We'll make you and your best friend(s) very welcome at dog-friendly Merindah!
Laurie & Timmy (the Social Director)

I arrived in this lovely temperate East Gippsland region as a sea-changer from Melbourne in March 1997, accompanied by a husband and 3 dogs (all long departed now.) We had sold our fundraising software business and completed the classic 12-month "tour-around-Australia" in a motorhome specially designed to accomodate 3 dogs and two computers. On our way back up the East Coast to work on a Sydney consultancy contract, we fell in love with the Lakes & Wilderness area and after inspecting only one property, bought it the next day. I had to keep travelling to Sydney and Melbourne for consulting work, but really wanted to enjoy this peaceful "lifestyle farm" rather than commute to the stress and traffic chaos I lived with previously.

I soon realised I would have to create my own job to achieve my aim, and that an inheritance from my father could help. One of my areas of interest, through former clients, was volunteer work with older people and people with disabilities. Coincidentally, I had tried unsuccessfully to find accommodation in the area for a friend in a wheelchair who travels independently (the bathroom facilities in my own home are not adequate). Eventually I realised that holiday cottages specifically designed for access by everyone in the community – including people with physical disabilities - would be one good niche market in a flat easy-access area like this one. Having travelled extensively with three dogs, it was obvious that another excellent niche market would be people travelling with family pets.

The outcome of my feasibility study resulted in the construction of the 2 cottages which are accessible for everyone in the community. Construction was preceded by 8 months of detailed research – talking with Occupational Therapists at disability organisations such as Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Independent Living Centre (Yooralla), reading books and articles on building for special needs and chatting with friends and acquaintances who have mobility impairments but like to travel. The cottages opened in September 1998 and have been a huge success ever since. The people who come to visit are a delight. The most-asked question is "how many people bring their dogs?"
The answer is: almost everyone.