Dear Couch-surfers,
Remember when you write to me, that we are retired and old enough to be your grandparents, so if you address me as "Hey", I will just say "No"!
Also, we prefer to host Verified Couchsurfers. If you are not, please give us good reasons to host you.
For the past six years we have been hosting great young people, who've been friendly, positive, independent travellers.
We offer accommodation for 2-3 nights to verified, vaccinated, non-smoking, Couchsurfers.
If you are new to Couchsurfing, you must be able to provide a personal reference.
We only accept travelling partners if you can provide information about them too.
We read both your references and your profile details very carefully to help us decide if we want to host you.
We will offer you breakfast, and also cook dinner for you on your first night staying with us. However, with a supermarket just across the road, you may also make use of the kitchen to prepare your own breakfast, and you will be invited to cook for us on your second night.
While staying with us, you can independently explore the beautiful Sunshine Coast, either walking, on our bicycles or using easily accessible public transport. Please allow two full days to see the coast or go up to the Blackall Range. Our part of the coast is just as beautiful as Noosa!

Please give me several days’ notice if you wish to stay with us, as I don’t check my email every day.

Our home is a town house in a resort with a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a park. There's a shopping centre, bus service, and a beach close by. We will provide you with your own bedroom, a single bed, and your own bathroom for your stay. However, we do not provide access to WiFi.

If you stay with us, you may close your bedroom door, but please leave the room as clean and tidy as you found it. Also, check that you have all your own personal possessions when you leave. Our "check-out" time is 10am so that we can make our own plans for the rest of the day.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We have not only enjoyed hosting overseas Couch Surfers but also enjoyed staying with several hosts on a pre-Covid round the world trip.
We have had some rich experiences with travellers who come from a range of countries - Canada, China, Finland, India, Morocco, Pakistan, the Phillipines, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, USA - who bring joy into our lives and are interested in learning more about Australia and sharing their own life journey. We understand that they may be travelling on a tight budget, while possibly looking for employment in the area.
We prefer to host females, and our experience shows that those travelling solo make a greater effort to communicate with their hosts.
A good clear photograph on your profile will also help us to recognise you when you arrive.
Please make sure you can fulfil the requirements listed above if you wish to stay with us, that is: a stay of 2-3 days, to verified Couch-surfers, with good references, who offer to cook a meal for us on their second night.
We do read your references carefully - and only twice in 6 years have I misread the clues. "Loves to talk" was a huge man who could not stop talking about all his illnesses and operations throughout meal times, even walking into my bedroom while I was resting in bed to keep on talking, and "Will teach you how to eat his food" was a little man with a giant ego who forced my partner to eat his dinner with one hand and no cutlery, and then told me I was a racist because I would not be bullied!

Interests

• dancing
• walking
• swimming
• table tennis
• public speaking

Music, Movies, and Books

I love live music, from jazz to blues and folk, but I also love 'multicultural' music from round the world - this is fun, because I can often play CD's appropriate to our guests' home country.
I love my books, from the classics to science fiction and I enjoy listening to audiobooks while driving, or watching a great movie.
I have been studying French daily for 4 years via DuoLingo, French Club and Alliance Francaise. I love having the opportunity to practise with native speakers.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Balloon riding in Cappadocia, seeing Sufi dancing in Kayseri, exploring King Minos' palace of Knossos, seeing Queen Clytemnestra's view from her palace at Mycenae, resting in 'the navel of the world' on a Delphi mountainside, climbing Hadrian’s Wall, exploring the volcanic cliffs on the island of Santorini; riding the sea to sky gondola and tobogganing in the snow in North Vancouver, flying in a 16 seater seaplane from Victoria to Vancouver, standing under the spray of the Victoria Falls, going to the top of Cape Town's Table Mountain in a cable car, riding the rapids of Huka Falls in N.Z.

Teach, Learn, Share

English teaching, with one-on-one tutoring sessions, for students from primary through to university, as well as EAL students and refugees through Buddies. I also enjoy helping drama students to improve their public speaking and preparing for eisteddfod performances. I have just finished a five year stint as president of Sunshine Coast's University of the Third Age, where we run about 140 courses for some 2000 members.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I’m very interested in hearing about the travel experiences of our guests, I love to show my own photographs, and I’m inspired by that rarest of all exchanges, a good philosophical conversation.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, South Africa