The Little Black Shack

Beach house in Great Mackerel Beach, Sydney, NSW, AU

100% Recommended•

4 people

No pets

This original timber and sandstone fisherman's cottage on the water’s edge of Pittwater's stunning Mackerel Beach has been lovingly restored into a beautiful, secluded beach and bush hideaway and couple's retreat.

Perfectly positioned, the Little Black Shack’s North East aspect lets you wake to the sunrise over Palm Beach headland and enjoy the sun all day long. The sea breeze keeps the shack cool during summer whilst the tree-lined ridge of Ku-ring-gai National Park behind, shelters it from the cold southerly winds during winter. With its rustic, hand built sandstone open fireplace, comfy leather chairs, soft cowhide rugs and full-length window box seat, The Little Black Shack is also a cosy winter cabin.

Just metres from the water, every room features windows and French or barn doors opening out to uninterrupted views of Mackerel Beach, Pittwater, Barrenjoey Headland, Palm Beach and beyond.

Mackerel Beach has no road access. Transport to the beach via the Palm Beach ferry, private boat or water taxi.

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Features and Amenities

2 bedrooms

2 beds

1 bathroom

Bath

BBQ

Hammock

Details

Check in after 3:00pm
Check out before 11:00am
Weekday minimum booking: 2 nights
Weekend minimum booking: 2 nights

Cancellation Policy:

Receive a 50% refund of the total booking amount (minus service fee) up until 1 week prior to check-in.

STRA Registration: PID-STRA-8431

Additional Information

SHACK DETAILS
The interior features recycled and hand made furniture with an eclectic mix of nautical antiques and collectables gathered from travels around the world and forages along the beach.

The window seat spanning the full length of the front of the lounge room, is the perfect spot to relax with a good book, chill out with your own playlist, take a nap or gaze out of any one of the 6 windows overlooking the stunning beaches and bay.

- Two bedrooms and one bathroom/sleeps four
- Open plan lounge, dining and gourmet chefs' kitchen
- Hand built sandstone fireplace with wood fire heater
- Floor to ceiling bookcase with extensive library
- Large flat screen TV with Netflix
- Latest Bose sound Wi-Fi stereo in living room and bedroom
- Six windows overlooking the beach below and the bay
- Original sandstone bathroom features a beautiful bath and a large copper shower with amazing water views

KITCHEN FEATURES
- Commercial-grade cookware
- Microwave
- Ilve gas stove
- Electric oven
- Fresh herbs in the kitchen garden

BEDROOMS
- King bed with access to a private lawn and garden
- Queen bed with private terrace
- Water views

OUTDOOR FEATURES
- Pizza oven
- Charcoal BBQ/fireplace
- Alfresco living, dining, cooking and entertaining
- Outdoor shower
- Hammock
- Small covered balcony and bar area

There is a large north-facing sun deck at the front of the shack and a covered terrace and outdoor hand-built sandstone kitchen. Featuring a pizza oven and charcoal BBQ/fireplace this space is perfect for all day alfresco living, dining, cooking and entertaining.

There is an outdoor shower set amongst the trees half way down the front steps leading to a secluded sandy beach at low tide. Here you can rinse off after swimming or shower under the stars on warm summer evenings. The cottage is surrounded by native coastal gardens and terraced grass level areas overlooking the water and shaded by huge Frangipani trees.

Relax in deck chairs on the sun decks and terrace or in a hammock under the shade of the old Frangipani trees around the cottage. Dine under the outdoor pergola on summer nights with meals prepared in the wood-fired pizza oven or on the charcoal BBQ.

ECO FRIENDLY
The Little Black Shack is completely eco friendly. Windows, barn doors and French doors allow the sea breeze to circulate and cool the house in summer while the open sandstone fireplace warms the house during winter using firewood collected from fallen trees off the property. Rainwater is harvested for bathing and washing which is recycled to irrigate the main garden. The grounds also feature a small kitchen garden to provide you with fresh herbs. When it comes to the interiors, if we couldn’t find it second hand, we made it by hand, from recycled, repurposed and found materials. Candles and oil lanterns are provided for alternative lighting.

PLEASE NOTE
There are no shops on Mackerel Beach so we encourage you to bring your own food supplies. We do offer a fully stocked gourmet pantry for all the basics and a herb garden to pick herbs of your choice.

Local restaurants are a ferry or water taxi ride away.

Prices

Base Price $750 / night
Weekend Price $950 / night
Cleaning Fee $350
Security Deposit $500

Finding fulfillment

Based on traveller reviews, these are the top fulfilling moments experienced while staying here. Learn more

Unplugged

Spontaneity

Groundedness

Reviews (5)

100% Recommended

Boudicea

17 Jan 2025

The Little Black Shack was an unforgettable place - thank you so much for having our family stay.

Challenge

Groundedness

Rejuvenation

Excitement

Spontaneity

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Shayne

16 Dec 2024

The Little Black Shack was an absolute adventure from start to finish! Just getting there felt like a fun little mission, but that’s what made it so special—you really feel like you’ve discovered your... own private paradise.

We spent our days kayaking around Sinclair Point (saw a kid catch his first shark which was cool!), strolling to Resolute Beach with a sunbaking goanna keeping us on our toes, and cooling off at the beach below the shack, with Chardonnay in hand. Evenings were all about wood-fired pizza experiments (tip: herbs from the garden is a must).

Every little detail about the shack is perfection—it’s rustic, stylish, and packed with character. It’s the kind of place that makes you forget what day it is and just live in the moment. We’re already counting down to our next visit!

Freedom

Excitement

Spontaneity

Joy

Groundedness

Slowness

Peacefulness

Unplugged

Runa

14 Dec 2024

Absolutely loved The little black shack! Such a great design and quiet place. Perfect for a little getaway. Ingrid was very nice and quick response. Thank you so much for making our stay special!

Host

Ingrid

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Great Mackerel Beach

1Listings

As young wanderers we spent many years travelling and living in some amazing places all over the world. In 1994 we decided to make the beautiful and peaceful Pittwater area our home. Since then we always admired (from a boat) a tiny, original, hand-built fishermen's shack right on the waters edge. In 2013 we were lucky enough to finally make that shack our own. And so began our 2 year, environmentally friendly restoration to create a special, low impact escape for our family and friends. Passionate about the environment and sustainability we decided to share The Little Beach Shack with like-minded guests. Our aim is simple: positively influence our environment, one couple, one weekend at a time. Enjoy, Ingrid & Jamie

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Adventures on the Property

These are the exclusive natural wonders and outdoor activities within the property boundaries.

Snorkeling Swimming

Explore this slice of paradise with palm trees, sandy beaches and calm crystal clear waters. Snorkel or swim this secluded and stunning beach and discover a whole new underwater world.

Mackerel Beach

As Mackerel Beach is only accessible by ferry, water taxi or private boat, this quaint waterside retreat is the perfect escape from the everyday hustle of city life.

Woodfired Pizza Making

While this isn't an adventure that takes you off road, it certainly feels like an adventure nonetheless. Getting the pizza oven blazing and making our own dough was such a fulfilling and delicious experience, and made us appreciate the art form that is authentic pizza making even more!

Photo 1 for Kayaking Great Mackerel from the rocks below the shack

Kayaking Great Mackerel From The Rocks Below The Shack

Clamber down the rocks in front of the shack and grab the two kayaks, and set out for a paddle with a view of the shack, the Palm Beach headland, and the Basin just around the corner.

Outdoor Equipment Provided

Enjoy the outdoors with the following equipment included in your stay.

Snorkle set (2)

Kayak (2)

Guests are welcome to use the 2 kayaks, fishing reels and tackle and snorkelling gear. There is also a beach umbrella supplied for shade.

Location

The map shows the listing location and awesome adventures nearby.

Listing location

Adventures nearby

Adventures Nearby

Here are some details about the adventures nearby. Refer to the map for their location.

Fishing At Mackerel Beach

Try your luck fishing from the beach or wharf at this idyllic location. Throw a line in and you may catch squid, yellowtail or flathead.

Sunset

We enjoyed an nice evening walk to watch the sunset (or sunrise) by the Mackerel Beach Wharf

Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park The Basin Track And Mackerel Track

The Basin track and Mackerel track offer beautiful ocean views, as well as one of Sydney's best Aboriginal Art sites. On this walk you will see a range of landscape including heathlands, grassy woodlands and dry eucalypt forests. The Basin track is 6.4km return, and Mackerel track is 3.2km return.

Ferry

We love spending time on the water and the drowned valley estuary of Pittwater is a great spot to do so. You don’t need your own boat or kayak to get around, when there’s two ferry services running, one around Pittwater and the other all the way to the Central Coast.

Coffee Or Lunch At Barrenjoey House

If you're craving a meal out, catch the ferry back across to Palm Beach and wander over to Barrenjoey House for great coffee and a good feed.

Barrenjoey Lighthouse

The Barrenjoey Lighthouse is a heritage-listed lighthouse at Barrenjoey Headland, Palm Beach. Take an easy and picturesque walk along Barrenjoey track and then walk to the top of the headland via the Smugglers Track to see panoramic views of Palm Beach, Lion Island and the central coast.