Located in the picturesque Jervis Bay in New South Wales, Australia, Bethany Beach House, is a beautiful holiday home with a beautiful story. Three Birds Reno Schooler, Tanya Dunne, and her hubby, Mike, created the property with giving back to others in mind. Their inspiration came from many weeks spent over the years at Bethany Beach, Delaware, USA with their dear friend and breast cancer survivor, Jean.

Their goal was to create a place where other families and friends can gather to make their own “beach week memories” that last for years to come. Tanya and Mike donate $50 from each completed booking to Australian Breast Cancer Research. It’s the holiday home that keeps on giving.

Come take a look inside Bethany Beach House and read the story of her creation …

TELL US ABOUT YOUR VISION FOR BETHANY BEACH HOUSE

Our vision was to create a very special luxury holiday house - a coastal Hamptons getaway - a home away from home - where family and friends can come together and relax. A fully stocked and gorgeously renovated house with plenty of gathering spaces and resting spaces where all you need to bring is your overnight bag. You don't even need to bring a book - we have plenty!

AND THERE’S A VERY SPECIAL STORY BEHIND THIS LUXURY HOLIDAY HOME…

Yes, this special beach house is inspired by our dear friend Jean from the Eastern Shore in Maryland USA (originally from Washington DC). We taught at a private school together many years ago. It was not long after we met that Jean discovered she had numerous breast cancers. She went through chemotherapy and other treatments and a double mastectomy. Thankfully, she survived. That summer we rented a beach house on Campbell Place, Bethany Beach, Delaware and our special beach house memories began. This was 1997.

We have rented a beach house in the same street in Bethany Beach almost every year since then. I have travelled back from wherever I was working (Brussels, Melbourne, Washington DC) to spend that special beach week with Jean and her son. Jean survived a second bout of breast cancer around ten years after her first. She soldiers on and we keep going back to Bethany. We have made some wonderful memories from those beach weeks. Memories of a lifetime that last a lifetime.

While we cannot all be in Bethany Beach, we can recreate the loving and relaxing beach house feel for families and friends here in Australia.

Our goal is to create a very special luxury holiday house that is warm and inviting with all the amenities you would need to have a relaxing coastal getaway with family and friends. A space where you can stay and play together and experience all the delights Jervis Bay has to offer and create memories to last a lifetime. We want to see you come back again to continue your adventure.

It doesn’t take much to make for a very special holiday - a fully stocked house, your home away from home, beaches, nature walks, and shops close by, some comfy chairs, good books and games, and time to sit back, relax and enjoy each other’s company. It is the time you spend together that matters.

Downstairs Wetroom (was garage) -after.jpg

HOW DID THREE BIRDS RENO SCHOOL HELP YOU CREATE BETHANY BEACH HOUSE?

By far the best thing I learned from the Reno School is the importance of getting the right team together and nurturing that relationship. We were so fortunate to have a very knowledgeable and experienced NSW South Coast builder who would listen to my ideas (from my vision board and from recommendations of Reno School suppliers), provide helpful options, and execute to perfection. He organised all the trades, local of course, and went over and above what we had expected. The relationship with our builder was so important given we were in lockdown for most of the build in Melbourne so could not get to the site. We spent a lot of time on the phone, including video calls, to walk through options where decisions were mainly made on the spot and to keep me updated on progress. He was the best partner I could have asked for to build this special beach house.
In contrast, I had made an earlier decision to get the driveway done before the main build. I had found a local concreter. I was doing this from Melbourne and had to rely on him doing the right thing. The driveway (exposed aggregate) was done incorrectly and without going through the required council approvals (when I was told otherwise). I learned a lot from that experience about ensuring you have the right paperwork, speak to the council directly if unsure, and importantly ensure you have the right team. At the end of the day, our builder worked with the council and corrected the work to help us out. Without it we would not have received our occupancy certificate. It cost us significant money, stress and delay. Next time I will work through the builder unless it is a contractor that I know and trust.

Once we had created this special beach house to share with others, we had to find the right partners to run it for us who shared our vision of exceptional service, attention to detail, creating experiences, and looking after others. We were fortunate to find Supercalla Private Properties who are fantastic and are bringing this vision alive for our guests.

What did you LOVE most about RENO SCHOOL?

I learned so much from the Reno School. It is hard to say what I loved the most about the course. So many good tips and tricks and very helpful on the little things, like understanding the lingo when speaking with tradies. Knowing what to ask gives you confidence and helps build a relationship with your builder. Putting in the time upfront to plan and budget is critical. While I did a lot of preparation in planning, my budgeting skills could be better. The Reno School templates are a very helpful resource.

It was very helpful to be part of a team going through this and learning together. It was worth every cent and more. I also appreciated the Three Birds enthusiasm and willingness to share stories (good and bad).