Currawong receives top honours in the 2021 National Design Awards

Currawong on Pittwater are 10 heritage-listed Northern Beaches Council-run cottages accessible only by water and located on the beach, on the fringe of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

Council has described them as a northern beaches holiday experience like no other, and they are almost fully booked until Easter 2022.

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The restoration work on three cabins - Goanna, Blue Tongue and Kookaburra - and the games room has been acknowledged in this year's Building Designers Association of Australia National Design Awards.

The work saw the cabins retain their original simplicity, but added renovated bathrooms and kitchens, sweeping timber decks and energy-efficient features.

Steeped in history, the Currawong land was purchased in 1949 by the Labor Council of NSW (now Unions NSW) and operated as a union workers' holiday camp for 60 years.

The existing Currawong land parcel was created in around 1823 and a formal land grant was made in 1836 to Irish settler Martin Burke, referred to by local historians as the "Father of Pittwater".

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In early 2007, Unions NSW sold Currawong, amid much controversy, to developers and in early 2008 the property was included in the State Heritage Register.

In 2011, Currawong was acquired by the NSW State Government and Pittwater Council (now Northern Beaches Council) was appointed to manage the site and Currawong State Park was established.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said Council had joined the best of the best winning the Heritage building/adaptive reuse category in these national awards.

"Council worked closely with Heritage consultants and NSW Heritage to ensure the restorations preserved the cabins' rich history while enhancing guest comfort," he said.

"The result is beautiful, sustainable, highly functional cabins which enhance and perpetuate the local environment for all our community to enjoy for years to come."

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Council has announced that more cabins would be restored with $1.5 million in funding being received from the NSW Government. The works are expected to commence in April and be completed by December 2022.

The cabins are available to book here.

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