Seeking sitter(s) to care for female 12 year old bull mastiff cross Labrador/Ridgeback and keep established trees and gardens alive. My dog is very territorial so no other pets will be accepted. Matey is an excellent watch dog, protector and companion: loves people but not riendly with other animals including dogs so you cannot bring your pet. Having a dog lover here will greatly lessen her stress during my absence as she’s getting on! She has her own room outside for the night but spends time indoors with a bed on both verandahs.

This house sit is for the adventurous (solo or couple) who want to experience living off-the-grid and all its challenges and would suit those who enjoy bird watching, bushwalking, gardening (growing your own food), reading, studying or working from home. There is no TV and radio reception is poor inside the house. There will be satellite internet available and if you have Telstra service and a wifi calling facility on your smart pho

This house sit is for the adventurous (solo or couple) who want to experience living off-the-grid and all its challenges and would suit those who enjoy bird watching, bushwalking, gardening (growing your own food), reading, studying or working from home. There is no TV and radio reception is poor inside the house. There will be satellite internet available and if you have Telstra service and a wifi calling facility on your smart phone you can make calls and receive messages, otherwise there is no connectivity to the mobile network and no land line. This house sit is for physically fit and active people who can manage hard yard work; ie walking on uneven ground on a sloping block and up and down turning valves on and off the irrigation system (approx twice a week for 1.5 hours at a time) and taking Matey for a short 20 minutes walk every day.

The property has water frontage. There is an abundance of birdlife and wildlife: brumbies, cattle, dingoes, boar, kangaroos and wallabies and freshwater crocs. There is a boat for your use.

The house is in the bush, fairly isolated and remote so you will be the type that likes living away from it all and in natural surrounds, happy with your own company and being on the land. (There is a neighbour nearby who can help with dog sit for up to 2 nights when you need to shop and/or getaway.) There is 17kms of dirt road from the Mulligan Highway and no phone service. You will need a reliable high clearance vehicle or off road tyres, though by June the road will have been upgraded after the wet season. If you don't like travelling distances to shop or for socialisation this house sit is NOT for you.

The house is screened both front and back verandahs which are designed to bring the outdoors indoors, all open plan, mod cons and is comfortable, in an isolated area of FNQ 3.5 hours north of Cairns.

The closest township of Lakeland is 35kms north, a roadhouse at the Palmer River (licensed) 27kms south, Cooktown is 1.5 hrs drive north, Mt Molloy 1.45 hrs south, Mareeba 2.5 hrs south and Cairns 3.5 hours south. There is an IGA in Cooktown but if you want more variety and other goods then Mareeba is the town to go to with a Coles and IGA or you can travel down the Rex Range to Port Douglas and Mossman which is the same distance to Mareeba (though more scenic down the long and winding road) - there's Coles, Woollies and IGA and weekly markets at Mossman.

There are water tanks, septic system, solar power only, gas stove and satellite internet. There is a generator for appliances like a vacuum cleaner, an iron, gernie or anything else that draws high wattage.

The house has a filtration system for all water coming in from the catchment with ultra violet light to kill bugs and the rainwater tank has a filter as well. There is a petrol pump to run the irrigation system for the gardens and sprinklers need to be moved around and valves turned on and off to get full pressure in areas. There is also a solar sprinkler that can be moved around during the day. This is after the wet season so it will begin to dry out and watering needs to be done at least every 2nd day taking a maximum of 1.5 hours. There will be mowing involved both ride-on and push, whipper snipping and /or weeding and watering both by hand and using the irrigation system.

There's an outdoor fire place and plenty of wood to have fires in the evening watching the sun set and the nights are full of millions of stars and the milky way. I grow a variety of greens, pumpkins, sweet potato and fruit trees that offer their fruit in season though there's much competition with the birds!

More information can be provided on request.

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