East Coast buyers will drop their jaw at the price paid by Lesa Hinchliffe — long-term partner to retailer Rick Hart — for a double-story home, 30 metres from the beach and only one hour from the CBD.
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Guilderton cost only $920,000, selling through real estate agent Peter Turner.
Ms Hinchliffe recently sold another local holiday home to upgrade to the beachfront at the seaside town where she has been holidaying since she was two years old.
She said Guilderton — where the Moore River meets the Indian Ocean — was a hidden gem, surrounded by undulating coastal dunes and tranquil estuaries teeming with marine and wildlife.
She and Hart like to boat along the river and watch duneboarders surf down the hills before skimming onto the river.
![Lesa Hinchliffe’s bought a holiday home at Guilderton is only 30m from the ocean, for a price that would stun east coast buyers.](https://timesofsydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/7b3498cc4670cf65cb6341945f914543d4b1ff0b.jpg)
![Living area in the Guilderton home.](https://timesofsydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/da6d1cb8c590c18efc8824c93fc5fa6dfd5d0db8.jpg)
“I bought a house in the town 20 years ago so my children had the opportunity to experience what Guilderton has to offer,” she said.
Hart described the town as a place that is “like going back in time” for its simple pleasures and its laid-back atmosphere.
But the secret is getting out, with Guilderton’s median prices increasing 57 per cent to $600,000 in the past four years.
![Lesa Hinchliffe & Rick Hart enjoy the seaside town of Guilderton, which has experienced a boom in recent years. Picture by John Koh. John Koh](https://timesofsydney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/d4d61910d13eaf0cbd184cc3771e3415d1c03fd7.jpg)
Hinchliffe is currently renovating the property and will rent it on Airbnb when not using it.