Three Australian coastal towns with a recreational lifestyle at heart

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The sea change is a breezy offshoot of the great Australian dream. It’s all about the charming beach town, off the beaten track, that’s blessed with natural beauty, great surf and a standout fish and chip shop.

It’s an idea that’s embedded into the national psyche. And while Byron Bay and Noosa get plenty of attention, you can still find seaside towns where interacting with the great outdoors – through camping, fishing, hiking, surfing or playing golf – is at one with the location. Whether looking for a holiday home, or something more permanent, these three towns give you opportunities to spend more time doing the things you enjoy.

 

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Seaspray, Victoria

Of all the coastal towns along Ninety Mile Beach, one of the world’s longest and most unspoiled stretches of sand, Seaspray is the one that flies under the radar. This tiny Gippsland community of 373 residents, half an hour’s drive from the regional centre of Sale, has the kind of lifestyle where it’s easy to find your own private parcel of beach for swimming, a bank for fishing in Merriman’s Creek, or a park for just walking the dog. Yet the town remains a secret, even within Victoria. 

“Seaspray is super relaxed and chill – a great family place where the kids can run wild,” says Johanna Foster, who has been holidaying in the town since she was a child and now visits each summer with her own young family. “The Seaspray Surf Life Saving Club has been done up and is a great place to get a drink and a parma, but otherwise it’s all about being outside.”

There isn’t too much in the way of shopping – the general store selling fishing gear, groceries and fish and chips accounts for the retail scene – but that’s the way people here like it.

Tuross Head, NSW

Fishing. Surfing. Golf. Nature trails. On the NSW South Coast, Tuross Head ticks all of the sea-change boxes and adds a few in the process (it’s a whale-watching hotspot, for one). Nestled on the headland between Coila Lake and Tuross River, it’s a place where 2353 residents realise a recreational lifestyle filled with surfing at neighbouring Bingle Beach, reeling in bream in the river, playing nine holes at the Club Tuross golf course and hiking through the public parklands up the headland itself. 

However, the bijou town is now a location to watch with the launch of Driftwood Shores, which hits the market this November. A new 10-hectare residential community offering blocks of land tucked between the Club Tuross country club and Coila Lake, where 80 new homes will have access to all the area has to offer. 

“Tuross Head is a hidden gem about two hours and 40 minutes’ drive from Canberra,” says James Goode, development director of McCloy Group, the award-winning development group behind Driftwood Shores. “It’s a place where you’re surrounded by options for spending your day in nature on the beach or the lakes, or on the golf course.

“Driftwood Shores is simply an excellent piece of land in the right location. Tuross is loved for being a sleepy town – there’s a small inn and a boutique shopping strip with a couple of great cafes.”

Driftwood Shores will pay homage to the lifestyle for which Tuross Head is known with a 5.5-metre-high sculpture of a breaching whale carved from 400-year-old fallen red gum at the entrance. “Our company has a big philosophy on artwork and entrance features, especially integrating those within the existing community culture,” Goode says, “but otherwise, everything you need is already there in Tuross Head.”

Tumby Bay, South Australia

The beaches are beautiful but there’s more to Tumby Bay than an endless sparkling ocean backed by a pine-shaded grassy foreshore.

The laid-back coastal town on the Eyre Peninsula – the last major stop on the highway before Port Lincoln, 50 kilometres away – also has the South Australian hallmarks of historic stone buildings and low-rise beauty.

The town of 1600 permanent residents is a great headquarters for adventures and has a long wooden jetty that acts as a habitat for the leafy sea dragon. (Take your snorkel to maximise your chances of catching a glimpse.) The fishing from various rocky outcrops is also considered some of the region’s best. 

Landlubbers have plenty to appreciate, too, thanks to Tumby being a street-art hotspot. A wander around town will reveal the walls of public buildings daubed in bright aerosol tributes to creatures of the land and sea. 

This article has been created in partnership with Driftwood Shores. For more information, visit driftwoodshores.com.au