Homesick Brits: Home Exchange Offered in Sunny Sydney

Ian, a Home Base Holidays member living in Sydney, recently left a comment on the post, Send Enticing Home Exchange Offers:

'We are two homesick Brits with two well house trained boys ages 10 and 11. We have a lovely house in Sydney overlooking the National Park. It sleeps 5 and there is the use of a car. Our home in central London is currently rented out so we would like to do a swap in May and September.' (see his full exchange offer, and more lovely photos, HE19604).

Ian and his family's new home in Sydney is quite a contrast to a typical London home - and the animal visitors to their garden much more exotic than the squirrels and foxes they would have been used to in their London garden. Ian wrote:

'Well that (being homesick Brits) is not strictly true but we do miss our friends and being able to walk to most places from our former home in central London. I am a psychotherapist and worked in Wimpole Street while living one street to the West - Welbeck St. It certainly made life convenient. We loved the compact nature of the West End and neat lay out of Marylebone Village which was our home for ten years.

But it was also my idea to try a spell overseas and Sydney became the destination. We were looking for warmer, sunnier weather and a more relaxed life-style. We found both. The great thing about Sydney is the all round good weather. Summers are not too hot and the rest of the year is also warm.

As I had friends living in Sydney, I was pointed in the right direction for exactly the type of home me and my family were looking for. The criteria was: large and roomy, garden, views and a pool. Having lived in Edwardian and Victorian homes, we were looking for something more contemporary. We hit on a home that was built in the distinctive Sydney School of Architecture style that combines earthy colours in the brick work to blend in with the gardens and National Parks and big wide open windows to maximise outdoor living.

The home looks out over the Garigal National Park, also known as Davidison Reserve, named after one of the colony's early surveyors. The land is an untouched rain forest with craggy sand stone cliffs and outcrops and lush vegitation. Our visitors include the beautiful rainbow parrots as well as possums and even the rare wallabie. Despite the close proximity to the "bush" we don't see uninvited creepy crawlies - perhaps because the house and rear garden is raised with a "ha ha". The pool is beautiful and one looks out across the Garigal or into the star lit skies. We have no houses to the rear of the property at all. Yet despite the almost rustic location, the house in on a main bus route to Sydney centre which takes between 35 and 50 minutes.

We also offer the use of the family car which is an air conditioned Hyundai automatic saloon. Deserted beaches, sea planes, idyllic restaurants and bushland walks are all on the doorstep. Golf, riding, sailing, water-skiing and children's activities are all within 10 to 15 minutes drive. It certainly makes an idea place to holiday either as a base to explore other cities or simply to get the most of Sydney in a private resort type setting.

All me and my family are looking for is a house or flat within striking distance of London so old friends can be visited. Please check out our exchange offer listing.'