The tranquil, carefree days of Australian summers passed are recaptured at Halcyon House – Australia’s most unique beachside property. Located on Australia’s east coast, boutique hotel Halcyon House holds a spectacular beachfront location in Cabarita Beach. Guests from around the world can spend Halcyon day’s poolside sipping cocktails, dining in the gorgeously fitted out restaurant Paper Daisy, relaxing at Halcyon spa, or enjoying one of Halcyon’s 21 uniquely designed rooms and suites.

What we love

Luxury Hotel

Surf lessons with Joel Parkinson

Beachfront Pool

Unique design

Where to surf

With such a vast coastline, it might be easier to talk through Australia’s best surfing hubs that allow the most concentration of world class waves within striking distance. Byron Bay is a perfect example, which apart from its coastal scenery, wildlife, whale watching, snorkelling, dining and nightlife also delivers hollow sand bottom barrels at The Pass, Broken and Lennox Head. The Gold Coast, with world famous waves like the Superbank and Burleigh, is also only an hour’s drive to the north. On the opposite coast, Margaret River, in South Western Australia, boasts a dozen of world class reef breaks within a 30-kilometres stretch as well as renowned wineries, restaurants and incredible flora and fauna. In Victoria the town of Torquay is the gateway to the legendary waves of Bells and Winkipop. It is also the start of the Great Ocean Road, an Australian National Heritage listed 250-kilometre stretch of road that takes in some of the most stunning coastline anywhere in the world. Finally Sydney is not only the funnest surf city on the planet, but is also perfect for accessing the more remote, quality waves on the South Coast of NSW.

When to go

The general rule on Australia's surfable stretches is that autumn and winter (March to August) are the best seasons for surf. Offshore winds blow predominantly off the land and intense low-pressure systems frequently zip across the bottom of the continent in the Southern Ocean, before migrating east into the Tasman Sea sending lines of thick, powerful swell onto the exposed stretches of the Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales coastlines. The only exception to this rule is the famous point breaks of the Queensland coast which best come to life during the summer cyclone season from December to March.

Attractions

The list of things to do in Australia is nearly endless. Visit the outback and Uluru to get a feel for First Nation culture, which is one of the oldest on Earth. Cruise through wine country in the Hunter and Barossa Valleys. Tour a crocodile farm, explore a rainforest or dive the Great Barrier reef. Australia can provide a lifetime of adventure both above and below the sea.

The Country

Considered by some to be the world’s largest island, Australia offers a range of environments including rainforests, mountain ranges, dry central deserts and some truly stunning beaches. With the majority of Australia’s population living within 50 km of the coast a beach culture pervades most aspects of the Australian community. Australia is an easy, laid back nation with a love of the outdoors. Its cosmopolitan cities Melbourne and Sydney offer great food and nightlife and Sydney’s distinctive Opera House and Harbour Bridge are icons themselves. In addition Australia is home to some unique wildlife, like the koala bear, the wombat, the duck-billed platypus and, of course, the kangaroo. There are national parks and wildlife reserves to explore and many wine regions to visit. Other natural sites include the Twelve Apostles, the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park and the sacred sandstone monolith of Uluru.

Getting There

Australia’s busiest and best-connected airport is in Sydney (SYD). Consider connecting or flying directly to Cairns (CNS), the Gold Coast (OOL) or Brisbane (BNE) or the East Coast destinations. Melbourne (MEL), Adelaide (ADL) and Perth (PER) also receive international flights.

Travel Information

Time Zone

UTC+10:00

Currency

AUD

Calling code

+61

Electric

230V, Plug type: I