132 Northern Advocate Tuesday, January 30, 2018 Travel JUSTINE TYERMAN finds a jewel on the New South Wales Central Coast. FACTBOX LOVE watching the sunrise at the beach, the ■ Justine Tyerman was a light creeping along the guest of Luxe Houses: Isand transforming it from www.luxehouses.com, at beige to gold. The early NSW Central Coast morning sun has a luminous property Killcare Beach effect on the sea and the surf SECLUDED House: sparkles with www.luxehouses.com.au/ phosphorescence. The holiday-house/killcare- smudged mauve horizon is beach-house/ edged in gilt as the fiery orb ■ Getting there: Air New leaps from night hiding. Sun Luxury Zealand flies direct to beams flood the house with Sydney from Auckland, dazzling light as I sit in the Wellington, Christchurch window seat watching the and Queenstown. early-bird surfers and www.airnewzealand.co.nz swimmers. ■ JUCY Rentals assisted Our family of four drove up with transport: from Sydney for a long www.jucy.co.nz weekend of R&R at Killcare ■ All reservations with Beach after a hectic week in Luxe Houses include the big city. We stayed at access to concierge Killcare Beach House, a services who can arrange beautiful, secluded vacation (at additional cost) private home overlooking the sea, charter jets, helicopter highly recommended by Luxe transfers, yachts, Houses. Much thought has launches, jet-boats, gone into the interior design private chefs, waiter staff and furnishing of this tranquil for guest occasions, retreat. The floor tiles are the butlers, drivers, bespoke colour of sand and the fabrics spa treatments, and textures echo the experienced nannies, landscape. All the rooms in the guides, personal trainers three-storey, five-bedroom and anything else to help home have magnificent make your stay flawless. ocean vistas and huge www.luxehouses.com balconies. There’s really no such thing as winter in Australia. At home in One day, we decided we New Zealand, it’s a should explore the wider chilly five degrees with region so we drove north to snow on the hills; here better-known centres such as it’s a mild 23 degrees in Avoca Beach, Terrigal and the middle of July. By Copacabana, but we soon midday, youngsters are reached the conclusion that surfing and paddle- Killcare is the primo spot on boarding, a couple of the coast. I fell in love with our chaps are fishing off the little beach, a jewel tucked in rocks, retirees are between a pair of rugged walking their dogs, a headlands. Putty Beach, so lone fitness fanatic is LOFTY:The three-storey Killcare Beach named because it's the colour jogging up and down House. PICTURE BY LUXE HOUSES of fresh putty, is 1.6km long, the golden sand, and the perfect walking distance at children are splashing and inlets of the Brisbane Water dawn and dusk. laughing in a sheltered rock pool. National Park to Bouddi Peninsula If you need some chill-out We join the locals for lunch at in the Bouddi National Park. time away from the city but tables outside the surf club kiosk, Being a biased Kiwi in love you don’t want to spend hours and manage to devour a couple of with our own landscape, I wasn’t COOL OFF: The pool at Killcare Beach House. Above, deserted golden sand travelling, Killcare is their famous seafood baskets. prepared for the beauty of region. beach at Killcare. PICTURE BY LUXE HOUSES absolutely do-able for a long There’s all of 25 people on the Every day we explored a different weekend . . . or a week. Just beach, a far cry from the teaming stretch of the spectacular coastal I was fascinated by the kayaking, boating, sailing, fishing, pack your clothes and go. The masses at Bondi, 90 minutes south and bush walkway linking a geological phenomenon of diving and whale watching. Luxe Houses concierge can of this idyllic, peaceful spot on the necklace of remote, pristine tessellated pavement where At Hardy’s Bay, there are organise everything else for you, New South Wales Central Coast. beaches. sandstone rock has been fractured restaurants, cafes, a general store, including a private chef for a And getting here is such a The area is rich in wildlife and into rectangles over millions of wine shop, art galleries and boat special occasion, or you can create breeze. For those in a hurry, Aboriginal history. Around 100 years of weathering. charters. For those looking for a feast in the fabulous kitchen there’s a seaplane connection from Aboriginal sites have been While Killcare has a feeling of sophisticated dining, the award- from gourmet provisions Rose Bay in Sydney to Hardy’s discovered on the peninsula, seclusion, there’s plenty to do with winning chef Stefano Manfredi at restocked daily. Bay just over the hill from including middens, rock an aquatic playground for all ages Bells Restaurant is rated so highly, It’s a restorative place where Killcare. Otherwise, it’s a scenic engravings and rock shelters of on your doorstep — activities Sydney-siders often catch the jangled nerves are soothed and 100km drive around the deep the Guringai people. include surfing, paddle-boarding, seaplane there just for lunch. weary spirits revived.