Meet your hosts
Kirk and Brenda Bourne - Mole Creek Lodge, Mole Creek
Our love affair with bed and breakfasts began back in the 80s when we travelled a lot around the UK and Europe, seeking out B & Bs wherever we went - some of which we remember to this day. Every single one was unique, some were memorable for lots of good reasons, just a few we would rather forget - but even those we look back on and smile. (Hey, remember the time we arrived late in the evening at Fort William in Scotland and the only bed we could find had hideous pink nylon sheets that lit up the room with static lightning every time one of us turned over. But the breakfast was great!)
That's us, right, in our renovating clothes, with Willie, our 'pet rat' (he prefers to think of himself as a Minpin).
How it happened for us
Some 10 years ago now, Kirk was totally miserable in his job at an alumina refinery at Pinjarra, Western Australia, and I was happy to quit after 20 years in local government. The summer was getting us down and we felt that moving further south might be a good idea. So we bought 100 acres of grazing land between Albany and Denmark and built ourselves a new home (and I mean built ourselves) - and bed and breakfast. We ran a herd of Highland cattle, about 18 months later welcoming our first guests at Kinda Park Farm, and never regretted the move for one moment.
Not one but two new careers
Funnily enough, this move led to a whole new career for me - writing websites. Starting off as a complete internet newbie, I quickly grasped the fact that a website was essential for a bed and breakfast. I took a few lessons, wrote my first website for Kinda Park Farm B & B, found a real enjoyment in developing my skills and knowledge in this everchanging field and now that takes up a large part of my time. I love to create websites, particularly for tourism and accommodation operators, and this Tasmania Bed and Breakfasts directory is a result of my passion for the bed and breakfast industry and creating websites. Meanwhile Kirk happily pursues his passion for training pacers - pictured left.
Like so many, we came to Tasmania for a holiday ...
... and fell in love - with the beautiful scenery around Mole Creek, its lush green-ness, its sparkling air. That happened just after Kirk, as is his wont, was perusing the window of a Deloraine real estate agent and spied the house which was to become Mole Creek Lodge. We drove past out of curiosity, after all we were only here on holiday, and kept on going - with a nagging feeling that we were missing something special here. Three days later we came back, met the agents and inspected the house and the 6 acres of rocky terrain, huge old trees and even a cave opening which came with it, and signed the contract.
We were not blind to the fact that it had been some years since the outside of the all timber two-storey house had had any TLC, but it still had the Wow! factor, something I still feel 18 months later each time I arrive at the end of the tree-lined driveway and the house comes into view. The house as it is now is shown right; place your cursor over the image to see the 'before' picture.
Now it's our perfect home - and you are invited!
Six months of hard labour, an extra ensuite, and other assorted renovations later and we had our perfect home, with views from every window which make our hearts sing - and we can't wait to share it with you.
Read more at Kirk and Brenda's Mole Creek Lodge B & B website
