Warning: If you don’t like articles full of praise, then don’t read this post! I absolutely loved our stay on this farm about 20 minutes from Wodonga, Victoria. It really displayed all that is fantastic about using Airbnb holiday rentals. I usually make an effort to not praise a place too much, as I worry that it makes it seem unbelievable. However, this place really was just perfect.

As soon as we arrived at our Airbnb home in country Victoria, I knew we were somewhere special.

The first thing I noticed when I hopped out of the car (other than the gorgeous surrounds) was an outside fire place set up with wood all ready to be lit surrounded by chairs and a big BBQ. The next was a verandah full of comfy chairs and tables and extras like candles and small cactus plants. It was this attention to detail which really made our home on a farm outside Wodonga special.

Our view as we walked into the front door

On opening the front door, we were greeted by a welcome sign. It was immediately obvious that this was a home that the hosts loved and that they wanted us to love too. The details were just superb. I was won over by the next one – a decanter of muscat port and dark chocolate.

Our hosts knew the way to my heart

If this wasn’t enough, there was homemade bread wrapped up in a basket on the counter. The kitchen was stocked with lots of goodies, including fresh eggs and a packet of cold tim tams (the best biscuits ever for my international readers). The kids were especially happy when they found toys in their bedroom and a freddo frog each on the bed. I was happy J wasn’t with me so I could eat both ferrero rochers on ours!

Our bedroom

The two bedroom house also featured a beautifully stocked bathroom, a laundry and everything else we needed to be able treat this place like our home. There were also lots of dvds and book and even a note about how not to worry if we don’t finish reading one of the books, we can take it home. A first aid kit and even a nappy helped to compliment the feeling that we were well taken care of.

Our first impressions were spot on and we spent a glorious three days here. The location is such that it’s easy to visit surrounding towns and historic areas. Albury Wodonga is a quick and easy drive making this also a great place to stop to break up a Melbourne-Sydney road trip. From here is it easy to venture to Beechworth, Yackandandah, Rutherglen. Even the Victorian ski resorts are not far away. You can work it all out when you arrive when plenty of tourist information in the house.

Z talks to a friendly goat

We ventured out a bit – I have to appease those itchy feet, but we were perfectly happy at home. A big part of the reason I picked this place was the location on a farm. We live in a Melbourne inner city apartment. The kids just do not get experiences like this generally. From our verandah, we could see chooks, goats, alpacas, sheep, cows and many, many birds. I also saw a rabbit run past at one point. The hosts have no problems with guests wandering around the property and even collecting their own eggs. The kids just loved it. And I just loved the peacefulness.

If there was ever a spot made for relaxing with some wine…

Our hosts were just fantastic and incredibly accommodating. They offered to take us for a drive across the paddocks to check out some of the the other areas and animals like pigs and kangaroos. They told me how they had always struggled finding affordable accommodation for a family, so they have set this place up and priced it so that other families can have a place to go. They enjoy showing others around their farm and the area and this was obvious from the way they talked about how they enjoyed being Airbnb hosts and ambassadors.

Our home

If I have to criticise something, it is the bugs. I would not have even noticed them if it wasn’t for the dead bodies in the hallway overnight. I’m guessing this is normal in a rural area.

My other problem is that we did not spend long enough! We went to some places in Albury Wodonga and I recommend Harveys Fun Park and the Children’s Garden at Albury Botanic Gardens for young kids. Yackandandah and Beechworth both looked like great spots on our drive through and I would have loved some time there.

Mini golf at Harvey’s Fun Park

Practical Information
There is included wifi (slow when we were there) and my Optus mobile had good reception. There is plenty of food for breakfast. There is air conditioning and heating, but we didn’t need to use air conditioning despite the incredibly hot temperatures while we were there. The house starts at an absolute bargain $100 a night. You can check out details of the house here and rent it for yourself  🙂 But first, create your account in Airbnb using this link, and we will both get a US$25 discount off our next booking. We will be going back.

You can also read our guide to Cobram, another town on the Murray River.

Disclaimer: I do have a relationship with Airbnb, but not with my hosts who had no idea I would be writing about them. As always, my thoughts are my own.