The cottage sits on a ridge overlooking a tidal section of the Towamba (Kiah) river and the Barongarook wetland

The views are lovely and both waterways can be accessed from our land

The cottage has two bedrooms, an open plan lounge/dining/kitchen, a sun-room, deck and an integrated shower/toilet/utility room
There is a large double garage and two large car ports
In the lounge a large enclosed fireplace provides cosy living in the cooler months
The verandah provides sweeping views over the Towamba river and valley and the Barongarook wetlands
Each bedroom has built-in wardrobes and is large enough for a queen or two single beds
The utility room provides a dual-flush toilet, modern shower two sinks and plumbing for a washing machine
We have mains electricity, ADSL broadband internet access via Telstra copper landline and access to mains water to supplement the rainwater tanks. Optus and Vodafone GSM mobile calls may be made and received at the Lodge whilst Telstra mobile calls may be received 3km towards Eden

From 1998 to 2004 the Lodge was rented to holidaymakers. We specialised in people with pets and made strong returns whilst suffering very little damage. The back yard is fenced and gated and there is an enclosed dog run under the deck

The garage is 6 meters wide and 7 meters deep. It is big enough to hold two cars with enough room at the back for a workshop. In addition there are two seven meter long car ports, one on each side of the garage

We have private shared access to both river and wetland. Our access to the Kiah (Towamba) river is tidal so it never runs dry. Commercial fishing was banned in 2006 so fish stocks are impressive. Outside the holiday season you can usually do the run down to the sea without seeing anyone else on the water

The Barongarook Wetlands are protected under the NSW government SEPP 14. (State Environmental Planning Policy No 14 Coastal Wetlands)

We are 13 km south of Eden and about 450 meters up a tidy track We go up and down in a Toyota Corolla. Close enough to the highway for quick and easy access

Google Earth views

To see how close we are to the river, sea, wetlands and neighbours go to these co-ordinates on Google Earth, or use the links

Cottage 37 08 22.60 S
149 52 09.09 E
http://g.co/maps/cuh9u

Note that the Cottage elevation is 41 meters, so there is no risk of inundation due to rising sea levels

Wetlands 37 08 31.06 S
149 52 07.02 E
http://g.co/maps/rjtwh

When the Google satellite scans were made we were in drought so there was no water in the wetland. It is full of birds and water now
As the edge of the wetland fluctuates access tends to be gently sloping and muddy but access can always be achieved from the Community common land which covers a substantial part of the wetland

River Access 37 08 25.34 S
149 52 22.59 E
http://g.co/maps/xgsb4

Please note that the neighbour’s rows of hazelnut trees, parallel to the river have now mostly been replaced by grass

There are five different types of land tenure in the area of our river access. We hold letters from the NSW Department of Lands and the Bega Valley Shire Council which clearly confirm our continuing right of private, shared river access. Copies of the letters are available

The estate is a Community. It consists of six separate Torrens titled lots and a large common area mainly consisting of riverside pasture. Two Lots have cottages on them. The other four lots (2-4) are owned by residents of Victoria who have been using the meadow for their holidays
There are no Community overheads or charges. Each of the six lot owners pay their rates to Bega Valley Shire Council and also pay equal shares of agreed expenses. These expenses are usually the cost of Public Liability insurance (around $800 pa split 6 ways) and track maintenance (most often nothing), again split 6 ways
There are no reports provided to ASIC or any other regulatory authority. No accounts are filed. We usually meet for our AGM in January, when the three Victorian based Lot owners are here for their Christmas holidays. We usually have an agenda and minutes are written and distributed. Copies are available

Block sizes
The Cottage is on Lot 6 which is 1,184 square meters
The adjacent vacant block 5 is 1,867 sq m. It has stunning views and is for sale at $89,000
The Community land comprises access tracks and Lot 1, the river flat meadow and part of the Barongarook Wetland, which is 4.98 hectares or 12.3 acres
The meadow flat is currently mowed and baled by one of our neighbours. The arrangement may be altered, by giving 3 months, if any of the Community Members wish to use it for other purposes such as agisting horses, grazing cattle or growing a crop such as vegetables or fruit

Vacant Block, Lot 5, next door is available for $89,000. Because the land slopes downwards towards the meadow and river there is no possibility that the view will be built out

Google Maps
Click http://g.co/maps/5ujvv and you can see the Lots 1, 5 and 6 so you can get a good idea of the layout

Solar panel
A 1.5kw solar array was installed in early 2011. It is efficient, invisible and puts power into the electricity grid. We receive a credit of 60c per Kilowatt but this will drop to 20c when new owners take over

A new Rheem Air Sourced 310 Heat Pump Water Heater was installed in March 2009. It runs on cheap off-peak electricity, and is very efficient

Airport pick-up is available. If you would like to see this property, and decide to fly here. We will be happy to facilitate your local travel arrangements. REX fly daily from Sydney and Melbourne to Merimbula Airport which is about half an hour drive from here. We would be able to meet you at Merimbula Airport, transport you to the Lodge and then on to local accommodation and subsequently back to the airport

Mammals around the Lodge include: Wallabies. Mainly black footed rock wallabies but there are larger species as well. Various deer, probably Fallow, Sambar and Red are seen around the property and often munch on any unprotected veggies. The are seen most commonly in the spring as well as Wombats, Rabbits, Echidna and Turtles

The seed table attached to the deck regularly attracts about a dozen different species of bird. The most regular are, Australian King Parrots, Galahs, Rainbow Lorikeets, Rosellas, Wrens and various Pigeons
We have Blackbirds, and Mynahs and there are Bellbirds nearby. Lyre Birds occasionally have a scratch around the garden
Various species of Owl live nearby including the Powerful Owl, Australia’s largest
Numerous species of aquatic birds may be seen including Pelicans, Cormorants, Gannets, Black Swans and various Wildfowl and Ducks
Numerous raptors are common in the area including White Bellied Sea Eagles, Whistling Kites, Falcons and Kookaburras
And, best of all, beautiful, shimmering, turquoise Kingfishers down by the river

The licence of the professional fisherman who used to net in the river was bought out about 6 years ago by the government. There is little public access to the river and the approach from Twofold Bay is fairly shallow so the river is lightly used. In recent times the increase in the numbers of large fish are noticeable. From the river we have taken or seen:
Flathead, Brim, Eels, Trevally, Tailor, Bass, Mullet and Rays

Phillip Innes of Eden and Merimbula Pest Management carried out a Pest Inspection in accordance with AS 4349.3 on 1st November 2011. He identified no problems. A copy of his report will be available. In addition you may choose to commission your own independent report

There are 43 photographs on-line. Please go to FaceBook and look for Christopher Black at Kiah and Canberra or follow this link:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1001732235