Cousin Jack's

Description

This is a cottage we bought in October 2020. We had many holidays cancelled through COVID and decided instead to explore our own backyard. We arrived in Moonta, fell instantly in love with its history and beautiful beaches and on spec bought this little cottage with our hearts instead of our heads! We loved that it was situated within an old cornish mining village and that the beach was just 5 minutes drive away.

The cottage sits back on its own surrounded by grass and native trees. It is fully fenced with views from the cottage variously of the setting sun, old mining buildings and a large original Methodist church built at about the same time as the cottage which is approximately 1860. Just a little bit further and within walking distance is a lovely old sweet shop, a railway station that runs a miniature train ride around the old mine site and the Moonta Mines Museum which was the old Moonta Mines school.

However we had inadvertently taken on a huge task and the cottage needed a great deal of work to make it habitable. It became quite plain after we started to unearth the cottages history and previous owners that little by way of maintenance had been done for the last 20 years. Prior to that it literally was a very basic dwelling with an outside toilet. So we got the tradies in and replastered, repainted and refurnished the whole house in about 3 months.

We have brought much of our own furniture and antiques to the cottage from where we live in the Adelaide Hills. We have also spent many hours trawling through the local antique shops, buying old furniture, sanding and varnishing and repurposing as many items as possible. The TV tables in the first two lounges as you walk through the door are a case in point.

The cottage with its three lounge areas and two bedrooms will ideally suit couples but is also great for young families because of the enclosed yard and space to explore the surrounding area on foot. There is a queen bed in one bedroom and a double bed with a single bed in the other bedroom.

There is an embarrassingly and excruciatingly small and dated toilet and shower area. It was originally just a shower but a sink and inside toilet was installed a generation ago.
We eventually along with all our other grand plans want to build a slightly more commodious and luxurious bathroom. Please bear with us until we upgrade and I hope you don't find the bathroom experience too difficult.

We have poured our heart and soul into the renovation but have much more to achieve. We have kept the price and cleaning fee reasonable so that you feel you can come and stay. We are constantly improving and maintaining the property and surrounding garden. It is always well cared for and scrupulously clean.

We cherish our little cottage steeped in history and testament to the ravages of time with leaning walls, tiny door frames, sloping floors, crooked chimneys, original packing wood floorboards, cotton reel handles on kitchen cupboards and much more. The framed letter and picture above the mantelpiece in the kitchen details the owners of yesteryear.

Quiet is a word that defines the immediate surrounds of our cottage and the space to imagine the hard worn lives of the original inhabitants. Your stay will hopefully be less arduous with the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine, watch a Netflix movie or just marvel at the sun disappearing over the horizon as you sit under the front verandah.

Thank you for staying and we hope you enjoy this little cottage with all of its idiosyncrasies.

PLEASE BRING OWN SHEETS, PILLOW CASES AND BATH MATS, THANKYOU.