What To Expect If You Do A Homestay On The Sunshine Coast, Australia
If you'd like to visit Australia, and you're thinking you'd like to do a homestay, we'd love to show you what life is like where we live, on the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland Australia. People say it's one of the best places in the world to live, and even though we're still new here, we already know what people mean. So what is life like with us on the Sunshine Coast?
We just moved to Maroochydore, business capital of the Sunshine Coast, a couple of months ago. I lived in Japan for 7 years, which is where I met my wonderful wife, and we got married 6 months ago. Her dream is to live in a foreign country, so that she can learn to speak fluent English, and raise children there. My dream is to live surrounded by beautiful weather and nature every day, and have do lots of fun outdoor activities. So, we did a lot of research, and came to the conclusion that the Sunshine Coast was the perfect place for us!
If you decide to come to "the land downunder" stay with us, you'll be staying in your own private room, which is the 2nd bedroom of our house. It's a simple room which hasn't been used before, so it's very clean. The room has a bed, a desk and chair, a nice big closet, a stereo, fan, and a big window with lots of natural light (it's north-facing, which in Australia means that your room has light shining in most of the day (in Summer it'll get a little hot between 9-5pm, but in winter it's just really nice and warm!)
Our home is a 2-bedroom, 2-storey unit, with both bedrooms on the top floor, with a big bathroom and separate toilet. Downstairs, there is a 2nd toilet with laundry, a huge living / dining room, with an open-plan kitchen. Our house is very clean (my wife is Japanese, so we have a "no shoes inside" policy, which helps a lot to keep the house clean!) and our furniture is nice and comfortable. The atmosphere in our home is very relaxed, and we have internet access, a TV / DVD player, a small garden, and even a pool in our complex, so there's always something fun to do!
Our house is located about 100m from the beach, so I go out surfing every day (even in winter - the weather here is warm all-year round). Our house is less than a 5 minute walk to the local shops / cafes / library. There is a bus stop 100m from our front door, which takes you to any of the best English schools in the area in less than 20 mins, and also to the largest shopping centre on the Sunshine Coast, called Maroochydore plaza (or you can walk there if you like, only about a 15-minute walk).
The plaza is a great place to go and relax if you usually live in a big city - it's still small compared to a shopping mall in the city, but it's big enough to spend a few hours walking around, window shopping, eating some nice food, and just enjoying the atmosphere there.
I work at home, and my wife studies English at Sunshine Coast TAFE (about 15mins bus ride from our home). So if you stay with us, a typical day will probably be: waking up at about the same time to have breakfast and prepare for English school, then you can study at English school during the day while I work at home; come home for an afternoon surf, then eat a delicious home-cooked meal (you can help us if you like - we love cooking!), and chatting in front of the TV in the evening.
On the weekends, you'll probably be going out with your friends, but if you want to spend time with us, we can go: fishing in the Maroochy river, play a round of golf, wakeboarding, kiteboarding, scuba diving, skydiving, visit the Crocodile hunter's world-famous Australia Zoo, shop at the weekend markets, sunset bbq on the beach, hiking/camping in world-famous national parks nearby (Noosa National Park, Fraser Island, Glasshouse mountains), 4WD on the beach... or we can just sit back, have a few beers, and watch the football - a true Australian tradition!
