Narara, New South Wales

Our home is a cosy three-bedroom straw bale and earthen house nestled within Narara Ecovillage, with beautiful views across the valley and surrounding bushland. Designed with comfort and sustainability in mind, the house stays remarkably comfortable throughout the year. There is air conditioning in the main living area, ceiling fans in all bedrooms, and much of our energy use is powered by solar.
The master bedroom has a queen-sized bed, while the two children's rooms each contain a single bed. You'll have access to a fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, and reliable Wi-Fi. We don't have a television, but you're welcome to connect your laptop to our large computer monitor for streaming movies or shows.
One of the special things about staying here is the opportunity to experience life at Narara Ecovillage. The community borders Strickland State Forest, with beautiful bushwalking trails right on the doorstep. There are friendly neighbours, community gardens, regular gatherings, workshops, and activities happening most days for those who wish to participate. Whether you're looking for connection or simply a peaceful place to retreat, you'll find both here.
To help you settle in, we'll connect you with a friendly Ecovillage "buddy" who can answer questions, point you towards local activities, and help you feel at home during your stay.
Because Odin is still young and benefits from consistency, we'd ideally love our sitter to arrive a day or two before we leave. This will give you time to become familiar with the house, the Ecovillage, and most importantly, Odin and his routine. We're happy to discuss and cover accommodation costs for those additional nights if needed.
Your primary focus for this housesit is Odin, our large adolescent dog, who will be around 14 months old during your stay. Odin is a big boy (over 40kg) and still very much in his goofy teenage phase — affectionate, playful, sweet-natured, intelligent, and at times quite intense in his enthusiasm for life. He thrives with confident, calm people who genuinely enjoy dogs and are comfortable handling a large, energetic companion.

As a working lines/field bred Labrador Retriever, Odin needs two solid walks/play/adventure sessions each day and loves engagement and companionship. At home, though, he also has a good routine and settles beautifully — he is crate trained and sleeps in his crate overnight, as well as taking a couple of proper naps during the day. We currently don't leave him alone at home outside of the crate, so the role would suit someone who works from home part-time or with flexible hours.
He sheds furiously, so only has access to the ground floor of our home, and much of the house care centres around cleaning up after him, though there are a few house plants to water as well.

Odin attends doggy daycare 1-2 days per week, so you will need to transport him there and back, but it will provide you with some free time and a happy and tired dog at the end of the day. Read more...