GUEST BOOK
WELCOME TO THE GOOD HOUSE
This short guide will help you maximise your time at the house & enjoy all of its features with ease.
Please read this ‘ESSENTIALS’ tab below for basic need to know information before arriving.
WIFI NETWORK : Thegoodhouse1 PASSWORD : Thegoodhouse1165
ESSENTIALS
DOOR CODE & ENTRY
To be able to enter the home you will need your unique key code which will be emailed to you 48 hours before your check-in date. See ‘CHECKING-IN’ on the newt page for full instructions on using the keyless entry system.
USING THE HOT TUB
Our wood fired hot tub provides a unique & special way to enjoy the view, but it takes a little time to warm up. If you plan on using it on your check-in day we suggest you light the fire as soon as you arrive. Normal heating time is 2 hours. YOU MUST WATCH THIS VIDEO BEFORE USING > https://youtu.be/xlNY_c4h6Ts?si=DsMpcJNyZxfD_JX3
DO YOUR SHOPPING BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
There are no takeaways or food delivery services nearby & the local supermarket closes at 7pm. We suggest collecting dinner & doing any shopping you require on your way to check-in either in Albury or Wodonga.
Safety is our number one priority. To ensure your visit is a safe one, please read this guest book thoroughly, especially about use of the wood fired hot tub.
CHECKING-IN
GETTING TO THE HOUSE
When you are driving down the Murray Valley Highway and are about 500m away, start slowing down as the house is on a bend; you’ll see a sign saying '1165' as well as a red letterbox - this is the entrance to the driveway to get up to the house.
ENTERING THE PROPERTY
The keypad on the door will light up as you approach.
Press the two random numbers that will be displayed on the keypad, the full keypad will now appear.
Enter the unique code for the front door which which was sent to you before you arrived - you should hear the door unlock.
To enter the property - the door handle pushes inwards.
To exit the property from the inside the door handle pulls towards you.
The front door will lock automatically behind you when you close the door but please ensure you see the word LOCKED in red displayed on the screen when you leave.
CHECKING-OUT
We hope you enjoyed your stay at The Good House!
As a reminder, check-out is at 10am on the day that your booking ends.
We don’t expect you to clean, but please leave our home as close to as neat & tidy as you found it! Before you leave, could you please:
Put all the dirty towels on the floor in the bathrooms
Collect rubbish and recycling, bag it up & put it in the outside bins provided
Clean any dirty dishes & kitchen equipment or place in dishwasher and turn it on
Check that all entrances are locked before you leave
Have a walk through the home and make sure fans and lights are turned off
Replace any furniture you may have moved to its original place
When you leave the house, please make sure the door is locked by pulling it towards you gently - you’ll hear the door lock, and the keypad will show 'LOCKED' in red and all other entrances to the property are also locked.
Travel safe and come visit us again any time you’re in The Great Victorian High Country!
RECYCLING COMPOST & GENERAL WASTE
RECYCLING
We donate the 10c refundable cans and bottles to local charities. We would be really grateful if you could rinse out the cans and bottles and place them in the black boxes in the pantry.
Please do not squash these cans and bottles as they cannot be accepted.
The rest of the recycling can be placed in one of the metal bins outside the property.
COMPOSTING
We have a worm farm. The worms will love to munch on your leftover food scraps. Use the green compost bin, found in the kitchen, for scraps and transfer them to the black composting bin found at the front of the property.
GENERAL WASTE
There are two bins under the sink for general waste
There are bin bags under the kitchen sink. Please ensure that the bins always have bin bags in them.
Please ensure all rubbish is bagged and placed in red lidded bin at the front gate.
WOOD FIRED HOT TUB
Please ensure you have watched the video on the wood fired hot tub.
https://youtu.be/xlNY_c4h6Ts?si=DsMpcJNyZxfD_JX3
Safety is our number one priority so please do not use the hot tub if under the influence of alcohol.
The water is heated by the fire warming the water in the tub. The side of the wood burner (inside the tub) gets extremely hot, you must be careful not to touch the side of the burner inside the tub or the flume.
When lighting the fire, remove the cover and frame first and place under the veranda. Please remember to refit the cover and frame once the water has cooled down to stop insects getting in.
There is a sieve to the side of the tub if you need to fish any debris out.
CONTACT & EMERGENCY INFORMATION
If you need assistance with anything, please contact:
Onnie: +61 408 097 169
Tom: +61 420 767 240
E-mail: hello@thegoodhouse.au
ADDRESS: 1165 Murray Valley Highway, Tallangatta
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: Dial 000
Nearest medical centre: Tallangatta Medical Centre: 25 Barree, Tallangatta
SAFETY & SECURITY
There are 5 other doors to the property, all of which are locked on arrival and can be accessed;
Off the lounge there are sliding patio doors onto the Veranda
The kitchen also has sliding patio doors
Through the Master bedroom
Through the second Master bedroom
Through the laundry
OTHER SAFETY THINGS
Due to the hot weather, nails in the balcony can be squeezed out. Please be careful when walking on the decking.
Fire extinguisher, first aid kit and fire blanket are in the cupboards nearest to the dining table.
Although we haven’t seen any, snakes will be in the paddock. February and March are breeding season, so they will be more aggressive in these months.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
The kitchen is fully stocked with appliances & equipment to cook the majority of common meals. You will find the equipment manuals in one of the drawers under the toaster.
In addition we also have the below,
DISHWASHER
It's very simple, we promise! We provide a supply of tablets - you’ll need to insert one into the flip box container on the inside of the dishwasher door. Then press the ON/OFF button on the top of the door (note; not the front) and then on the front of the door press the start button.
HOB & OVEN
The hob is induction. The On/Off switch is to the left of the hob on the wall. This type of hob won't heat up unless you have a pan on the ring.
The electric oven and grill is double width. When grilling please leave the door open.
SLOW/PRESSURE COOKER
There is a slow/pressure cooker under the coffee machine. You can do all sorts of things in it including rice. We tend to put a hot pot on in the morning and leave the machine to do its job ready for a hearty evening meal.
There is also a NUTRI-BULLET BLENDER in the cupboard under the coffee machine.
TV & SOUNDBAR
The TV is connected to a soundbar and will play automatically when the TV is on. For your enjoyment we’ve also provided Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan and Disney Plus which you can play directly through the TV.
No passwords are required.
PLAYING MUSIC
You can play music in the house by using the voice activated Google Assistant, either in the living room, or the kitchen.
While in the main living area, simply say,
“Hey Google, play ‘The Beatles’ in the living room.
Or
“Hey Google, play ’classical music’ in the Kitchen
Alternatively,
Download the Sonos app from Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Once downloaded you can select a device, connect to the 'Living Room' speaker and start casting.
RECORD PLAYER
Please enjoy our small collection of records and remember to please be gentle.
INSIDE THE HOME
LIGHTING A FIRE
During the cold winter nights, why not rug up and light the fire?
All you will need for this can be found around the fireplace including matches and wood.
Amble out into the property to collect smaller pieces of wood to make the fire light more easily.
BUGS & INSECTS
We regularly fumigate and spray the perimeter of the property. However, living in the country, you can expect larger than normal amounts of insects and bugs than found in cities.
For this reason, you may find a few flies inside the property on arrival which is unpreventable.
As a rule, the warmer the weather the more bugs you can expect. Keeping the fly screens closed will help to prevent their presence in the house. When sitting on the balcony after dark, we’ve found lighting a citronella candle, coil or incense helps keep them at bay.
SMOKING
Our home is smoke free, and we do ask our guests to respect this.
CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
We have a large rain fed freshwater tank, which means of course in dry spells, water is a premium.
Please be considerate with water usage and endeavour to use it sparingly.
Our hot water is heated by the sun. For the size of the house there is plenty to go around. We do ask though that you are careful with your usage, so you don’t run out during your stay.
GROUNDS & LAND
Please be careful as you walk around the property. Stay within the boundary but please be careful as the banks are steep and ground uneven. As you explore the land look out for the family of deer, kangaroos and other wildlife that can regularly be seen on our property.
FRUIT TREES
We have an abundance of fruit on our trees, including apples, pears, lemons and blackberries. Please feel free to help yourselves.
SUPPLIES
There is a small selection of items in the kitchen which you are welcome to help yourselves to. Nothing in there will be older than a couple of weeks.
BREAKAGES
Accidents do happen. We would appreciate it if you could let us know if you break a glass, for example, so we can make sure we replace it ready for the next guests.
LAUNDRY
We have provided the usual washing machine, tumble dryer and iron for your convenience.
Washing powders etc. are not complementary however please feel free to use what is there in the laundry room.
We hope you enjoy your stay and please do contact us with anything anytime!
Places to Visit
The Great Outdoors
There are so many wonderful activities to do outdoors.
The house is setup as a little sanctuary & designed for guests to spend time at home and enjoying the property. The kitchen and deck are great for lounging around, reading, working, enjoying some food.
The grounds are also great for a good explore, you’ll find a load of kangaroos around in the evening, it's a little overgrown now though.
If you can bring bicycles, the house is on the doorstep of the High Country Rail Trail. There’s 100km of trail winding around the lake which is very scenic the whole way. If you need to hire bikes there a few places locally you can get bikes from. The prices seem reasonable. You could try https://www.cyclestation.com.au/ as one option for bike hire.
We have supplied two kayaks, 1 child’s life jacket, paddles and roof bumpers to transport the kayaks down to the river.
The Tallangatta lookout is close by, it’s a similar view to the house to be honest, but you can see the old town and read a bit about how all the houses were moved 8km up the road to accommodate the dam.
If you would like to swim or kayak you can explore the lake too, there are multiple access points very close by. The closest and probably most beautiful place to go would be the Tallangatta boat ramp, if you drive into town and follow the signs on the left you will find it easily, it’s about 5 minutes’ drive
Tallangatta is also our favourite place for a coffee and a walk in the morning!
Kookaburra point is also fun for the kids but a little further away.
Towns to Visit
Tallangatta - This is the closest town to the house, it's about 5 minutes away in a car & is the place to go for last minute or forgotten essentials. There's a bakery, café & IGA for coffee & breakfast & any groceries that you need, but I would recommend to do your main shop in Albury.
Beechworth - Is an amazing little town, google maps says it's 45 minutes away but it doesn’t feel like that when you’re driving through the countryside. It's well worth the visit, and the family will love it. You can grab lunch from a handful of places, there is a 2 hatted restaurant called The Provenance, if you wanted a fine dining experience. Our favourite place to go is the El Dorado Road cellar door. They have amazing charcuterie and wine and a nice courtyard perfect for a day out. There’s some good shops, good pubs, and again well worth the visit.https://www.eldoradoroad.com.a...http://www.theprovenance.com.a...
Yackandandah - Slightly closer to the house is Yackandandah, its a nice little old town to see and stop for a drink on the way to Beechworth. There is a cool gin/whisky distillery (linked below). There are a few other local shops to browse but I’d say Beechworth is a better day away if you had to choose one place.https://www.backwoodsdistillin...
Caring for our Environment
Water
We have a rain fed water tank. In the summer please be considerate to your usage.
Waste Water
All our waste water is managed through natural decomposition using our highly trained worms to break the waste down.
Recycling
We donate the 10c cans and bottles, from the house, to a local charity. Please place all washed 10c bottles and cans into the black bins in the pantry cupboard.
This year so far, a local scouts received a set of new tents because of our donation.
Composting
Our highly trained worms love your food scraps. Please put your food waste into the composting bins provided.