On a north facing point in Gardners Bay, where the sheltered waters of Helms Bay open out toward Port Cygnet and the wider D'Entrecasteaux Channel, there is a kind of quiet privilege that is almost impossible to create. It comes from geography first, from the way this particular shoreline turns its back to the south, takes the sun willingly, and holds the water close like a private harbour. It comes from the rare alignment of things that do not often appear together in southern Tasmania. A lovingly restored character cottage with genuine waterfront presence, an old slipway that now functions as a boat ramp, and a private jetty reaching into calm, protected water where your mooring sits as naturally as a set of keys on the kitchen bench.
The home began life with the honesty and grace of a Federation era residence, the current owners have treated that legacy with the sort of respect that is easy to feel as you walk through. High ceilings and pressed metal details in the original four rooms, while Tasmanian oak floorboards and carefully chosen finishes carry the period tone forward. Even where the house has been extended and opened up for modern living, the additions have been handled with restraint. Rather than competing with the past, they echo it. The result is a home that feels coherent and complete, as if it has always known how it wanted to live.
Inside, the atmosphere is both warm and quietly theatrical. Bedrooms hold the kind of scale that older homes do best, with a sense of calm that encourages slow mornings and long stays. Character elements are not treated as museum pieces but as everyday pleasures, a pressed tin ceiling, leadlight and timber detail catching the light, fireplaces and thoughtful heating that make winter not something to endure but something to enjoy. In the newer living, dining and kitchen zone, the house turns confidently toward the view, drawing your attention outward to the water and the changing theatre of sky, tide and boat traffic. This is a room designed for real life, for the clatter of a good meal and conversation, for quiet afternoons with a book and the sort of horizon that asks nothing of you.
Step outside and the property's true rarity becomes unmistakable. The deck, facing north, is positioned like a grandstand over your own piece of coast. It looks across the jetty and mooring, holds the sun through the day, and offers an outdoor entertaining set up that feels closer to a private retreat than a typical waterfront residence. Under a remote controlled shuttered roof, with low maintenance decking beneath your feet, the terrace links directly to a hot tub and sauna, with a bold outdoor fireplace feature nearby that turns evenings into an occasion. This is where the day stretches out, where friends linger longer than intended, where winter gatherings become memorable and summer mornings begin barefoot with coffee and a view.
For the boating enthusiast, the infrastructure is the headline. The slipway, rails still tracking down into the water, is not simply a relic. It is a practical, usable boat ramp, a genuine asset that transforms the way you live here. Launch the runabout, tie up at the jetty, head out through the channel to explore coves and inlets, or take the kayak along the shoreline when the bay is glassy and quiet. Fishing, sailing, swimming and crabbing are not weekend plans that require effort, they are simply what you do when you live on a point like this. Even the small details feel like they belong, the places along the foreshore to sit with watercraft, the natural oyster beds on the rocks, the calm protected feel of the bay that makes it a joy.
The adjoining foreshore reserve, leased from the Crown is minimal cost, which effectively expands the feeling of the property beyond its title boundary. Lawn and garden roll down toward the water's edge, creating a park like openness that is rarely available in true waterfront settings. Privacy is gained by the gentle presence of reserve land and the way the point itself gives you breathing room. It is the kind of place where, once you arrive, the outside world seems to lose its urgency.
A resting piece of maritime history. The old hull of the yacht Varg sits on the foreshore like a colossal sculpture, a conversation starter and a tribute to the owners' appreciation of story and place. It is the sort of feature that can only exist in a home like this, where history is not an abstract idea but a lived backdrop, where the shoreline has always been a working edge between land and water.
Beyond the main residence, the property offers flexibility for family and guests, with additional accommodation spaces that speak to the home's past as a place people come to stay, gather, and return. A separate bunkhouse style retreat, is ready for visiting grandchildren, friends, or that summer overflow. There is also a separate studio or workshop zone with enormous potential for creative pursuits, storage, or a dedicated space away from the main house, and buyers can undertake their own enquiries regarding approvals and permitted use for any existing fit out.
All of this sits only minutes from Cygnet, one of the Huon Valley's most loved townships, known for its arts community, cafes, galleries and local producers. Hobart is within comfortable reach, yet the moment you arrive here you feel a different pace take hold. This is a property that offers a life shaped by weather and water, by simple rituals and rare comforts, by sunrise over the bay, the quiet satisfaction of having your boat, your jetty and your view all waiting at home.
In a market where "waterfront" often means a glimpse between trees or a road between you and the shore, this is the real thing. Properties with this combination do not present often, when they do, they tend to stay in the memory, because once you have stood on that deck and watched the light move across the bay, it is hard to imagine living anywhere else.
Rates $2,500 approx p.a
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