The Bird House: gardens, wildlife, peace & beaches

Entire home in One Mile, Australia

  1. 8 guests
  2. 4 bedrooms
  3. 7 beds
  4. 2 baths
Hosted by Alex
  1. Superhost
  2. 3 years hosting

Listing highlights

Self check-in

Check yourself in with the key safe.

Extra spacious

Guests love this home’s spaciousness for a comfortable stay.

Unbeatable location

100% of guests in the past year gave this location a 5-star rating.
Set on a leafy 2-acre block that's only 4 minutes drive from One Mile Beach, the Bird House is a comfy, freshly renovated home that offers multiple indoor and outdoor living areas, 4 bedrooms, hammock, BBQ, Wifi, XBox and board games. The house is fenced off from the rest of the block, so you have your own private, family-friendly gardens front and back. These are surrounded by wild gardens and the national park, providing a tranquil haven that attracts birds and other wildlife.

The space
Recently renovated, the house features upgraded electrics, new appliances, two renovated bathrooms, reverse cycle air-con (warm in winter and cool in summer) and a bunch of other stuff to make it comfortable and welcoming.

The house itself is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide and features high wood ceilings and floor to ceiling windows that let in the light and provide every room with views into the surrounding gardens.

Out the back there's an under-cover verandah that runs the full length of the house, as well as an outdoor sitting area that connects the living room with the BBQ area, and a private sitting area outside bedroom 2.

The house is fully fenced off from the rest of the block, so you have a front and back garden for your private use.

The front garden has a child-safe pond that attracts marvelously coloured dragonflies and a variety of rock borders and garden beds containing a large stag horn, a variety of orchids, a couple of jacarandas, a mix of grasses and a remarkable flowering cactus.

The back garden is also fully fenced. It's about 200 square meters and contains the hammock lawn, a BBQ and outdoor entertaining area with a table for 8, and an unusual pebble pond that is popular with the frogs.

Both front and back garden are surrounded by more gardens and ponds and tall trees - mainly species of eucalypts - and have views across the wilder parts of the garden that make up most of the rest of the 2 acres.

Guest access
Everything inside The Bird House's fence is yours to enjoy.

The rest of the 2 acre block is split into 2 areas.

Most of it is native bushland with large red gums, cheese trees, blueberry ash and ti-trees among others. It's best not to go wandering through this area - we get stinging ants and other bitey things, and that's no fun when you're on holiday.

Near the road is a row of sheds where dad built boats and mum fired pottery, and a cabin, which is where I stay when I'm in the area.

I've installed a screen fence so when you're in the Bird House or in the fenced part of the garden, most of the sheds are hidden, and you don't have to look at them (they'll all be fixed up this coming winter).

Other things to note
1: The Bird House is a work in progress. I've sealed all the slate floors, repainted all the walls, renovated the two main bathrooms, upgraded the electrics, installed air-conditioning in the main living area and two bedrooms, upgraded the washer, dryer, dishwasher, oven and induction hotplates, brought in new mattresses, doonas/quilts and pillows, landscaped the grounds, rebuilt the gardens and more. But there are still things to be done: renovating the third toilet, refreshing the timber work, fixing a few tiles etc. If you're comfortable with a few things showing their age, you'll be fine.

2: The Bird House is surrounded by native bushland, with soaring trees and acres of bird-friendly shrubs and plants. The wetlands of the Tomaree National Park are also nearby. This means that we get mozzies and other insects. Through the day, they're not a problem. Once the sun gets low in the sky, they become more active. So if you're planning on being out in the garden or BBQ area after this time, it's best to cover up with long sleeves and pants, or use RID/Aeroguard (we provide a can at every entrance to remind you!).

Registration details
PID-STRA-49127

Where you'll sleep

1 of 2 pages

What this place offers

Garden view
Park view
Beach access
Kitchen
Wifi
Unavailable: Carbon monoxide alarm

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Rated 4.89 out of 5 from 38 reviews.

Guest favourite
This home is a guest favourite based on ratings, reviews and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 89% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 11% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

One Mile, New South Wales, Australia
This listing’s location is verified and the exact location will be provided after booking.

Neighbourhood highlights

The Bird House is located on a 2 acre (8,000 square metre) block of bushland set on the fringes of Tomaree National Park. The whole area is only lightly developed, with a few scattered estates and small farms surrounded by beautiful native bush and wetlands.

One Mile Beach is only 3 minutes and 30 seconds drive away, and child-friendly Boat Harbour Beach and secluded Kingsley Beach are another 2 minutes further. There's also a 4WD track down to clothing-optional Samurai Beach at the bottom of the road: it takes about 10 minutes to get to the beach (you'll need to reduce the pressure in your tyres and use low-range 4WD to avoid getting bogged).

8 minutes drive takes you to the main shopping centre at Salamander, and 10 minutes drive brings you to the township of Nelson Bay, with shops, restaurants, cinemas, fresh seafood, boat and canoe hire, whale watching tours, and spectacular views across Port Stephens.

In the other direction (heading south) the small town of Anna Bay is only 8 minutes away. Here you have a small supermarket, butcher, newsagent, bottle shop, service station, restaurants and cafes, and access to Birubi Beach and the spectacular expanses of Stockton Beach - a noted surf spot with often excellent waves for long- and short-boarders.

Also within 5 minutes drive is a NSW Parks and Wildlife vehicle track that provides access to a wild and spectacular section of coast at Big Rocky, and a new walking trail that connects One Mile Beach with Boat Harbour, and then runs on along the coast towards Anna Bay.

You'll also find Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary at the bottom of the road, 3 minutes walk away. We even get koalas at the Bird House: we had two that stayed in a tree right next to the BBQ area for almost a month in February 2023!

Meet your host

Superhost
38 reviews
4.89 out of 5 average rating
3 years of hosting
What makes my home unique: The design, the light and the gardens.
The Bird House is a labour of love. I want to protect and share the unique house my mum and dad built with their own hands. And I want to create two sets of gardens on the 2-acre block. One is for humans to enjoy, with lawns and garden beds and a BBQ and hammock. The other is a wild garden that attracts, protects and sustains native birds and other wildlife.

Alex is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly-rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Host details

Response rate: 67%
Responds within an hour
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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in after 4:00 pm
Checkout before 10:00 am
8 guests maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide alarm not reported
Smoke alarm