Spoilt by Jervis Bay beauty in Worrowing House

ESCAPE editor Lee Taylor breaks his daughter's heart by ending the family's best ever Aussie holiday in a secret coastal hideaway.

collingwood beach

"I WANT to go back to the kangaroo house, Daddy!" my three-year-old daughter sobbed as we arrived home.

The tears rolled down her cheeks as I turned off the car engine and she realised her best holiday experience was officially over.

We had all been spoilt by five glorious days of sunshine and beaches while nestled in the coastal hideaway Worrowing House in Jervis Bay.

But now I was left with a three-year-old crying into a sandy bucket full of shells and wrapped in a damp beach towel.

It was a far cry from the start of the holiday, where screams of "kangaroos!" rang out as we pulled off the main road and on to the dust track towards the farmstay.

Slumbering from shade under the trees, they sprang to life and pranced across the many paddocks to welcome us.

The horses could only manage a coy sideways glance as they chomped on grass fresh with morning dew.

But the ducks made up for their shy neighbours by marching up to the car and announcing their arrival.

Set in 100ha between Jervis Bay National Park and the lake of St George Basin, the Worrowing estate offers guests four styles of self-contained accommodation: eco huts, Tuscan-inspired cottages, houses or boat sheds.

We opted for the four-bedroom colonial-style farmhouse and immediately knew we had made a good choice.

The kids bounded excitedly across the polished floorboards and up the wooden stairs to explore the bedrooms, while my wife and I struggled with the cases.

Surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees, the house was extremely spacious, with high ceilings and walls decorated with photographs of Jervis Bay's stunning beaches.

The kitchen looked out on to a rolling hillside littered with kangaroos, while a pair of horses poked their heads over the barbed-wire fence and sniffed at the air as we ventured out on to the decking.

I decided to do the same, smelling a mixture of sea and grass just as the cicadas decided to belt out a tune.

My wife squealed when discovering the double spa bath.

I squealed at the big LCD TV and DVD player next to the log fire.

Upstairs I found the kids giggling on the two single beds, secretly planning the mischief they would eventually cause.

All up, the ground level has one bedroom with a queen bed and another bedroom with two singles. Upstairs there's a bedroom with a queen bed, a single bed and an ensuite plus a gallery with two single beds.

At Worrowing House you feel the space and freedom, yet you are only a four-minute drive from Vincentia's shops and cafes and a selection of gorgeous beaches.

Bush becomes beach in a matter of minutes.

This brought a new challenge: find a better beach than the previous day.

The sheltered Moona Moona Creek was at the top of the list for a while.

Its safe, shallow, crystal-clear water made it ideal for small children.

But then we discovered Collingwood Beach through a bushy walkway on Ilfracombe Ave.

Stepping out of the shade from the short, bush trail I was forced to shield my eyes from the sun's glare reflecting off the white sand dunes.

Then the turquoise ocean came into view to complete the ultimate beach fantasy: blue ocean, white sand and lush green bush.

The pearly shoreline stretched all the way to Vincentia, but the beach's biggest drawcard was there were only a handful of people on it.

And it was Saturday morning.

The kids wasted no time leaving tiny footprints in the fresh silica sand splashing one another in the wake and taking great pleasure in destroying every sandcastle I created so carefully.

Whether it's Hyams Beach, Green Patch Beach or Culburra, Jervis Bay's selection of pristine beaches is impressive.

But for us, our holiday was all about Collingwood Beach.

We all came away that day with so much more than just sunburn and shells.

Within a few minutes we were back at Worrowing House and welcomed again by its animal kingdom.

Salty skin was soon soaked by bubbles in the spa and, with the kids tucked up in bed, my wife and I touched full wine glasses on the veranda.

Yes, it had been our best family holiday and we promised to come back soon ... just as long as I can get my crying daughter out of the car.

The writer was a guest of Worrowing House

FAST FACTS
Worrowing House is approximately two-and-a-half hour’s drive south from Sydney. The entrance to the property is at “Worrowing”, 81 Wool Road, Worrowing Heights.

Click here for a printable map

Cost: Weekends - $550 per couple, plus an extra $25 per adult and $10 per child.
Midweek - $450 per couple for two nights and the same rate applies for extra adults or children.
Linen and towels is a flat fee of $25.

Food
Appetite at Shop 12 in Vincentia Shopping Centre offers gorgeous gourmet burgers and a selection of delicious snacks seven days a week.
Call: [phone]

Seagrass Brasserie is an award-winning restaurant just off Huskinsson Beach with great dishes. But it’s the friendly service that really impressed me, going that extra step to make sure our children were looked after.
Address: 13 Currambene Street, Huskisson
Call: [phone]