504-Selected

Description of Apartment 504, No. 80 Lorimer St Docklands, 3008, Victoria, Australia

The owners: Dally and Remi B. Messenger.
We are a semi-retired couple who have a privately owned College in Melbourne but with connections throughout the world. We would like to swap apartment/house and motor vehicle in late 2007 or 2008 (3-5weeks.) We prefer to swap in Montclair, New Jersey, New York or nearby. We are also interested in Honolulu, Hawaii or nearby on any of the islands.

My wife (Remi Barclay Bosseau) was a founding member and staff of Whole Theatre in Montclair for twenty years, later working at St. Barnabas Hospital as Creative Arts Therapist for five years. I was brought to New Jersey by Gaile (and Raghu) Sarma to inaugurate Civil Celebrants in the USA, now the CelebrantUSA foundation under the directorship of Charlotte Eulette.

We would also consider New York City. We each have a daughter living in Brooklyn, but most of our friends are in the Montclair area. We can stay with friends in Essex County, which we will be doing, but ideally, we would like a base for the two months. We are members of home exchange.com but as there is nothing offering in Montclair at the moment, we are spreading the word privately. We would use the Home Exchange Agreement as the basis for any swap. We can provide references as no doubt you can too!

The Apartment
See the pictures below! It is very secure - all doors open with security disks or licensed keys - to the building, the car park, the floor on which you would live and your front door. Video cameras record the public areas. The two bedroom two bathroom, three balcony apartment is roomy and comnfortable. It is fully air condtioned with day and night, controls. The kitchen has everything the heart could desire. We have a large Plasma TV with DVD player and recorder (hard disk) in the Living room and a smaller TV in the bedroom.
The aprtment can accommodate five people. Two in the main bedorom, two in the double bed in the guest bedroom and the couch in the living room converts to a single bed.

The Car
We have a 1998 Ford Fairmont Ghia which is well maintained and runs well and comfortably. It has all the usual good features. Cruise control, airconditioning, CD player, engine, etc. Be bloody careful driving on the left, if you aren't used to it. Remi and I are right and left oriented. We have two car parks - one for ourselves and one for any visitors.

The Neigbourhood
At the base of all the buildings are Restuarants (4) and Coffee lounges (2). There is a convenience store. One of the best features of living here is the Gymnasium - Rek Dek and the Pool. Because we share these facilities with five buildings, and they are part of our body corporate fees, access is free and ample (5 am to 10 pm). There is the Yarra river and lovely parks within easy driving distance. Westgate reserve, the Royal Botanic Garden, the Tan (a walking track), the beautiful Dandenongs fern forests and more.

The nearby City and CBD
Transport to the city is really easy. Bus from the door (5 minutes), tram from across the Web bridge (5 minutes walk+5 minutes in the tram) or on the ferry - wonderful trip to Federation Square along the river (20 minutes). Melbourne is the most refined, most liveable and most "civilised" city in Australia, some say in the developed world, with lots of shopping, theatre Arts, Movies, Sport (four codes of "football"). There is even baseball if you can find it. It has a real restaurant and coffee lounge culture, and is totally multicultural in living and attitudes.

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Dally and Remi Messenger are your house swappers. We have an excellent reputation for civilised living.	This is a view of our neighbourhood from the Yarra Yarra River which on which Melbourne is built, and which brings pleasure to the eyes from our front balcony every day.	Getting closer. This is a view over the Marina of our building - known to Americans as the "White House".
The arrow points to our two bedroom - two bathroom apartment on the 5th Floor	Here is the kitchen featuring such modern inventions as the refrigerator, the pantry, the gas stove, the electric oven, the microwave, the dishwasher, the clock and running hot and cold water.	Here is part of the living room which forms a unity with the kitchen on left.
Here are six friends enjoying dinner in the living-dining room. Down stairs are three coffeee longes and four restaurants if you want to eat out.	The dining area of the living room.	Another view with our daughter in law Barbara. Kitchen on the right.
Another view of living room with large plasma TV and door to front balcony (There are three balconies).	This is the hallway.	This is the laundry with the doors closed.
This is the laundry with the doors open.	This is the trbute wall to my grandfather, Dally Messenger, who was the first captain of Australian Rugby League, and sculling and catamaran champion of Sydney. At the bicentenary he was named as one of the 200 people who made Australia great.	This the queen size bed in the main bedroom. It is a new, comfortable, Sealy Posurepedic. Euro plush top.
Another view of the main bedroom. It has two closets and a TV. The door to the ensuite bathroom is just past the hanging picture .	Ensuite Bathroom to main bedroom.	Shower and toilet of ensuite bathroom.
Guest Double Bed in guest bedroom. Wireless internet is located in here but can be accessed anywhere in the house.	Guest Bathroom.	Here is a picture of the Marina when first assembled taken from our front balcony. The CBD of Melbourne is in the backgound and is a wonderful view. The CBD iis five minutes away by bus or tram, 20 minutes away by ferrry.
This is the Marina from the front balcony and the Web pedestrian bridge across the river. The Web bridge, design inspired by Aborignal fish traps, has won many artistic awards and is one of the features of Melbourne.	Balloons often take off from the park across the river.	The city at night from our front balcony.
The Boardwalk at the base of our building. Beuatiful for a stroll along the river.	Boardwalk looking towards the Gymnasium (RekDek) and swimming pool shared by the five buildings and to which all residents have free access.	Gymnasium -RekDek located in building One. (We are building four.)
The 25 (27 yards) metre pool is heated. There is also a jacuzzi-Spa, Sauna and Steam room, showers and locker room.	Jacuzzi Spa.	Web Bridge. Click here for some more photos of Melboiurne and its features