2019-10-01 Singapore Tatler

Travel / LIFE

New South Wales is home to some of the best beaches in Australia,

but get off  the beaten track and you will uncover the region’s creative heart

BY HASHIRIN NURIN HASHIMI

Artful Encounters

IMAGES: DYLAN COOPER, HALCYON HOUSE AND TWEED REGIONAL GALLERY COLLECTION © MARGARET OLLEY ART TRUST

S

urfers fl ock to Byron Bay for its point breaks,

while Hollywood stars (read: Chris Hemsworth)

retreat to this beachside town on the north coast

of New South Wales for “a much more simple

life”. But these days, it is the neighbouring

Cabarita Beach on the Tweed Coast that

deserves its time in the sun, which alas, was elusive when I

visited at the start of the Antipodean winter in June.

Not that it mattered much, for the Tweed region

proved to be a destination for all seasons. With its

unspoiled beaches and world-class surf breaks to one of

the country’s most biodiverse regions with the Wollumbin

Mount Warning caldera at its peak, it was a surprise to fi nd

it not overrun by crowds. Tucked between star-studded

Byron Bay and family-favourite Gold Coast, Tweed is

“quintessentially Australian”, enthused Mauro De Riso,

general manager of Halcyon House, the Instagram-famous

boutique hotel in Cabarita Beach.

Nature aside, Tweed is also home to an eclectic creative

community, with a fl ourishing culinary reputation—and

Halcyon House is at the forefront of this awakening.

Since it opened in 2015, the idyllic beachfront property

has become a destination in itself, as is its two-hatted

(the Australian equivalent to Michelin stars) restaurant,

Paper Daisy. Helmed by chef Jason Barratt, formerly of

Attica in Melbourne, the restaurant’s coastal cooking—

modern Australian with a touch of Mediterranean—uses

produce from the region.

Located just 15min from the Gold Coast Airport, the

restored 1960s surf motel was given a stylish makeover

by Brisbane-based interior designer Anna Spiro. Despite

its Hamptons-style design aesthetic, anchored in Spiro’s

signature blue and white palette and accented with lush

sofas, bold rugs and whimsical drawings by New York

designers and artists, a distinctly laid-back Australian

feel pervades the entire property. More so within its

21 rooms and suites, where no two spaces are alike, and

each features a curious mix of wall fabrics, original art

and vintage objects, while fl oor-to-ceiling sliding doors

overlook the poolside and spectacular coastline—easily

my favourite view.

So is it any wonder that this sparkling gem is an artistic

muse for one of its chefs, Dylan Cooper, who is also a

professional artist? Having been with the hotel since its

With its chic blue and white palette, Halcyon House (opposite) serves as artistic muse for chef-artist Dylan Cooper and his ongoing series featuring

vignettes of the boutique hotel (above left); Wildfl owers with Pears (1973) (above right) by the late Australian painter Margaret Olley

singapore tatler. october 2019 199