North or South Island wine regions or Queenstown to view the Fijords - anytime.

Always interested in an Australian Exchange

We have had many wonderful exchanges overseas and within Australia. 2013 - we may exchange with your good selves? We are non smokers and prefer non smokers. Pets, well over the years we have had our numerous dogs and cats, but now we enjoy our birds and marsupial friends in our bush garden, and they look after themselves all year round.

INTERESTS: History, people, environment, food, wine, culture and memories. Not large cities or tourists.

Work: Jenell at (63) has been the important mother and homekeeper, while Noel (65) is a CPA accountant, and is just about retired. Work involved computerised accounting system implementations for companies. We have also operated our own businesses, in the past.

Jenells interests are travel, family, granddaughters, tennis, learning French, cooking, and keeping in contact with friends.

Noel loves his boats in retirement, "Breezy" a 25ft Cape Dory yacht, and "Tokelau" a 1948 16ft Townes Butcher boat. Noel and Jenell may be seen rowing early each morning for exercise and that sunrise feeling, if they get out of bed early enough.

English