Winkle Shack - waterfront, wood fire, outdoor bath

In Tasmania, a shack can be anything from a corrugated iron lean-to, to an architect designed home. Our place falls somewhere in between, but we reckon it’s one of the best shacks in Tassie. In a sheltered, waterfront spot, it’s a classic little vertical board place built by a family in the 1960s as a get away from Hobart that we've kept improving over the years. This is our family get away, the place that we all long for when work and school have worn thin and we need some down time. We’ve had the place since 2001 and have gradually extended and improved it. We are a 10 minute [flat] walk to Pirates Bay, a great surf beach, but sit protected on Eaglehawk Bay, out of the wind and weather, where you can sit on the deck and watch the reflections on a calm day and the waves and wind on a wild day. We sit on the lush green, north side of the bay, bask in all day sun in the summer, and can sit and watch the sun as it sets down Eaglehawk Bay. Its very private and quiet and set well back from the road and neighbours with trees and gardens screening the yard. In the winter we get less sun, but we have you covered with a wood heater, panel heaters in the bedrooms and three electric heaters for the main room. Whatever time of year, it’s a great spot! Our shack has two newly built bedrooms, both with queen beds, wardrobes and sliding glass doors out to separate wooden decks. We also have a set of double bunks for the kids just off the living area. Be aware that the bunks are visible from the living area, in a walk through area to the bedrooms. So it’s designed for couples and families rather than big groups of adults. The bathroom has a shower, toilet and large basin that is big enough to hand wash clothes. we also have a front loading washing machine. The house has a full kitchen with everything you would need for whipping up some eggs for breakfast to making a full gourmet dinner. There are more than 6 spoons, forks, knives and plates, we promise! In fact there's an outdoor kitchen area too with a second oven and microwave - just loads of kitchen stuff. There is a glass fronted wood heater for those who wish to get out and chop wood, or plenty of electric heating for those who want to take it easy. The combined kitchen living area includes a dishwasher, plenty of seating and a TV / PVR as well as sliding doors opening onto the front deck which looks over Eaglehawk Bay. Outside there is a gas barbecue and plenty of spots to catch the summer sun. And for the adventurous, an outdoor bath - perfect for a soak after a long walk, particularly with a glass of wine! Eaglehawk Neck is a sprawling seaside village about an hour out of Hobart with a great pub and the best fish and chip van you can imagine. It’s not the place to come for amazing cuisine, but if you like sitting on a jetty watching the fishing boats come in, walking on a beach with no one but the seagulls for company and coastal bush walks with some of the most amazing scenery Australia has to offer, then this is the place for you. There is so much wildlife here. Apart from all the sea birds, you might spot a pod of dolphins or a seal fishing in our bay, wallabies grazing on our lawn or if you pop down to the beach at low tide you can see an army of soldier crabs or at dusk the fairy penguins at Doo Town beach. Superb Fairy Wrens are our constant companions along with a dozen other species of garden dwelling birds. We are also on the doorstep of the Three Capes Walk and the amazing Port Arthur Historic Site. Pennicott’s award winning Tasman Island Cruises leaves from the port here and you can see the highest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere as well as dolphins, seals and who knows what other sea creatures. At the end of the day, come home and relax on the deck at The Winkle Shack. There's a tiny bungalow at the very back of the main house which is our private space. Please respect this. The rest of the property is yours to enjoy. We sometimes have out boat in the front yard, please keep children away from this. There is a key safe at the front gate to get you in. Power is on. We wont be there to check you in, but we live near the airport about 50 minutes away if there ever was a problem. Winkle has water frontage to Eaglehawk Bay and nothing but eucalypts behind it. It’s only a ten minute walk to the surf beach, Pirates Bay. You can easily walk along the beach to the Lufra Hotel (another 20 min) and get a newspaper in the morning or walk there for dinner in the evening. The blowhole, the Pirates Bay Jetty, Doolishus Fish and Chips / Icecream Van and the walks around Tasman Arch / Devils Kitchen are 10 minute drive away. Port Arthur is a 20 minute drive. There are great walks all over the place here - cliff top walks, lookouts, beaches, and headlands. There is a book of Tasman Peninsula walks in the bookshelf. Lastly, keep an eye on the bay in front of the house. There’s often dolphins or seals about. If the water is glassy, watch for the telltale narrow V of an octopus swimming close to the surface. There is limited bus transport to the Peninsula. if you are coming here you really need your own wheels.