01 · THE HOUSES
Two houses,
two different trips.
One is a refurbished townhouse with a patio at the front and a deck at the back, room for six. The other is an apartment on Beach Road with the beach track directly across the road. Pick the one that suits who's coming.
The townhouse with the deck
Sleeps 6 · 3 bedrooms · 2 bathrooms
TILLY AND ANNIES PLACE · MARGARET STREET
SEACREST 7 · BEACH ROAD
The apartment you hear the surf from
Sleeps 6 · 2 bedrooms · Shared pool
02 · GETTING THERE
The shift starts
before you arrive.
Close enough for a weekend, far enough that it feels like you left. The last twenty minutes do most of the work.
01
The drive north
About two and a half hours from Sydney. Long enough to stop talking about work, short enough to leave after breakfast.
02
Tea Gardens, then the bridge
You come through Tea Gardens and over the Singing Bridge, built in 1976. Pelicans on the pylons, the Myall underneath.
03
Then the koala signs
They start not long after the bridge, and they're there for a reason. Slow down. You're in Hawks Nest now.
Twelve minutes off the highway, and you're there.
TILLY AND ANNIES PLACE · 2/1 MARGARET STREET
Stay properly.
A refurbished two-level townhouse, walking distance to the shops and both beaches. Open plan living opens onto the front patio at one end and the rear deck at the other, with a wooden outdoor setting and a small patch of lawn. People tend to settle in fast here.
6
3
2
2
Sleeps
Bedrooms
Bathrooms
Levels
Bedroom 1
Queen bed, built-ins and a private balcony over the back.
Bedrooms 2 & 3
Two single beds in each.
Bathrooms
Shower, bath, vanity and toilet upstairs. Second bathroom off the laundry downstairs.
Outside
Front patio, rear deck with a wooden setting, and a small enclosed lawn.
•  Enclosed yard
•  Ceiling fans
•  Wi-Fi and smart TV
•  Dishwasher
•  Laundry
•  Parking on site
4.76
/ 5  · 28 reviews on the agency listing
SEACREST 7 · 7/21 BEACH ROAD
You hear it before
you see it.
A light-filled two-bedroom apartment on Beach Road, with the Bennetts Beach access track directly across the road. Barbecue on the balcony, shared pool in the gated grounds, surf club walking distance.
WORTH KNOWING FIRST
Native vegetation sits between the building and the sand, so this isn't a view apartment. It's a sound one. You'll hear the surf from the balcony and walk to it in two minutes.
6
2
1
1
Sleeps
Bedrooms
Bathroom
Car space
Bedroom 1
Queen bed.
Bedroom 2
Two single beds, each with a trundle underneath.
Bathroom
Shower, bath and toilet. There's an outdoor shower as well.
Parking
One space. The garage isn't available to guests, but there's street parking close by.
•  Shared outdoor pool
•  Private balcony barbecue
•  Dishwasher and laundry
•  Gated grounds
•  Ceiling fans in bedrooms
•  Wi-Fi and big screen TV
4.76
/ 5  · 17 reviews on the agency listing
03 · HAWKS NEST
Nature isn't an excursion.
The town sits on a narrow spit with the Myall River behind it and the Tasman in front. Bennetts is the long surf beach. Jimmys, on the river side, is flat and protected. Neither is far.
Bennetts Beach
Long, open and often empty. Best at sunrise, and the walking is endless.
Jimmys Beach
Calm, protected water on the river side. Easier with small kids.
Myall River
Kayaks, fishing, oysters. The jetty at last light is the pick.
Yacaaba Headland
The track is open to a viewing point for now. Whales offshore in the cooler months.
Myall Lakes
Bush, waterways and walking tracks just up the road.
Rock pools at low tide
Worth timing a walk around. Kids disappear into these for an hour.
All of this is walking distance from both front doors.
04 · THE NEIGHBOURS
You won't be out
there alone.
Pelicans on the river, black cockatoos through in the afternoon, kookaburras on the fence posts and ghost crabs on the sand at dusk. Koalas live in the gums around town. No promises on any given day. They turn up when they turn up.
PELICANS
KOOKABURRA
BLACK COCKATOOS
GHOST CRAB
Spring is when most of this is easiest to see.
05 · GOOD TO KNOW
Before you pack.
The things guests ask before they book, answered here rather than in the fine print.
Bring your own linen and towels
Both houses are self-contained, so bed linen, pillowcases and towels aren't supplied. Bring your own, or hire them from the agency office when you book. Same goes for food and toiletries.
No parties, and quiet is the point
Both properties have a no-party policy, and we ask you to skip the large gatherings. Under NSW strata rules, windows open to 12cm.
Parking
Tilly and Annies Place has parking on site. Seacrest 7 has one car space. The garage at Seacrest isn't available to guests at the moment, but there's plenty of street parking close by.
Pets
Neither house takes pets. The agency manages pet-friendly properties elsewhere in Hawks Nest if that's what you need.
Add a round of golf
The agency is an affiliated partner of Hawks Nest Golf Club, so you can book a round at the same time as the house. Tee times are subject to availability.
Which house suits us?
Tilly and Annies Place suits families and groups of friends who want space, two levels and somewhere to cook and eat together. Seacrest 7 suits couples, solo travellers and anyone after a quiet reset close to the surf.
Still weighing up which house suits you?
06 · STAYING
Pick your dates and settle in.
Each house has its own live calendar. Pick your dates, see the price and book in a couple of minutes. Tea Gardens Real Estate Holidays, the local agency on Marine Drive, looks after the houses and your stay.
Tilly and Annies Place
Seacrest 7
Rather ask a person?
SLEEPS 6 · MARGARET STREET
SLEEPS 6 · BEACH ROAD
THE AGENCY OFFICE · MARINE DRIVE
Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, patio at the front and a deck at the back.
Two bedrooms, shared pool, and the beach track directly across the road.
They can answer questions about either house, dates or linen hire.
BOOKING CHANNELS
The calendars on this site show live availability and the current rate for each house. If you would rather use a platform you already know, Tilly is also listed on Airbnb and Stayz.
Wild neighbours
Dolphins in the river, whales offshore, kookaburras at breakfast.
Hawks Nest sits between a national park, a river and the open sea, so the locals are not all human. Bring binoculars, walk early, and look up.
Dolphins
In the Myall River and around the bay
Humpback whales
Offshore from June to November
Dingoes
On the Myall Lakes beaches. Wild, so keep your distance
Kangaroos
On the drive in, just before Tea Gardens
Pelicans
On the river at Tea Gardens
Kookaburras
In the gums, loudest at dawn
Koalas
High in the gums, if you look up
Rabbits
On the dune edges at dusk
Questions
Good to know.
Where is Hawks Nest?
Hawks Nest sits on a narrow spit between the Myall River and the Pacific, across the Singing Bridge from Tea Gardens, on the northern shore of Port Stephens.
How far is Hawks Nest from Sydney?
About two and a half hours by car, which makes it an easy long weekend and a short enough drive to arrive with the afternoon still ahead of you.
Which house suits us?
Tilly and Annies Place has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fireplace near Jimmys Beach. Seacrest 7 has two bedrooms and a shared pool across from Bennetts Beach. Both sleep six.
Ready to visit?
Yes. Both houses have live calendars on their pages, or call Tea Gardens Real Estate Holidays on 02 4997 1300.
Local guide
How far it is.
Bennetts Beach
Across the road from Seacrest 7
Jimmys Beach
A short walk from Tilly and Annies Place
Tea Gardens
Over the Singing Bridge
From Sydney
About two and a half hours by car
Talk to a local
Both houses are managed by Tea Gardens Real Estate Holidays. Call them for dates, questions or tips on the area.