Swimmers Rest-Classic retro beach house at Shoal Bay, NSW

A true retro style holiday house harking back to childhood holidays by the beach, but with modern comfortable amenities. The house has beautiful high ceilings throughout and lots of light and has been thoughtfully decorated. Swimmers' Rest is ideally located between the Shoal Bay waterfront and Fingal Beach (2 min drive (20 min walk) in either direction), restaurants, cafes and shops. We’re also a 10 min stroll to Box Beach. The emphasis at Swimmers’ Rest is to slow down and enjoy!

Swimmers Rest is a quaint and comfy beach house with a retro feel. It's ideally located positioned between 3 beaches and is about 200 m from a bicycle and walking path that winds its way through the bush to Fingal Bay, the best swimming beach in the area. There are other great walking tracks which you can access from close to the house. We are also within walking distance to the Shoal Bay Country Club (or a courtesy bus ride away), cafes, restaurants and shops.

You''ll feel instantly relaxed when you walk through the front door. Our focus is on creating an environment which invites you to sit back with a good book, play board games, listen to music or have a decent chat with family and friends. We like a good movie as much as the next person so there's a smart TV.

We acquired Swimmers Rest about 18 months ago and have spent the last year restoring and fitting her out. Sustainability is important to us so we've spent time sourcing furnishings and decor from second vintage and second-hand sources, upcycling and restoring as much as we can. The emphasis here is slowing down in comfort, but if you're after a gleaming and slick fit-out with huge screens, this is probably not the place for you!

There are two living spaces so adults can have quiet time away from the kids. Added to that, we've built an interconnected deck in our little backyard to accommodate outdoor dining and more lounging around the quintessential frangipani tree. There's also a generously sized front verandah with a hammock, space for Balinese/Indian furniture and locally made Adirondack chairs. Both front and back spaces glow at night with string lighting.

We have a huge main bedroom which includes a sitting area and desk area (if you really need to work away from home). There's another queen bedroom and a third bedroom with two long single beds. All bedrooms have generously sized built-in wardrobes and ceiling fans.

There's an A/C system in the kitchen/family area and fans throughout the house elsewhere. We're planning reverse cycle A/C to be installed throughout the house in July 2023. There's usually a lovely sea breeze that cools the place down in summer (our recommended form of cooling).

There's a small park down the road for kids, a front lawn that can accommodate a game or two of Finska, and two SUPs in the garage which you're welcome to use. We're planning on adding bikes soon.