Category Archive News

BySandra Cain

What our guests are saying about us ….

Stunning view, fabulous breakfast provisions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon P

Normally, I am very sceptical when you find only good reviews, as I didn’t think there was any place perfect, until we stayed at Sandra & Colin’s Watersedge Boathouse.

Perfectly located, beautiful, romantic, clean, rightly priced, fantastic view, quiet & serene (& the list goes on) place to spend a few days if not more.

Everything to make ones stay comfortable was provided, we did not leave the place from Friday night to Sunday late morning, the end of our stay when we sadly had to leave, if we had more leave we would have extended our stay, we wanted to enjoy every minute and we so did.

Thank you Sandra & Colin, you have a beautiful place, and you are exceptional hosts. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to spend the couple of days at your place, it was very relaxing.

Lorraine H

Sandra and Colin’s Boathouse B&B is quite simply the best, we really enjoyed our stay and didn’t want to leave!! 

The attention to detail is quite extraordinary, everything is provided to ensure you are totally pampered and have a relaxing time. This included; luxury bed linen, choice of fluffy bathrobes, wonderful aromatherapy oils, great selection of DVDs,books and magazines, coffee maker and good Italian coffee, a USB stick with music to appreciate whilst we ate our barbecued fish freshly caught from the lake with the fishing gear provided. The breakfasts were delicious and the home made banana bread was lovely, especially with our morning coffee, sitting on the the deck watching an amazing sunrise. There were kayaks and bikes, however, we were unable to drag ourselves away from the fishing and amazing views to use them.
We are a Scottish couple and were very touched that Colin and Sandra bought a Scottish lion rampant flag which they raised in our honour, something we will always cherish.

Thank you for a fantastic stay – we really hope to return and catch ‘the big one’ that got away!

Rob & Ina P

This is a truly gorgeous retreat in an idyllic setting. We visit the area regularly and have stayed at the boathouse three times because we haven’t found anything better. Each time we have been pampered in every way – from quality robes to fishing equipment – and the brekkie hamper has to be seen to be believed – soooo generous! Hosts Sandra and Colin have set the bar high – nothing else comes close.

Greysparrow

We just had the most fabulous stay at this special place. Everything that you needed for the stay was there for you. The place was so good that we did not see the need to leave it and go anywhere, just relaxing and enjoying the ambience and the view. We scored it 10/10.

BySandra Cain

Breakfast provisions supplied for your first two mornings.

Watersedge Boathouse, country style breakfast provisions provided to cook at your leisure. Photos compliments of our lovely guests @thegourmetbackpackers

BySandra Cain

Day trips around Lake Macquarie

Lunch or dinner at Fredeli Delicatessen on the foreshore at Warners Bay
2/472 The Esplanade.  http://www.hunterhunter.com.au/newcastle/fredeli our favourite little deli, (thanks to friends Kim & Jamie).      

Lakeside lovers of Italian food and fare, rejoice.  Feast your eyes and your stomach on Fredeli Friday’s, right on the Warners Bay Esplanade. By day, Fredeli, is stocked, almost to the rafters, with an assortment of traditional and imported Italian products, including meat, cheese, and sauces, local smallgoods, such as olive oil and honey, plus dried pasta, muesli, coffee and much more. By night, on Fridays, Fredeli hosts a small crowd of in-the-know Novocastrians who’ve come to experience a three-course set menu based on authentic Italian recipes. 

Watch from the window as people pass by, boats moor just off the shoreline, and the smell of fair-dinkum Italian food wafts from behind the deli counter. It’s enough to inspire real or imagined memories of warm Italian evenings sipping wine.

The space is small (it is the shop front of a deli, after all), so bookings are essential, but if you time it right, especially over the summer months, you’ll catch one of our region’s most beautiful sunsets blazing orange, purple and gold behind Mount Vincent as you dine. A few high tables and stools are brought in and assembled in front of a glass deli counter stocked with many fabulous meats and cheese next to a series of shelves stacked full of delicious looking treats to please the palates of most gastronomes from Lake Mac and beyond.

Growing up on the family farm in Italy, much of his life revolved around quality, hand-made food that was full of flavour, whether it be baking breads, curing meats or growing vegetables. 
Each Friday evening Frederico is opening the doors to his deli to a lucky few who book in for Fredeli Friday’s. Cost is between $45 -$55 depending what’s on the menu but always expect traditional Italian dishes plus antipasto, cheese, charcuterie boards, bread and of course it’s BYO.

Fredeli

 

 

Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, 1A First Street, Booragul

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm Admission Free:  Ph 49658260.  Book Awaba House Cafe for lunch while you are there, or just drop in for coffee and cake, located next door in the Art Gallery Grounds.  https://artgallery.lakemac.com.au/exhibitions/current

Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery is a small but widely recognized gallery for its exhibition program and work with the community.  Located on the waterfront, the leafy grounds include the award-winning gallery,  a sculpture park, mosaic pathways, and the historic Awaba House Restaurant. 

Touring shows alternate with gallery-curated exhibitions featuring nationally significant artists, many of whom share a connection with the Hunter.

Contemporary visual arts, craft and design practice is the main focus of our exhibitions, and respectful Aboriginal projects are a strong component of  the program

art gallery     Awaba House Cafe

 

The Memorial Walk

Newcastle’s Memorial Walk is a spectacular coastal walk with a personal connection for thousands of locals.

The Walk is located above Memorial Drive, The Hill, on Strzelecki Headland (between Bar Beach and King Edward Park). 

Built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli in 1915 and the commencement of steel making in Newcastle; it acts as a magnificent memorial to the men and women of the Hunter who served their community and their country.

The structure cost $4.5m to build and is a 450 meter long cliff top walkway that links Newcastle’s Strzelecki Lookout to Bar Beach.

Built with 64 tonnes of stainless steel, the walkway winds its way around the cliff edge and offers unsurpassed views of the coastline, city and up into the Hunter Valley.

The walk features a 160 metre cliff top bridge adorned with steel silhouettes of soldiers inscribed with close to 4,000 family names of almost 11,000 known Hunter Valley men and women who enlisted during World War I. It also links to Council’s Bathers Way promenade development, a six km coastal walk linking Newcastle’s beaches and stretching from Merewether Ocean Baths to Nobbys Beach.

Extensive research was undertaken by an historian who spent hundreds of hours finding the names of all of the families by searching historical records both in Newcastle and in Canberra. All of the soldiers whose names appear on the walk were enlisted in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.

General enquiries about Newcastle Memorial Walk should be directed to weloveourcoast@ncc.nsw.gov.au   


   

BySandra Cain

Christmas is near | Lake Macquarie!

Forget Christmas panic buying, if you are looking for
a special gift for someone then a voucher from
Watersedge Boathouse at Lake Macquarie
may be the perfect solution.

blog-post-christmas-upcoming-bnb

To purchase,  just call us on 02 49751164 or email watersedgeboathouse@bigpond.com

What’s on in Lake Macquarie….

christmas-lake-macquarie

Olive Tree Christmas Markets
http://www.theolivetreemarket.com.au/

The Olive Tree Market is part of the renaissance currently taking place in Newcastle’s artisan community. Started in 2008, The Olive Tree Market is the Leading Contemporary Handmade Art & Design Market in Newcastle and the launching pad for over 150 creative minds!’
The Olive Tree Market is constantly growing and evolving with talented creatives joining the market each month. Discover our emerging artists section, take home amazing gourmet artisan produce and sit back and take in the sounds of talented local musicians! See you under the Olive Tree.

Civic Park Calendar
Nov 19th 2016    9am – 3pm
Dec 3rd 2016    9am – 3pm
Dec 17th 2016    9am – 3pm


lake-macquarie-art-bazaarhttps://www.facebook.com/ArtBazaarHunter/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

Art Bazaar, New Lambton – Sunday 27th November, 2016

Your world will be brighter with a visit to the enchanting Art Bazaar which is presented by Hunter Arts Network who carefully select a wide variety of stalls featuring premium handmade products. Art Bazaar has cemented it’s reputation as the event that showcases the Hunter’s creative & vibrant art community that locals & visitors look forward to three times each year.

Since 2002 the Hunter’s premier artisan & design marketplace, Art Bazaar, has been held every year. Art Bazaar started in Laman street under the shade of the beautiful fig trees between Darby and Dawson Street.  In 2009 it was moved into Civic Park due to the safety issues of the Laman Street figs.  Since 2012 Art Bazaar has been held three times every year at three locations by Hunter Arts Network (HAN) which is a non-profit membership of artisans from the Hunter region.  HAN continues to develop a presence on the art and cultural event calendar of the Hunter and NSW.

Art Bazaars feature original handcrafted goods from over 100 local HAN artists. Art Bazaar is free entry.  Enjoy meeting the artists & designers who have carefully created for the reputable event providing access beyond the boundaries of the gallery.

Recent accolades:
Volunteer Grants 2015
2015 Hunter Local Business Awards Finalist
2015 Stockland Community Grant Winner
2014 QantasLink Hunter & Central Coast Awards for Excellence in Tourism FINALIST

Next Art Bazaar date
– Newcastle Art Bazaar, Lambton Park, Sunday 27 November 2016, 9am–3pm,

BySandra Cain

Providore J’Adore

24th September, Kotara (not your average Westfield)
Local artists, artisans and creators.
http://www.hunterhunter.com.au/newcastle/providore-jadore

Watersedge Boathouse, Lake Macquarie