Meet your hosts

Rob and Ailsa Nicholls - Pendragon Hall, Hobart

Moving from the Sunshine Coast after twenty years to Dent Island Lighthouse (next to Hamilton Island) for four years and then twelve years in Airlie Beach, Rob and Ailsa worked as entertainers (www.Daystar7.com.au) around the the Whitsundays in Queensland.

Then, Rob and Ailsa came to Tassie for a five week driving holiday, staying at B & Bs, in Feb/March 2007. After working overseas in Bora Bora, Tahiti, Ishigaki in Japan and Cherating in Malaysia, Tasmania continued to draw them back on a psychological level. Deciding to make a lifestyle change was easy, as the heat was getting to be too much in North Queensland.

They found Pendragon Hall on the net and, after following it for months, made an offer for it with the intention of it being their home; long story short, the previous owner rang two weeks before settlement and told them Getaway wanted to come and do a story the week they were moving in, November 2007. They thought “Oh well, let’s give the accommodation business a go for twelve months and put our music on hold” (the exception would be playing flute and guitar and singing a welcome song for arriving guests in the main hall of the church).

Eighteen months later, they are back into the music scene playing as a duo, singing with the Southern Gospel Choir and also have a rock band “Dragon the Chain”. Pendragon Hall plays host to weddings, concerts, birthday parties and family gatherings, often requiring musical entertainment, so they are able to meet the challenge of hosting both guests and entertaining the crowd!

The loyalty of the Tasmanians to their state (including the mainlanders who call Tassie home) and the high standards of the B & Bs encouraged them to become a part of this industry.

They now have two of their children (and husbands), one grandchild, a sister and a few friends calling Tasmania home.

Read more on Rob and Ailsa's Pendragon Hall website

Bed and breakfasts - why on earth would you stay anywhere else?