Jibbon Beach Retreat, Bundeena review: In the treetops

Blue sky dreaming ... inside Jibbon Beach Retreat.

Nicola Walker admires beach and bush from a user-friendly glasshouse.

What a difference a tree makes. An angophora costata juts up against the front stairs of this steel-and-glass house in Bundeena, flexing ruddy muscles towards the sky. And there are more of these gorgeous, singularly Australian trees in the Royal National Park at the back of the house.

It's a short hop to Jibbon Beach from here, via the pretty track through the park. On the way, my sister and I see a huge angophora, so gnarled, whorled and lumpy we want to hug it.

At the beach, we follow the sickle bay right to the end, looking for the sign that will point us to the Dharawal engravings etched into a large flat rock on the headland. Outlines of a whale, manta ray and wallaby, among others, are cooees from a brutally expunged past.

I was the one who booked the house, so my husband and I get first dibs on the bedrooms and there are no hard feelings, given that the double rooms are equally plain and lovely, the view providing all the decoration. Each couple has only to step outside their room and into an airy bathroom, one with a bath for the youngest. The two girls have a TV and DVD player in their room, which thrills them no end, and Jack gets privacy in the fourth bedroom.

The house has been built to maximise the splendid views and it's like living in a glasshouse. There is no need for fans or airconditioners in summer, with louvres on both sides of the living area. In winter, you can cosy up around the wood-burning fire.

Usually it's only an hour's drive from Sydney south on the Princes Highway but this being a Friday night, it has taken another 30 minutes. No one feels like cooking, so we mosey down to the RSL on foot. This is a double blessing because the house has a frighteningly steep driveway. It's the one disadvantage of the view.

The RSL dining room, which looks out at the sea and Port Hacking, is full but we can just about see the water from the bar area. The blokes order steak while the rest of us opt for fish and chips and it's pretty good. The kids' portion is cheap but commensurately tiny, so go for the adults' version if there are any big appetites. A friendly barmaid finds ice-cream for the kids, even though the kitchen has closed. The adults swig a draught beer (obligatory during any visit to an RSL) and two bottles of wine and still find the way home. Out on the back deck, the lights of Sydney smudge the inky horizon like a Turner painting.

Our new baby wakes me at 5.30am but obligingly goes back to sleep an hour later, so the household slumbers on until past 9am. By the time we've done tea and toast on the verandah, got ready and refuelled the baby, we need lattes, so we drive the short hop to Bundeena's high street. There is an IGA supermarket, a newsagent and chemist, a real estate office, a beauty salon and three cafes: Manna, Friand and Passion Fruit. The first offers gelato, the latter is the homiest and the Friand has the best coffee, we think. Best of all, the kids frolic in the playground. Down at the jetty, people are piling off the ferry from Cronulla, a 20-minute ride away.

Nearby Wattamolla Beach is one of the most picturesque coastal sites within a 100-kilometre radius of Sydney. Teenagers egg each other on to jump from the cliff into the river, ignoring the prohibition signs. The kids run shrieking into the khaki-green river and it's nice not to have to worry about sharks or currents.

The next day, before breakfast at Friand, my sister and I squeeze in a visit to the Bundeena Picture Gallery, up the road, which features paintings by Doris Kaminski and Robert Wilson. Several landscapes are covetable and reasonably priced but we settle for a couple of cards.

We've decided to try out Garie Beach, which is reputed to have big waves and is patrolled in the summer. It's a long beach flanked by the heritage-listed huts of South Era, which cropped up during the Depression. Sure enough, the surf is up, though the foamy waves do not break cleanly, making it tricky for our team of boogie boarders. The kiosk provides consolatory ice-creams.

The friend who recommended Jibbon Beach Retreat visited mid-winter and reported an equally enjoyable time. In cooler weather, it would be easier to follow some of the Bundeena-Maianbar heritage walks marked on the maps in the house.

The Royal National Park is full of trails, too but if that isn't your thing, then just sit on the deck and absorb nature. Quarrelsome rainbow lorikeets, magpies, cockatoos and the odd kookaburra come by to visit and we see a browsing deer. When we depart, I can't resist giving the velveteen bark of our angophora a final pat.

Weekends Away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.

VISITORS' BOOK

Jibbon Beach Retreat

Address 28a Eric Street, Bundeena.

The verdict A user-friendly house with superb views in a laidback coastal town.

Price Off-peak nightly rate is $285 with a minimum two-night stay. The cleaning fee is $95, and the bond is $285.

Bookings See stayz.com.au/69673.

Getting there Bundeena is 60 kilometres south of Sydney's central business district: drive there via the Princes Highway or take the 20-minute ferry ride from Cronulla, departing every half hour; seecronullaferries.com.au.

Perfect for Two couples and several kids who will be thrilled by the bush and the beach.

Wheelchair access No.

While you're there Explore Royal National Park, either by foot or by car; every beach has a different feel. Walk around Bundeena and enjoy its historical sites, including the old weatherboard Bundeena House. Catch the ferry to Cronulla for fish and chips. Take at look at the picture gallery. Follow the Art Trail on the first Sunday of the month; see arttrail.com.au