Read about other people’s TrustedHousesitters horror stories on r/trustedhousesitters.

I know of two other TrustedHousesitters members (person 1, person 2) who’ve been refused entry to the US within the last few months.

Hi. I’m Madolline.
And I’m seeing the world One cat at a time

Spending the festive season cat sitting ’round Australia

Spending the festive season cat sitting ’round Australia

by | 5 January 2023

Each Christmas is the chance for me to house and cat sit somewhere new, and this year wasn’t going to be any different. It just wasn’t going to be overseas.

I’d organised sits in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne, and I got to spend a few days in Busselton before being reunited with Little Dolly Parton. The bulk of the trip was spent house sitting in Perth, with Christmas Day celebrated in Adelaide and the days leading up to 2023 in Melbourne.

This Christmas break actually marked five years since I started my house and cat sitting journey. Harvey, the former street cat from San Francisco, was the first cat I looked after and subsequent Christmases saw me care for Nika in Boulder, Colorado; Jaspurr in Brisbane, Australia; Pepper in Darwin, Australia; and Pixel in Sydney, Australia. And while I would’ve loved to be house and cat sitting in a cooler climate, I was just grateful to get back-to-back-to-back sits in Australian cities I wanted to visit.

Perth, the first stop on the trip, was the first house and cat sit I booked. I’d been to Perth once before, but I didn’t get to see anything other than the Rio Tinto office building and the hotel room I was staying in. Because of my ongoing drama(s) with TrustedHousesitters, I’ve chosen to steer well clear of them and all my Christmas sits were found on Aussie House Sitters. I signed up to Aussie House Sitters in 2019 and have continued to renew my membership each year. An Aussie House Sitters membership ($84 AUD) is about half the cost of what sitters pay to use TrustedHousesitters ($149 AUD) and, as you’d expect from an Australian house sitting website, they’ve got hundreds of listings for homes all over the country.

I arrived in Perth on a Sunday afternoon and was introduced to Rio, one half of the brother–sister duo I’d be spending the next 20 days with. Rio and his biological sister, Luna, who I met the next day, have very different personalities. Rio wanted to spend ALL his time with you, or on you or on your things. I even have a photo of him sitting on my pizza box that’d been placed on the table for a few seconds while I locked the front door. Luna spent her days and nights outside, and preferred the independent lifestyle. She did, however, like to sit with me after she’d eaten her breakfast and dinner.

My first night in Perth took an interesting turn when another cat appeared in the backyard. I messaged Rio and Luna’s owner asking if she was okay with the other cat being in her yard. Some people don’t care if it’s one of their neighbours’ cats, but they’ll feel differently about a random cat being on their property. The lady I was house and cat sitting for replied saying she’d never seen the cat before. I remember thinking: “Of all the days for this cat to appear, it makes itself known on the day I arrive in Perth?!”

The kitty was extremely friendly, but I couldn’t keep him/her inside because it wasn’t my house. Pixel’s owners, who I’m in regular contact with, suggested I post a picture of the cat to a Perth lost and found Facebook group. Within a few hours, five or six people thought the kitty was theirs. One particular lady kept getting tagged by different people and she was adamant the cat was hers. Her cat, Boo, went missing one week earlier. This lady lived 10km away from where I was staying and it didn’t seem probable Boo had walked that far in seven days. The woman described Boo as shy and reserved, and a bit jumpy. She told me her cat wasn’t very trusting of others. The cat in the courtyard was none of those things—he/she wouldn’t leave me alone. In the end, as I always knew, the kitty wasn’t Boo. A kind stranger from that same Facebook group came by to take this cat to a 24-hour vet clinic to get a microchip scan. I was told the kitty didn’t have a microchip and would be taken to a local cat rescue. The kitty was held for seven days before he/she was put up for adoption.

The rest of my time in Western Australia was spent exploring places like Rottnest Island (home of the quokka), Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles, Cervantes, York, Busselton, and Margaret River. I probably had a little too much time in Perth itself, but there’s a lot places outside the city I’d still love to see.

Quokkas on Rottnest Island

I was meant to arrive in Adelaide just before midday on 22 December, but my flight was cancelled. Virgin couldn’t (or wouldn’t) put me on any other flight despite Google showing two or three Virgin flights out of Perth at a cost of $1,200. They chose to re-book me on a flight scheduled for the following morning and told me to head to a hotel that they’ll reimburse me for. In all the years I’ve been flying, this was the first time I’d had a cancelled flight. A cancelled flight is a huge inconvenience for anyone, but I felt really bad about it because I was responsible for someone’s cat.

It’d been an exhausting few days and I couldn’t wait to do nothing with Little Dolly Parton when I finally got to Adelaide. I’d also been dealing with another dreaded sinus infection so lazing around the house sounded like the perfect way to spend Christmas Day after getting up at midnight and 3am the past two mornings.

Dolly was just as cute and comical as I remember her being. She’d run to the front door to investigate any noises coming from outside, chill on her cushion and jump on the bed to demand your attention. She’d then request you stop patting her by letting out a little meow. Our Christmas Day was spent in the air con eating all the things I’d bought at Adelaide Central Market.

My trip to Adelaide was a quick one and now it was time to head to Melbourne. Melbourne was recently named the world’s friendliest city, and it was somewhere I hadn’t been back to in about five or six years.

I spent the next week caring for a low maintenance kitty called Willow. Willow’s family owns a very comfortable, nicely renovated three bedroom home in Northcote. Their house was decorated with art, ornaments and things from their travels, and it’s probably one of only a few homes I’ve stayed in where you got a real sense of the people living in it.

Willow—like Rio and Luna—was another mostly outside cat. All cats in this local council area, however, have to be inside by 7pm or the owner risks being fined. Willow was good with her 7pm deadline and never ventured outside the family’s yard. She spent her days lounging on the deck and evenings were for snuggling up against me in bed.

The unexpected warmer weather in Melbourne made it difficult for me and my sinus infection to want to do anything, and my first day in town was re-allocated as a rest day. I’d intended to venture straight into the city, but I decided it was best to do this the next day. I definitely didn’t expect it to be 37°C when I arrived, but I should’ve remembered the “Melbourne: Four seasons in one day” phrase. Despite most days averaging 35°C, I got out to Fitzroy and Collingwood. I also enjoyed walking along High Street in Northcote and stopping in at all the boutiques. I went to the National Gallery of Victoria, walked along the riverfront at Southbank, admired at city’s street art and explored the many laneways in the CBD.

New Year’s Eve came and went which meant my Australian house and cat sitting holiday was almost over. I flew home on 2 January 2023, and I’ll probably stay put for a good four or five months before travelling again. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing this year, or where house and cat sitting will take me, but I’m still pushing for TrustedHousesitters to update their international house sitting advice.

Another rendezvous with Pixel in Sydney

Another rendezvous with Pixel in Sydney

by | 30 October 2022

After a crazy few months, I couldn’t wait to get away again even if it was only for one week. I’d been invited back to care for Pixel—everyone’s favourite Cheshire Cat—while his humans holidayed in New Caledonia. Their overseas trip was a bit of a last-minute one which meant a close friend spent the first two or three days looking after Pixel before I was able to fly in. I first met Pixel in April 2021 when Australia was experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. Mind you, back then, an ‘outbreak’ was as little as three or four cases in any Australian city. I remember wanting to get away for the upcoming Easter break, but my options were limited. Booking domestic travel was risky because states and territories could go into a sudden lockdown meaning interstate visitors weren’t allowed in. There weren’t too many house sits being advertised either. Of the few available, one was in inner city Sydney. Sydney wasn’t at the top of my travel wishlist—I’d been a few times before and I hadn’t felt the need to return in recent years—but I’m glad I responded to the ad. While I keep in touch with a lot of people I’ve house and cat sat for, I probably WhatsApp Pixel’s owners at least once a day. Pixel’s owners happened to be some of the first people I spoke with after being refused entry to the United States. I don’t know what time it would’ve been back in Australia, but I was one of the last passengers to board the Sydney-bound Qantas flight at 10.30pm Los Angeles time. Pixel’s owners offered a lot of support and kind words via WhatsApp, and they even did some quick research into the legalities of tourists using TrustedHousesitters in the United States. Their WhatsApp messages made me feel a little less upset/annoyed/angry about the situation and the long flight I was about to endure. TrustedHousesitters—the website I’d organised all my house and cat sits through (and the very same website I’ve been using to travel to the United States since 2017)—has come out saying what happened to me was all a “misunderstanding” because US immigration doesn’t understand the “concept of house sitting”. TrustedHousesitters might want to let their members know they can be deported, but, hey, US immigration just doesn’t get it. There’s a lot more to all of this and I’ll post about it in the coming weeks. Back to Pixel. It’d been a good eight or nine months since I saw Pixel last. He’s lost a bit of weight thanks to a revised feeding routine which sees him get one scoop of dry food and one pouch of wet food each day. We like to joke Pixel has lost weight to help him land a movie role in Hollywood. Pixel has become a bit of a celebrity following what happened to me at LAX. A lot of media outlets have chosen to use a Pixel selfie to accompany their reporting and, of course, people on the internet have a lot to say about Pixel’s face. Usually ‘That cat looks pissed off’ or ‘That’s one angry-looking cat’. Pixel is neither of these things, and he seems to be more affectionate and chill than ever before.

What I did during the week

The Sydney weather has been pretty shitty all year and this week was no exception. Thursday was the first day it hadn’t rained at all all week. Every person I spoke to would say something like: ‘How nice is the weather today?’ The rideshare driver I had on the way back to the airport told me all about his Saturday morning in the sunshine. He said this is some of the best weather the city’s seen in 2022. The heavy, never-ending rain on Monday made it difficult to get up, but I eventually made my way out to the Mitchell Road antiques warehouse. This is somewhere I like to visit each time I’m in town. It’s huge and a lot of the stuff is reasonably priced. Reasonably-priced things can be hard to come by in Sydney. Bondi Beach is another place I like to visit when I’m here. My favourite vegan Lebanese restaurant is no longer, but the Sunday markets were still on despite the rain. A workmate also recommended the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition which stretches the Bondi Beach to Tamarama part of the Bondi to Bronte walk. A few other things I enjoyed:
  • Walking from Bondi Junction to Bondi Beach along Bondi Road. I’m always getting the bus through here, but this is the first time I’ve walked it.
  • The Art Gallery of New South Wales. I didn’t know this even existed until this week. The Royal Botanic Garden is next door and it’s a 15-minute walk down to Circular Quay.
  • Shopping along Oxford Street and admiring all the pretty terrace homes (and their Halloween decorations) in the streets off the main road. There’s a hub of activity happening in the backstreets of Paddington that I’d like to check out properly next time. Newtown is another good area for shopping, and has plenty of food choices and lots of murals.

Next stop

I’m on my way home where I’ll be working up until the end of November. From 27 November, I’ll be off on a month-long domestic cat sitting adventure through Aussie House Sitters. Perth is my first stop, then Adelaide and I’ll be in Melbourne for New Year’s Eve.
Another year spent house and cat sitting within Australia

Another year spent house and cat sitting within Australia

by | 30 December 2021

The past 12 months has seen me travel to places like Darwin and Sydney to house and cat sit, and I’m in Sydney again at the moment.

I also accepted a house and cat sit in Newcastle in lieu of being able to travel overseas, but that trip was cut short because of interstate lockdowns. You’d think an international travel ban would make for an excellent opportunity to see new places across Australia, but nope. Not the case. You might be able to fly interstate, but you mightn’t be let back in. State borders could close at at any time, with as little as a few hours notice. Even travelling one or two hours away from where you live isn’t easy when there’s a COVID-19 outbreak (an ‘outbreak’ in Australia has previously been as little one or two unlinked cases within a community).

When I came to Sydney earlier this year, I was almost turned away at Sydney Airport because Brisbane had a COVID outbreak. A government worker at the airport said something like: “People from Brisbane aren’t welcome in New South Wales right now.” A few questions and phone calls later, I was told I could stay. They reminded me I had to isolate for three days—and I knew this was going to happen—but I didn’t see it as a huge issue. I was just grateful to be spending the Easter break somewhere other than Brisbane.

Fast forward six months and the Sydney couple I sat for over Easter were the ones facing the COVID-related problems this time ’round. They messaged me to say there was a positive case in their building and, understandably, they were starting to freak out. It was possible they’d been exposed to the virus in the building’s elevator and now all of our plans were up in the air (no pun). The couple wanted to get tested ASAP—not just for peace of mind, but they needed a negative result to fly home to France. They both tested negative and left for Paris on 18 December.

I did contemplate spending December and January in the United States before agreeing to look after Pixel for a second time. I’d already accepted a sit in Baltimore and I was planning to organise more sits before I flew out. All the COVID uncertainty was starting to get to me so I thought it was best to cancel. And I didn’t want to leave the Baltimore couple without a sitter at the last minute. There was also a bit—or a lot—of pressure having to make my way from Brisbane all the way to Baltimore by 20 December. International flights were due to start up again only days earlier, but there was no guarantee they actually would. Flying in to Baltimore City was going to add an extra $2,000 AUD to my airfare which meant I was probably going to go via D.C. While this was the cheaper option, it meant I then had to get two trains before finally arriving in downtown Baltimore. Getting the additional modes of transport would be stressful at any time, but it would’ve just been too much after being in the air for 20-something hours.

As it turns out, this Christmas–New Year house and cat sit will be my longest one yet. Just short of 30 days. I’ve been using the extended stay to see different parts of Sydney and organise my 2022 trip to the USA. My plan is to fly out three days after returning home to Brisbane and I say ‘plan’ because who knows what COVID-19 has in store for us. My first potential roadblock: I must test negative in order to get home to Brisbane. The second obstacle I’ll face is returning a negative result a few days later to be able to board my flight to Los Angeles. Let’s hope I get my test results back in time (and that they’re negative).

Newcastle house and cat sit cut short by COVID-19 spread

Newcastle house and cat sit cut short by COVID-19 spread

by | 3 July 2021

There always seems to be a COVID outbreak right before I’m about to leave for an interstate house and cat sitting trip, and this time was no different.

In the days leading up to my departure, Sydney recorded some 50 locally acquired COVID-19 cases and Brisbane had about five. It wasn’t so much that I was travelling down to New South Wales, but the couple I was house and cat sitting for were coming up to Queensland. Queensland has been quick to shut the border to New South Wales residents in the past, but, thankfully, the Newcastle couple were able to make their way up to the Gold Coast without any problems.

Newcastle—much like Darwin—wasn’t somewhere I’d thought about going pre-COVID. However, because we’re *still* limited to domestic travel, I thought a week-long house and cat sit there didn’t sound too bad. Newcastle is about two hours north of Sydney, is Australia’s second oldest city and even got a mention in Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities list once. I read it’s the second most populated area in the state, but it still has that sleepy little town feel. Or that’s how I would describe Newcastle.

The Aussie House Sitters sit didn’t start until Sunday, but I went to meet the couple on Saturday afternoon to get the keys and go through a few things. I was also introduced to Cashew, their 10-year-old rescue cat, and briefed on her routine. They told me Cashew weighed 8kg when they got her, but they’ve managed to get her weight down to 5.5kg. She’s fed one can of wet food twice a day and gets dry food as a treat. The dry food is placed in a toilet roll and she has to move it around to get the biscuits out.

I quickly learned one can of wet food twice a day isn’t enough for Cashew. She would go back to her empty bowl and lick it clean. She did this both morning and night. Food-crazed Cashew also happens to be one of the most affectionate cats I’ve cared for. She would follow me around the apartment (not just at food time), jump on the bed as soon as I hopped in, and she had to sit on my lap if I was at the table or outside on the balcony. She would alternate between sleeping under the covers and up against my leg.

COVID restrictions reintroduced

Face masks became mandatory on my second day in Newcastle. I believe this was as a result of an increase in COVID cases in Greater Sydney. This meant wearing a face mask on public transport, at hospitality venues and when you went shopping. Newcastle’s cafes and restaurants then had to further restrict the number of dine in customers at any one time.

Things then started to get worse back home in Queensland. Despite the state’s numbers not anywhere near as bad as New South Wales’, a three-day lockdown was announced for Brisbane and surrounding areas. This included the Gold Coast. I messaged the couple asking what this meant for their plans—they said “we decided to cut our losses and come home today”. They planned to stay at the girl’s mum’s place, an hour out of Newcastle, until Friday so it didn’t affect my plans too much. I felt a bit guilty about this and said I’d change my flight to Thursday morning.

Things to do

I was lucky to have done most of the things I wanted to see/do before I left on Thursday. I did, however, really want to check out the Olive Tree Market on Saturday. And I didn’t make it out to Merewether either.

The couple’s Wickham location proved to be perfect for exploring Newcastle. The interchange—where I could get a bus, train or the light rail to most places I wanted to visit—was directly across from their apartment. Newcastle CBD was within walking distance, and popular shopping suburbs Islington and Hamilton could be reached in less than 15 minutes.

Newcastle Beach

Newcastle Beach is pretty much in the CBD. It’s at the other end of what they call Hunter Street Mall. Start at the ocean baths, walk along the beach and up to the Bogey Hole.

ANZAC Memorial Walk

If you continue past the Bogey Hole, you’ll eventually end up at the ANZAC Memorial Walk. The ANZAC Memorial Walk is a 450-metre clifftop walkway that connects Strzelecki Lookout to Bar Beach. It opened in 2015 to mark the 100th anniversary of the ANZACs landing in Gallipoli.

Shopping in Islington and Hamilton

You could easily spend a whole day shopping in Islington and Hamilton. They’ve both got plenty of stores selling antiques, vintage clothing, locally designed goods and homewares. My favourite shops were Eclectic Corner, edde, The Retro Wardrobe and Fever Dream.

Christ Church Cathedral

The Christ Church Cathedral is hard to miss as you walk around the city. I noticed it on my first day here, but I didn’t venture up the hill until later in the week. The church is huge. It even has its own park—Cathedral Park.

Newcastle Breakwall

The Newcastle lighthouse and breakwall walk was mentioned to me by the lady who owns Eclectic Corner. When I told her it was my last day in town, she recommended I do it.

You can only go up to the actual lighthouse on Saturdays and Sundays, but the walk out to the breakwall is still very much worth doing.

The Corner at Charlestown Square

I planned to bus out to Charlestown Square solely for the Creative Village Newcastle store, but I learned about ‘The Corner’ prior to my visit. The Corner is described as a dynamic food and entertainment precinct albeit at a Westfield-like shopping centre. Creative Village Newcastle was great—I was able to get one of Teval’s lady vases (first spotted at a store in Leura while I was house and cat sitting in Sydney). As were the mushroom bao buns from Bao Brothers, and my salted caramel and hazelnut thick shake from Popolo Artisan Gelateria.

Next stop

My next stop is home—two days earlier than planned, but that’s COVID-19 for you. I’ll still keep an eye on interstate house and cat sits, but who knows when everything will start to settle down.

Living with two Birmans in Launceston

Living with two Birmans in Launceston

by | 15 November 2019

I was fortunate enough to secure a house and cat sit in Launceston thanks to Aussie House Sitters. I hadn’t considered Launceston as a holiday destination before, but I’m glad I finally made my way to the north of Tasmania.

I applied for this sit on a whim. I didn’t have a membership with Aussie House Sitters, but I’d check the website every day for sits in Tasmania. I was a bit reluctant to sign up because I have memberships with four other house sitting sites, but I caved when I saw this ad. I signed up and responded as quick as I could. I made sure to mention I’d owned a Birman (both her cats are Birmans (and I did actually have one before I got Gracie)) before clicking ‘Send message’. I got a response within 24 hours and was told I was the first person to reply. We arranged to speak on the phone the next day.

The lady told me her cats are called Dora and Abel. When you put their names together, they’re ‘The Adorables’. I had to tell my mum this because I knew she’d love it. It’s something she’d do. It reminded me of how she chose to spell my name—Madolline. Pronounced exactly how you’d say Madeleine (mad-a-lin), but with ‘doll’ in the middle. I was confirmed as the sitter while we were speaking, but now I had to work out whether I’d start in Hobart or Launceston.

I decided to start in Hobart. I’d fly out of Hobart as well. I was able to get cheap flights through Virgin Australia and had enough Velocity points to get $100 off the fare. It cost me just over $300 all up. I then booked five nights at Hobart’s Alabama Hotel and decided I’d make my way to Launceston on the Monday.

The drive from Hobart to Launceston took about two and a half hours. I saw a lot of sheep farms. And a lot of roadkill. Perhaps the most roadkill I’ve seen on any my travels. This record was held by the stretch of road from Austin to San Antonio via Fredericksburg in Texas. When I went to collect my car in Hobart, the customer service guy asked if I wanted extra insurance in case a kangaroo hit my vehicle. For those not from Australia: If an adult kangaroo hit my car, it would survive and hop along. My car, however, would be ruined. Maybe not ruined. But it’d need to be repaired. The coverage would cost me $300+. An extra $300? I declined.

The house sit

It was great to have my own toilet and shower again, as well as a car (hired), proper fridge, TV, and washing machine. I could live without fear of running into—and having to talk to—someone en route to the bathroom. I was also treated to an electric blanket and a heated towel rack.

Dora and Abel—the cats—are a little over one-year-old. They’re from the same litter. Dora, the darker coloured one, is the braver of the two. Abel was in hiding until my third day in Launceston. Not long after, he was walking up to me to rub against my legs and was happy to play. He even jumped onto my bed on that Wednesday afternoon, but ran out in fright when I came back in after a shower.

Abel became a lot more comfortable with me as the days went on. He no longer hid in the cupboard and slept on my bed most nights. Or at least for a few hours before he and Dora would run amok. Abel began to follow me everywhere and would jump on the bed as soon as I’d enter my room. Dora also eased up.

The home was very traditional English cottage. Or at least what I imagine an old English cottage to be like. It was also decked out in cat stuff—cat ornaments, cat cushions, a cat hot water bottle cover—and included a cat-shaped door mat to greet me each time I came home. The lady’s garden was pretty, too. It didn’t require much attention because it rained half the time.

I was able to walk to the Launceston CBD in under 15 minutes and there are several grocery stores close to the lady’s home (i.e. 10- or 15-minute walk). Most of Launceston’s main attractions were walkable from the house, but I wouldn’t have been able to do any of the day trips without a car. 

Places to go

Launceston, much to my surprise, seemed to have nearly everything a larger city has. They even have snow monkeys—yes, those Japanese ones—in one of the parks.

Launceston CBD

This was the first place I wanted to check out. The Launceston CBD has plenty of cafes and bakeries, and a diverse range of cuisines (unexpected (or maybe that says more about *my* perception of small towns). My favourite stores were:

  • Inside Home and Gifts—I’m not sure if the store’s associated with the magazine? But they’ve got lots of Australian-themed Christmas stuff, skincare, plants… just a lot of nice things. Go visit.
  • miiOmai—a cute clothing store.
  • Acreage—homewares and fresh flowers, and coffee. I went back to buy an Ivy & Wood diffuser after mulling about it for a few hours. The scent is ‘oakwood and cinnamon’ and it’s lovely. Turns out the brand was founded in Brisbane.
  • Mission Shop—lots of good quality second hand art, dinnerware and bric-a-brac. All of the op shops I visited were so clean and tidy.
  • Gourlay’s Sweet Shop—we nearly have the same last name. Gourlay’s sells a lot of their sweets in vintage tins. I got a cat one for my mum. We’ll soon find out if she’s fussed on what it contains… chocolate covered strawberries and cream lollies.

The city centre’s got several nice parks. Prince’s Square and City Park. City Park is the bigger of the two. It’s the one with the snow monkeys. You can see/watch/observe the snow monkeys for free any day of the week. When the lady I’m sitting for told me about them, I was a bit confused. ‘Snow monkeys in a public park in Launceston?’ I thought you’d have to pay to see them. Like they were in a zoo attached to the park. But, nope. Not the case. Snow monkey viewing doesn’t cost a thing.

I was taking a photo of some flowers in Prince’s Square one afternoon when a guy came up to me to tell me the name of the plant. Turns out he’s from Brisbane. He then said something like: ‘I’ve never been to Germany, but this park is what I imagine Europe to look like.’

Cradle Mountain

Cradle Mountain is about a two-hour drive from Launceston. The day I went, it was snowing. Quite heavily. This meant you weren’t allowed past Dove Lake and couldn’t drive through the national park in your own car. The shuttle buses came every 10 minutes, but it’s still not ideal having to walk to/from where the bus drops you. Minor annoyance aside, Cradle Mountain National Park is beautiful. Maybe I’ll return another time. Sans snow. And in hope of seeing some wombats.

Campbell Town

If you’re driving from Hobart to Launceston, it probably makes the most sense to stop in at Campbell Town on the way. Or you can do it on your way to Freycinet National Park. I was hoping there’d be a bit more to see here, but it was still a cute town. There’s a bookstore with an Alice in Wonderland theme going on and an okay antique store. Apparently JJ’s Cafe does a good vanilla slice, but I can’t vouch for this because I wasn’t hungry. And I stopped in at a small weekend market, run out of a hall, about 20 minutes up the road. The town is called Epping.

George Town

George Town wasn’t on my list of places to go in/near Launceston. I hadn’t even heard of it. The lady I’m sitting for told me about when I explained I was hoping to do Bay of Fires in a day. She said that was a bit ambitious and suggested George Town instead. I went on a Saturday and it seemed most of the stores along the main street were closed. It was windy, rainy and about 10°C when I got there, but I’m not a beach person anyway. I actually think the beach and sea looked nicer in the depressing weather. There’s quite a few spots to stop in at, but I only did Lagoon Bay and the Low Head Lighthouse.

Batman Bridge

I’m not sure if the bridge is related to the Batman comic in any way, but I saw a sign for it on my way back from George Town. A quick Google search tells me the Batman Bridge was one of the first cable-stayed truss bridges in the world. If that means anything to anyone. It offers a nice view of the Tamar River and there’s a park area underneath.

Cataract Gorge

A nature walk minutes from the CBD? Yep. Cataract Gorge. It annoyed me having to pay to park my car to appreciate nature, but you’ve got to pay to park pretty much everywhere in Launceston? A bit weird considering it’s a small city. There’s a few walks you can do along Cataract Gorge, then there seems to be some paid activities (river cruise, chairlift, cliff walk(?)). The one-kilometres walk I did takes you to the basin where there’s a cafe and flower garden.

QVMAG

Admission to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery—or QVMAG as it’s written everywhere—is free. The art gallery and museum aren’t located on the same premises. The art gallery’s technically in the Launceston CBD while the museum is about two kilometres out. Most of the exhibits/rooms at the art gallery were being audited when I went. This meant I couldn’t view them and I was done within 15 minutes. The museum, however, was very interesting. Lots of Tasmanian tiger history, including a fur/skin replica you can touch, and dinosaur objects.

Freycinet National Park

It took me about two and a bit hours to get to Freycinet National Park. Honeymoon Bay was my favourite part of the national park. It’s one of the first stops in the park and it’s easy to find. I didn’t have as much luck with my second stop, Sleepy Bay. I gave up trying to find it after finding the parking lot, but no track to the water. A lot of the locations (beaches, bays, etc.) are only accessible by foot. I didn’t realise it’d be like this. But I guess that’s my fault. These hikes range from one to five hours. Not my thing.

On my way back to Launceston, I decided to stop in at a cafe I’d passed on the way. The Pondering Frog. I remember a sign saying they did ice cream and thought I’d get some to see me through to Launceston. The Pondering Frog looked cringey from the outside and I expected their menu to be limited. But I was wrong. They even had deep fried Camembert. I got the pumpkin falafel burger and it was unexpectedly good. While eating my burger, it was then I discovered Freycinet National Park and Bay of Fires aren’t the same thing/place. I must’ve thought the rocks in Honeymoon Bay looked close enough to the images I’d seen on Google. So stopping in at The Pondering Frog proved to be a win-win for me. I got a decent meal and learnt I still had somewhere left to visit that afternoon.

Bay of Fires

The drive from Freycinet National Park to Bay of Fires is very picturesque. You’ve got the ocean on your right for most of the journey. If you’re not up for the long drive north, you could probably stop at any of the beaches along the way. But Bay of Fires is really, really pretty.

Can you see how it looks kind of like Honeymoon Bay? I wish I’d come here before going to Freycinet National Park, or dedicated an entire day to St Helen’s, because I was a exhausted when I arrived. Before driving back to Launceston, I stopped at Banjo’s for another ‘see me through to Launceston’ snack. Banjo’s is a Tasmanian bakery chain I’ve seen in most of the bigger towns and I hadn’t eaten at yet. I got the spinach and curried chickpea roll. It, too, was surprisingly good.

Verdict: Aussie House Sitters

Would I recommend Aussie House Sitters? Definitely. Especially if you’re looking for a sit in Australia. While TrustedHousesitters is my preferred website, TrustedHousesitters doesn’t have nearly as many Australian sits available. The Aussie House Sitters website is easy to navigate and you can filter results based on your preferences (sit length, house type). My only gripe with Aussie House Sitters is I wish it’d offer a combined membership across all its sites (House Sitters America, House Sitters Canada, etc.). I haven’t renewed my House Sitters America membership because I can’t justify the cost right now.

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Next stop

My next stop’s home. I’ll be working for about a month in the lead up to Christmas, then I’ve got a local house and cat sit over the break. After spending the past two Christmases abroad, it’s time to celebrate with family in Brisbane. Follow my Instagram account to see what I get up to between now and then.