Lake Eacham - House Sit

 3 - 23 April 2025

When we first started out on this latest journey we considered the possibility of doing some house sitting while we waited for our house to be built. We registered with a well-known company and received a number of responses. Unfortunately none were suitable in terms of location and/or dates, until we found a homeowner ad for a three week sit at Lake Eacham at about the time we figured we would be back in the north.

We made contact and were eventually accepted, met with Frank and Pauline to go over logistics and receive all the information we would need. We moved over from Atherton and set about establishing a routine which included looking after a small flock of chickens, as well as a geriatric cow. Most house sits include a dog, so we were more than happy to have a cow instead. Circe didn't take much looking after - just some hay in the afternoon and check she had access to water.

Early morning fog 

Being at Lake Eacham we were central to most places we like to visit so were able to get out and about in the mornings, and be home to let the chooks out to free-range after lunch. We went for a couple of walks around Lake Eacham itself as well as Lake Barrine. We also took another drive out to Mount Hypipamee crater as well as numerous visits to Hasties Swamp.

One morning we set off early for a birding and shopping trip to Cairns. We drove down the Gillies Highway and visited a number of special spots including the turf farm near Gordonvale and the boat ramp on the eastern side of Trinity Inlet. Mick was chasing some new birds and he scored 2 out of the 3 he was after. From Gordonvale we headed into Cairns to pick up some new camping gear and then went down to the Espanade for lunch and a walk. By then it was time to return "home" to tend to the animals.

We had three weeks at the house sit and enjoyed the luxury of a proper home for that time. It gave us the chance to get some life admin done, and to be out of the rain for a while. On our last day, we packed up ready to go once the homeowners returned from their early morning flight into Cairns. We had a bit of a plan for the next week, but still had some decisions to make. We made Atherton our first stop, to pick up supplies and some odds and ends, then headed towards Mareeba.