Seacrest 7, Hawks Nest: the apartment across the road from the surf
Updated: Oct 6
Written by the owners of Tilly and Annies Place and Seacrest 7, Hawks Nest. Last reviewed October 2026.
Tilly and Annies Place is the house for a full family with a long list of plans. Seacrest 7 at Hawks Nest is the other kind of holiday: smaller, simpler, and so close to the ocean that the whole trip organises itself around the beach. This is the longer version of what it is like to stay there, written for the people who want to know before they book. Live dates and rates are on the Seacrest 7 booking calendar.
In short: Seacrest 7 is a two-bedroom apartment on Beach Road, Hawks Nest, that sleeps six in a queen and two singles, each single with a trundle. It has one bathroom, a balcony barbecue and a shared pool, with the Bennetts Beach track directly across the road.
At a glance
Sleeps: 6, queen plus two singles with trundles
Where: Beach Road, across from the Bennetts Beach track
Pool: shared, inside gated grounds
Parking: one car space
In this article
The short version
A two-bedroom apartment in the Seacrest complex on Beach Road, Hawks Nest. Sleeps six. One bathroom. One car space. A balcony with its own barbecue. A shared pool inside gated grounds. And directly across the road, the access track to Bennetts Beach.
Bookings are managed by Tea Gardens Real Estate Holidays, who you can reach on 02 4997 1300.
Location is the point
Most of what makes Seacrest 7 work happens before you open the door. You cross Beach Road, walk the track through the dune, and you are on Bennetts: fourteen kilometres of ocean beach that runs from Yacaaba Headland in the south all the way to Seal Rocks, according to MidCoast Council.
That changes the rhythm of a stay. Nobody packs the car for the beach. Nobody negotiates when to leave. People go down for twenty minutes before breakfast, come back, go again at five. Children who would normally get one swim a day get three. If you are the kind of person who checks the surf before coffee, this is the apartment.
The surf club, the patrolled area and the car park are along Beach Road, and the shops of Hawks Nest are a short drive or a longer walk.
Inside
Two bedrooms. The apartment sleeps six across its two bedrooms: a queen bed in the main bedroom, and two single beds in the second, each with a trundle underneath. That suits a family of up to six, two couples who know each other well, or a couple who want a spare room for books, bags and afternoon naps.
The kitchen and living area. One open space where the cooking, eating and sitting happen together. It is the room where the day gets planned in the morning and where the sand gets swept out in the evening. With the shops in Hawks Nest close by and more over the bridge in Tea Gardens, self-catering here is easy.
One bathroom. Shared by the household. With a full house, a little sequencing at the end of a beach day helps; most groups settle into a pattern by the second evening, usually children first, adults with a drink on the balcony in the meantime.
The balcony
The balcony is where Seacrest 7 earns its keep. It has its own barbecue, so dinner happens outside on warm evenings without anyone hauling plates down to a common area. Breakfast is out here too, with the sound of the surf from across the road on most mornings and the light coming in low over the dunes.
Late afternoon is the balcony's best hour. The beach crowd heads home, the sea breeze usually eases, and whoever is cooking gets the barbecue going while the rest of the group hangs wet towels over the rail.
On days of high fire danger, check the NSW Rural Fire Service rules for barbecues before you light it. They are specific and they apply to everyone.
The pool
The Seacrest complex has a shared pool inside gated grounds. It is the reason families with younger children often pick this apartment, and if you are after Port Stephens accommodation with a pool, it is the one of our two that has it. When Bennetts is too rough, too windy or too much for small swimmers, the pool is the calm option a few steps from the door.
It also changes the shape of a hot afternoon. When the nor'easter blows the beach into chop around midday, the pool is where everyone ends up, followed by a second beach session once the wind drops.
Pool rules for the complex are posted at the gate. Supervise children at all times. There is no lifeguard.
The car space
One car space comes with the apartment. Park the car on arrival and you may not move it again until you leave. Bennetts is across the road, the Hawks Nest shops are close, and Jimmys Beach on the calm side of town is a short drive away if anyone wants flat water. If your group arrives in two cars, plan for the second one to find a spot on the street.
Who it suits
Couples. Two people, two bedrooms, a balcony and the ocean across the road. It is a lot of space for a weekend away, and the spare room is useful for working on a laptop or keeping the beach gear out of the way.
Young families. The pool and the short walk to the sand make it easy with small children. Bennetts between the flags in the morning, the pool after lunch, the balcony barbecue at six.
Surfers and early swimmers. The track across the road is the shortest route to the water in our two properties. Check the conditions on Beachsafe before you go, and swim between the flags when they are up.
Friends or two couples. Up to six people. It is a holiday apartment in a residential complex, so the evenings run to long dinners on the balcony rather than anything louder.
Seacrest 7 or Tilly and Annies Place?
The two properties suit different trips. Seacrest 7 puts you across the road from the surf, with a pool and a balcony. Tilly and Annies Place is a three-bedroom townhouse that sleeps six, with two bathrooms, a fireplace, a front patio and a rear deck with a small lawn, a short walk from Jimmys Beach. If you are weighing them up, compare the two houses side by side.
A day at Seacrest 7, Hawks Nest
6.30am. Across the road for a walk south along the sand toward Yacaaba. Swims wait for the flags.
8am. Breakfast on the balcony.
10am. Back to the beach once the flags are up.
1pm. Lunch inside, then the pool while the wind is up.
5pm. Second swim at Bennetts, the one people remember.
6.30pm. Barbecue on the balcony.
9pm. A torch walk along the sand for ghost crabs, and stay out of the water.
Booking
Availability and rates are live on the Seacrest 7 booking calendar. School holidays and the Christmas to Australia Day stretch book earliest. For questions about the apartment or a particular week, call Tea Gardens Real Estate Holidays on 02 4997 1300.
Frequently asked questions
How many people does Seacrest 7 sleep?
Six, across two bedrooms: a queen bed and two single beds, each single with a trundle. There is one bathroom, shared by the household.
Does Seacrest 7 have a pool?
Yes. The Seacrest complex has a shared pool inside gated grounds, a few steps from the door. Pool rules are posted at the gate, and children need supervision at all times.
How far is Seacrest 7 from Bennetts Beach?
The access track to Bennetts Beach is directly across Beach Road. Cross the road, walk the track through the dune and you are on the sand. The surf club and patrolled area are along Beach Road.
Plan your stay
Seacrest 7 sleeps six across two bedrooms, with a shared pool and the Bennetts Beach track across the road. Pick your dates on the live calendar. Need three bedrooms? Tilly and Annies Place also sleeps six, with two bathrooms.
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