If you haven’t already, sign up! You can walk, run or roll the 11km down to Wanda Beach from Sutherland in any fashion you choose. 5000 competitors are expected to line up this year in the 39^th Sutherland to Surf.

The team at Beach and Bay will be there with bells on. We are running with Australian Youth Against Cancer (AYAC), a charity we have featured on our blog before. If you sign up and want to help out a worthy cause, jump on their website to join their running group or email ayac.fundraising@gmail.com.

Within a stone’s throw of Cronulla Golf Course and situated only minutes to the sandy beaches of Cronulla, 8 Kurnell Road is an idyllic family home. This beautifully sunlit beach house is all about the lifestyle it allows.

The indoor/outdoor living areas flow from the Caesar Stone kitchen through to the backyard, so that parents can glance to check on children playing on the level lawn or in the in-ground pool while cooking dinner or entertaining.

The bedroom/bathroom ratio is well balanced too with 2 bedrooms and one bath upstairs, a bedroom wing downstairs with bathroom in between and a third bathroom adjourning a bedroom overlooking the backyard, which could be perfect for grandparents or guests.

There are living areas on both levels; double garaging with internal access; natural gas; floorboards throughout the downstairs living area; guest toilet and when you enter there is a clever entrance foyer to remove the wetsuit or hang the coat up before entering the house.

Is this the perfect beach house?

So whilst we are part of the Commonwealth and we do have a monarch’s birthday to celebrate; what is there to do on this glorious long weekend? It’s quite obvious really… go to a Scarecrow Festival.

The township of Milton on the NSW South Coast is opening its proverbial doors to the world for its annual Scarecrow Festival this June long weekend. The festivities will run Saturday and Sunday, with markets, music and entertainment from 10:00 am. Sunday is the big day when everyone brings their Scarecrows to town to compete for the coverted ‘Best Scarecrow’ Certificate. This year the festival has adopted a theme: ‘Traditional Scarecrows from the 1800s’. There will be street theatre, farmyard animals, games, rides and music running all throughout the day.

So why not make a weekend of it? Mollymook and Milton have a range of fashion boutiques, antiques, home wares, pubs and parklands as well as the spectacular surrounding coastline. Check out our self-contained accommodation in Mollymook here (2 minutes down the road from Milton) or contact Beach and Bay for more information.

Click here to see more information on 1 Laguna Street, Caringbah South

Adding artwork is a fantastic, affordable way to brighten up your home, create warmth and add some life to rooms. Home presentation is particularly important when selling your property and Beach & Bay Realty listing – 282 Burraneer Bay Road, Caringbah South has incorporated artworks from Smart Art Cronulla.  (See pictures)

John & Almis come highly recommended by Beach & Bay and can be contacted on 9544 2273.

Please view their website www.smartartcronulla.com.au for further information and pictures of artworks.

I quote Clay, “We are increasingly in a world where media is global, social, ubiquitous and cheap”. Clay points out that social media means that consumers are now producers (amateur maybe) and that social media audiences are able to talk back, participate and produce. No longer are audiences just audiences and disconnected from the material. This has been one of the most important advantages that the internet and social media tools have over print media. Everyone wants to participate!

How Twitter Can Make History

Beach & Bay Realty has a number of local holiday properties located in Cronulla, Sutherland Shire. We also have some rentals in Mollymook which is down the South Coast. These properties are very popular and our Cronulla rentals are currently booked until Spring.

What you might not have known is that we also offer a range of apartments and villas in Italy for holiday accommodation. One of our staff members stayed in Piazza Beccaria Apartment in Florence last year and it comes highly recommended.

You can currently view 2 of these Italian holiday properties on our website but if you would like further information on others please feel free to call the office or send through an email and we can provide you with more details.

I have attended too many in-room auctions where the power point presentation showing the property going to auction stops working! It’s hard to get emotional and carried away at a blank screen.

How can in-room auctions compete with on-site auctions where bidders can gaze at the view from the property they are about to purchase? And what about when your property is scheduled as the last one on the list of 20 auctions and everyone but 1 or 2 people are left. How does the vendor delegated to the last time slot feel?!

And I disagree with Ray White Victoria’s General Manager Marcus William when he says “generally speaking vendors save money” with in-room auctions. Most agencies charge the same Auctioneer’s fee for onsite or in rooms!

I believe that in most cases an on-site auction is the best venue for a property going to auction. If on-site is not suitable I think the question should be asked – is the property an “Auction” property. Please note: I am only referring to residential real estate.

In 2002 St Jude’s was opened with only a handful of students and one teacher. Today there are almost 1200 children, 130 teachers and 200 staff. A second school was also opened in 2008 and over 90% of the children at the school receive a totally free education through international sponsorship.  Gemma’s charity began with small $5 monthly donations from friends and family and it just goes to show that international charity can start at home. St Jude’s is now helping a large number of children to “Fight poverty through education”.

Another Australian woman who is truly inspirational is Irene Gleeson. Nearly 20 years ago Irene sold her house in Australia to finance her charity work in Uganda. Irene has just been made an Officer of the Order of Australia for “service to international relations, particularly through sustained aid for children affected by war and HIV-AIDS in northern Uganda”.  Her charitable projects through Childcare Kitgum Servants are extensive and include primary schools & training centres, medical & counselling services and cultural & community projects.

The staff at Beach & Bay are always excited to hear of the wonderful work that Australian people are doing in African countries, particularly those involving children. Last year we supported building a classroom in Ghana and we also sponsor a girl in Ghana through World vision.

If you would like to know more information about the above Aussie women and their charities please see the following websites.

St Judes – http://www.schoolofstjude.co.tz/

Childcare Kitgum Servants – http://www.cks.org.au/

Mollymook is located only minutes from historic rural Milton and every June long weekend Milton gets festive with the Milton Scarecrow Festival. This event will begin tomorrow Saturday 6^th June and run on Sunday 7^th June as well. Activities include; arts and craft markets, live entertainment with music & magic shows, animal farm and pony rides, street theatre and the Big Scarecrow competition. The Scarecrow competition is held on Sunday where everybody brings along their scarecrows with the winner earning themselves $350. Locals and tourists really get involved in the event and it’s got something to please everyone!