Huch Cabin Guide

Welcome home Cabin Guide

EVERYTHING YOU NEED & NOTHING YOU DON’T.

The Cabin is named after local legend, Yellow Billy (born William White), a gentleman bush ranger who roamed the Hunter Valley during the 1860s. After robbing the Wollombi Courthouse in 1863, he began holding up travellers, but escaped from prison and evaded arrest before finally being imprisoned for 20 years in 1867 after a manhunt tracked him down. Nobody knows what happened to Yellow Billy, but it’s believed that he was released on good behaviour and deported to America.

The creek to the north of the billabong is called Billy’s Gully and local legend suggests Billy lived in some of the caves close by.

Yellow Billy

Our top camping tips

• Stock up on food and drink before you leave home as there are no supermarkets close by.

• Buy extra firewood if you love having fires and hot-tubs (we supply two complimentary bags).

• Pack extra layers, a hat and raincoat for winter and summer evenings around the fire. Don’t’ forget your swimmers for the hot tub.

• Read the Hot Tub User Guide we sent you before you leave home. It’s woodfired.

• We recommend limiting the air conditioning to heat the cabin for no more than 2hrs before bedtime and 3hrs in the morning.

• The air conditioning can be run longer during hot sunny days. Do not run the air conditioning late into the evening or all night though as you will run out of power.

More camping tips

• You are off grid, so please conserve power and water.

• Please drive slowly along Angel Lane, maximum 15kph to reduce dust and to respect our neighbours.

• No wet wipes or hygiene products to be flushed down the toilet as they will cause sewer blockages.

• Open the rear glass doors and the insect/privacy doors to immerse yourself in nature. Always open the front and rear glass doors slowly and carefully.

• Please do not put ash from the fire or hot tub on the ground. This helps avoid a bush fire. It is fine to light a fire on top of old ash.

• Always wear gloves when lighting the fire or handling the hot tub ash tray and wood chute lid.

• No fires when there’s a fire ban in place.

• To let fresh air into the cabin for cooking or sleeping, open the rear glass doors and close the large insect/privacy screen doors.

• Please note we have a security camera facing up the driveway and over the car park area.

• We remotely monitor the solar system and battery levels and we can start the generator remotely to top up the batteries on cloudy days.

• Insects are attracted to light at night time so keep the doors closed or lights off

• Make sure you follow the checkout instructions at the end of this guide and refer to Huch’s terms and conditions which are located on our website.

Location

59 Angel Lane, Wollombi, Lower Hunter.

Angel Lane is the first left on Narone Creek Road. There is a street sign saying Angel Lane, two letter boxes (nos. 59 and 89) and a metal gate.

59 Angel Ln NaroneC

Billy’s Hideaway

As you drive along Angel Lane you will come to a small ford (a large dip in the road), which water can pass over.

Once you drive out of the ford, keep driving straight ahead on the main laneway until you come to a sign on your left saying ‘Cabin 50m – 59 Angel Lane’.

Turn left, drive down and park before the cabin on the right (in the designated parking area).

Do not drive over the tussock plants to park close to the cabin.

Sometimes the ford has water running across it. If the water is not more than 300-400mmm high, it’s safe to drive through.

There is a water level marker on the side of the ford which will indicate the depth of the water. If you are still not sure about the level or strength of the water just text us a picture and we will advise you if it’s safe to cross.

There is an emergency exit if the water rises while you are staying at the cabin. We will send you those exit details if that situation arises. Please close the gate when you drive in and out of Angel Lane.

Access

The cabin keys are in a small key safe on the right side of the deck on a metal black post

The key code is 1922.

The main key needs to be inserted horizontally, with the letters ‘ISEO’ facing upwards. The same key opens the rear glass doors and the large rear privacy/insect screens doors.

Key safe

What’s in your cabin

• Wifi – password Shirani1

• Woodfired hot tub.

• Camp fire with chairs and a cooking grill.

• BBQ and kitchen gas hobs.

• Dishwasher.

• Small fridge.

• Tea, sugar, hot chocolate, ground coffee, coffee pods, Nespresso coffee machine and a milk frother.

• Cooking oil, salt and pepper.

• Two bags of complementary firewood.

• Cups, glasses, plates, utensils, pots, fry pan, cheese board, serving bowls.

• First Aid Kit – located in the outside storeroom.

• Firelighters and lighters.

What’s in your cabin

• Bedding & pillows (there are different types of pillows on the daybed and bunk beds, so find ones that suit you best).

• Bathroom with hot rainwater shower and a normal flushing toilet.

• Bunk room/changing room –place your luggage under the bottom bunk on the floor to store it during your stay.

• Rubbish bags – there are large rubbish bags in the outside storeroom so you can double bag your rubbish and recycling for the journey home or to Cessnock Recycling Centre.

PLEASE NOTE

• Electric blankets.

• Bluetooth speaker.

• A mini vacuum for those little insects that prefer a luxury cabin window sill to the wilderness.

• Cleaning products and equipment are kept in the outside storeroom at the end of the cabin.

• Hairdryer.

• There is no kettle or toaster so we recommend you cook your toast in the frying pan and use a pot to boil water.

• We do not supply an axe for safety reasons (the one above your bed is a display only) but there is a unique wood splitting device next to the cabin which uses a sledge hammer for splitting your firewood. Use the sledge hammer to hit the wood down onto the cast iron splitter. Always wear safety gloves and covered shoes.

What to bring

• Warm clothes – lots of layers, gloves, raincoat, hat and thermals for a cosy nights sleep in winter. It’s also worth having some warm clothes in summer for those cool evenings.

• Sensible outdoor shoes and gumboots if possible and don’t forget your swimmers for the hot tub.

• A bright headlamp and torch – it’s a lot darker in the countryside.

• A full tank of petrol – there is an Ampol petrol station at Peats Ridge, which is about 1hr before Wollombi, or if you need petrol during your stay, drive to Cessnock (25mins) or Laguna (91 unleaded only and limited opening hours).

• Food, drinks and milk – there are no supermarkets on the way to Wollombi or in Wollombi itself. There is a shop at Laguna and Wollombi with essential items, but opening hours are limited.

• Firewood – we supply two complementary bags of firewood for your stay, but we highly recommend you bring two more bags with you, especially if you like fires and hot tubs. Kindling can be found on the ground or stored around trees not too far from the cabin.

• Bug spray for warm evenings.

Local Vineyards

If you would like to visit some wineries, we recommend visiting our local vineyards in Wollombi and Broke as an alternative to the traditional Hunter Valley vineyards.

There are three wineries to visit in Wollombi, which are all within 10mins of the Cabin. They are:

• Undercliff Winery

• Noyce Brothers wine tasting in the village

• Stonehurst Cedar Creek Vineyard

Broke is only 30mins from Wollombi and is set in a gorgeous valley surrounded by a beautiful mountain range. Most vineyards offer cheese boards and/or antipasto. We recommend:

• Krinklewood

• Greenway Wines

• 1813

• Winmark Wines

• Margan Wines for a special lunch or dinner

It is also worth visiting Bare Nature’s Kin River Estate for soaps, olives and other natural food products.

You can download a helpful map of Broke Vineyards from this website: brokefordwich.com.au

Being off-grid – what to expect

Although it may not feel like it, the cabin is completely off-grid. This means the power comes from the sun and water comes from rain and we dispose of waste water through a clever (Council approved) recycling process back into the ground. This means that you need to be more conscious about using these resources.

Therefore, please remember to:

1. Turn off lights when you’re not using them or when you go out.

2. Use the electric blankets to keep warm while you are sleeping rather than the air con and remember to turn them off during the day

3. Do not run the air conditioning all night or you’ll run out of power and the generator will automatically start at 4 or 5am and it’s noisy.

4. We recommend only using the air con for a few hours at a time.

5. Keep the doors closed when you have the air con on or you’ll waste a lot more energy.

We can monitor the battery level remotely using the Wi-Fi and we can also start the backup generator remotely to charge the batteries if there hasn’t been a lot of sun for a few days.

Just let us know when you’re popping out on an adventure, and we’ll recharge the batteries while you’re out, so you’re fully charged for the next evening.

You can monitor your power usage and the current level of the batteries by searching this address - vrm.victronenergy. com/installation/152814.

Ideally you should go to bed with a minimum battery level of 50% in winter so you have enough power for electric blanks during the night and a couple of hours heating in the morning before the sun comes up plus a shower and breakfast.

Being off-grid requires some fire lighting skills so you can light and heat the hot tub and firepit. If you have never had to light a fire before there are lots of helpful guides on YouTube like:

How to Build a Fire || REI

youtu.be/0O3Bj8JFcTc

How to Light a Fire | Camp Craft

Episode 25

youtu.be/aU-Gk5MVUKc

No hot water or gas for cooking

If the bbq, gas hobs or hot water stop working, the gas bottle is likely to be empty. Go to the outside storeroom. You’ll find two gas bottles already connected to the cabin’s gas line. Just turn off the empty bottle and open the full bottle. There’s also a small lever tap above the two gas bottles where the two gas pipes join at a junction. Turn this lever tap so that the handle faces towards the full gas bottle, i.e. points left or right.

Air con controller

BUTTON LOCATION AND DESCRIPTIONS

1. Mode Selector button

2. Up button

3. Down button

4. ON/OFF button

1. Mode Selector button

Use to select the operation mode of your preference.

2. Up button “ ”

Used to raise the set temperature.

3. Down button “ ”

Used to lower the set temperature.

4. ON/OFF button

Press this button and system will start.

Press this button again and system will stop.

Press Mode Selector button several times until the desired mode, Cool, Heat, Fan or Auto is selected.

Dishwasher CONTROLS AND INDICATORS

1. Select wash Press to select a wash program.

2. Start wash or set Delay start

To start wash: Press and close the drawer.

To set delay start: Press and hold to set the delay start time, then close the drawer.

Note: Each tone indicates a 1h delay.

B

B. Childlock

Disables all the buttons and locks the drawer closed (preventing unauthorised use by children).

To activate: Press and hold until you hear two tones. The lock indicator will light up.

To cancel keylock/childlock: If the drawer is open

Press and hold until you hear a tone. The lock indicator will go out.

If the drawer is closed

Knock three times on the door.

Checking out

• Please leave the cabin clean and tidy and as you found it.

• Wash dishes and place things back neatly where they belong.

• Take your rubbish and recycling with you.

• Put out any embers in the fire pit with water.

• Turn off all lights, air con, gas hob and BBQ.

• Lock the front and rear doors.

• Close Angel Lane gate on your way out.

• Take lots of photos for memories.

We hope you enjoy your stay. If you have any queries, we’re more than happy to help. Contact the Huch Team on 0474 707 209.

Please remember to recommend us to your friends and family and also tag us in your amazing pics @huch.house.

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LIFE CAN GET BIG. LIVE SMALL WITH HUCH.