{"id":9710,"date":"2026-07-08T15:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=9710"},"modified":"2026-04-25T15:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:48:14","slug":"kims-beach-hideaway-history-toowoon-bay-luxury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/kims-beach-hideaway-history-toowoon-bay-luxury\/","title":{"rendered":"Kims Beach Hideaway: A Layered History of Luxury and Spies at Toowoon Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Words by Dorian Mode Photography Kims Beachside Retreat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With petrol prices doing what they\u2019re doing and the Prime Minister urging restraint, the idea of travelling far begins to feel faintly irresponsible. Fortunately, Kims Beach Hideaway offers a luxury escape much closer to home \u2013 and your dog is welcome too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kims\u2019 story begins in 1886 with a seafaring merchant of some vision, Captain Frans Charlson. Sailing his trading route to Norfolk Island, he would pause at a sheltered inlet then known as Chinaman\u2019s Bay, drawn by a freshwater spring that ran down to a clean ribbon of yellow sand. He saw more than a place to refill barrels. He saw a place to linger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlson established what he called \u201cThe Camp\u201d at nearby Toowoon Bay, bringing guests with him on his voyages and collecting them on the return leg. It was, in effect, one of the earliest holiday packages, albeit with fewer brochures and more sea spray. He planted more than a hundred Norfolk Island pines along the coast, many of which still stand today, a quietly imposing legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accommodation was basic. Tents at first, then simple timber cabins, built from local hardwood hauled in by bullock teams from Tumbi Umbi, a Darkinjung name meaning \u2018place of tall trees.\u2019 A slab kitchen doubled as a dining room, and a brass bell summoned guests three times a day. In an era when pocket watches and sandy beaches did not agree, the bell was both practical and ceremonial, and it rang on for more than a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Southern end beach cabins known as ‘Siberia’, now no.20 Beach to South Beach \u2013 late 1950s<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Kim’s Camp \u2013 Down the path<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Historical swimsuits<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In its early years, Kims was a gentlemen\u2019s retreat. Women were admitted only around the turn of the century, at a time when a day at the beach involved more fabric than water. Daylight bathing was, remarkably, illegal until 1902.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1920s brought a new chapter with the arrival of the McKimmins brothers, Americans who had already made their mark opening Sydney\u2019s first ice cream parlours. They purchased the camp, improved the accommodation, and lent it their name. \u201cKims Camp\u201d was born. Comfort, however, remained relative. Guests could expect bare timber walls, iron beds with kapok mattresses, and a chamber pot for late\u2013night diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1940s, the property passed to a retired British army colonel with a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that reads like fiction. Colonel Clive Loc Hughes\u2013Hallett had studied Japanese before the war, won a scholarship to Tokyo University, and quietly taken hundreds of clandestine photographs with a miniature camera. He later travelled through Vladivostok and across Siberia, reporting to British intelligence. By the time he arrived on the Central Coast, he brought with him both stories and, one suspects, a few lingering connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After World War II, the Colonel acquired the camp, shortened the name to simply \u201cKims,\u201d and maintained its traditions with military precision. The dining room flourished under his watch, the bell still calling guests to the table as it had since Charlson\u2019s time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Captain Frans Charlson Founder of “The Camp”<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then came a curious footnote in Australian Cold War history. During the 1950s, amid the fallout of the Petrov Affair, Vladimir and Evdokia Petrov were quietly hidden at Kims. For several months, Mr Petrov worked as a gardener, Mrs Petrov in the scullery. It was all handled with discretion, though not without a touch of gallows humour. A cluster of cabins at the far end of the property became known, with a wink, as \u201cSiberia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1957, Haldane and Marie Strachan, along with their son Andrew, arrived and eventually took ownership as the Colonel retired. The name evolved to Kims on the Beach, and later to Kims Beach Hideaway, but the underlying character remained intact, quietly refined rather than reinvented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, traces of that layered past are still visible. The cabins carry a faintly nautical air with their timber finishes and porthole skylights. At night, Norah Head Lighthouse blinks steadily to the north, as it would have for Charlson more than a century ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you stay, you may notice the resident jazz pianist working through a set of classics with the ease of long familiarity. He has been playing here for over twenty\u2013five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it happens, he also wrote this history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

handy websites & links<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

www.kims.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

fast facts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location:<\/strong> Toowoon Bay, Central Coast NSW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting there:<\/strong> Around 90 minutes from Sydney, or a short, smug drive if you\u2019re already on the Central Coast. Follow the road through Gosford and you\u2019re there, just behind the dunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vibe:<\/strong> Adults\u2013only coastal retreat tucked behind lush gardens. Relaxed, low\u2013key, and quietly luxurious without making a fuss about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rooms:<\/strong> Freestanding bungalows and spa villas set amongst sub\u2013tropical gardens, many with ocean glimpses. Private, peaceful, and refreshingly disconnected. A small number of cabins are dog\u2013friendly, so your well\u2013behaved local can come along for the stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dining:<\/strong> On\u2013site restaurant included with most stays, long regarded as one of the Coast\u2019s more reliable fine dining experiences. No theatrics, just consistently good food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facilities:<\/strong> Direct beach access, some cabins have a heated pool, spas, and Kims has beautifully maintained gardens that do most of the talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best for:<\/strong> Couples, midweek escapes, or locals pretending they\u2019ve gone much further than the Central Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not ideal for:<\/strong> Kids, large groups, or anyone chasing late nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearby:<\/strong> Bouddi National Park coastal walks, Long Jetty caf\u00e9s, and some of the best low\u2013key scenery on the Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price guide:<\/strong> From around $700\u2013$1,200 per night depending on season and inclusions. Close to home, but it still feels like a proper getaway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Words by Dorian Mode Photography Kims Beachside Retreat With petrol prices doing what they\u2019re doing and the Prime Minister urging restraint, the idea of travelling far begins to feel faintly…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[75,45,70],"series":[],"class_list":["post-9710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-article","tag-dorian-mode","tag-lydia-thorpe"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/Early-Cabins-Restored2.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"

Kims Beach Hideaway: A Layered History of Luxury and Spies at Toowoon Bay<\/a><\/blockquote>