Review

Currawong Beach Cottages

A Currawong user looks at the holiday experience.

Currawong is a holiday resort owned by the NSW Labor Council, located on Pittwater in Sydney's northern suburbs, between The Basin and Mackerel Beach and backing onto Ku-rin-gai Chase National Park.

The resort provides basic cabin-style accommodation, plus one spacious homestead, at prices well below those of other holiday properties in this area.

It's accessible only by water -- most visitors come by ferry from Palm Beach Wharf, less than an hour's drive from the Sydney CBD. So close to Sydney - and yet it's a world away from the stress and noise which characterises daily life for most of us.

A holiday at Currawong is more than a week at the beach; it's a chance to experience a different way of being with your family and friends.

Currawong is secluded, peaceful, un-crowded and stunningly beautiful, but what makes it unique is the fact that it's owned by the Union movement and has been run with a view to providing holidays for workers rather than being developed for profit maximisation. It makes for a very friendly place with a real sense of community -- even when you only stay for a few days.

There's no shop or sales point of any kind at Currawong, and the only cash transaction you're likely to be involved in is purchasing milk, bread and papers on the nine o'clock ferry.

Cabins are basic, with neither television nor radio; first-time visitors at Currawong are often alarmed at the concept of a week without paddlepops, potato chips or Sesame Street. Their concerns quickly vanish as their children readily respond to an environment which is both safe and exciting and full of possibilities to explore -- looking for baby fish or wild ducklings in the creek, exploring rock pools, jumping off the jetty, or just hanging with the gang of kids from other cabins at the swings and the merry-go-round. The water is calm and shallow, making it quite safe for the smallest of children.

Adults can swim, play tennis, or go bushwalking -- there are numerous walks of varying degrees of difficulty, including one which will take you to some impressive Aboriginal carvings.

You can fish at night from the jetty for squid, or try for a bream from the point.

In evenings you'll rediscover the simple pursuits of reading, board games, possum and wallaby spotting, moonlit beach walks or just looking at the stars, while your kids honour the timeworn Currawong tradition of playing "spotlight" by the tennis court until they're ready to collapse into bed.

Preference for bookings goes to unionists and the special nature of Currawong attracts seekers of peace and simplicity, so holidaymakers there tend to discover many affinities with one another.

Currawong offers a holiday in a small and special place with likeminded souls, in which for a whole week you won't have to look for a parking place or argue with the kids about whether they can have another Magnum. Give it a try.

Cabins have one-bedroom, but can accommodate up to 6 people, Midholme can sleep 12 easily.

Cabins cost between $330 and $495 and Midholme $660 - $990 for a week, depending on the season; the weekend rate for cabins if you're a union members cabins is only $200. School holiday bookings are very popular, so a ballot is run each year to decide who gets a place. The ballot is run a few months in advance, so get in early.

Cabins are equipped with blankets & pillows, refrigerators and microwave and convection ovens.

Aside from daily ferry deliveries of milk, bread and papers, holidaymakers need to bring all their requirements for the duration of their stay from the mainland.

Phone Currawong Cottages on 02 9974 4141 to make a booking.

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  Issue 7 contents

»	Labor Council to Vote on Currawong Proposal
»	The Story So Far ...
»	Costa: What I�ll Do With The Dough
»	Friends of Currawong Plan: Borrow To Grow
»	Independent Evaluation Backs TM Plan
»	How the Voting Works

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	A Real Aussie Preamble
»	The Get Stuffed Tax
»	Laboring for Education
»	Tipping: No One Got Close

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