4 Childe Street: The ultimate Byron Bay beachfront retreat
At the farthest reach of Byron Bay’s coveted Belongil Peninsula, 4 Childe Street sits where the road ends and the landscape begins to exhale.
As the last private residence before the coastline yields to protected beach and bushland, it occupies a singular, almost sacred place on the Australian shoreline.
The home belongs to Kurt Rettenmaier and his wife, Leah, Byron locals since the early ’90s.
Kurt, a singer-songwriter turned entrepreneur, and Leah, a devoted philanthropist, have built a life anchored in creativity and community. They’ve raised five children, with this property serving as their cherished family retreat in recent years.
“That first morning, I woke before the sun,” Leah recalls. “Not because of an alarm, but because the light asked me to.
“I stepped outside; the world hadn’t yet begun. It was just me, a lone wallaby in the bush fringe and the vast, endless stretch of Pacific blue.”
Geographically blessed, moments like this come with the territory. The property is uniquely cradled between two bodies of water – the ocean out front with its white sand, rolling waves and open sky, and Belongil Creek at the rear – a tranquil stretch edged by mangroves and a protected bird sanctuary.
“When the southerly winds pick up, the beach is beautifully sheltered, and when a northerly comes through, the creek side becomes the perfect escape,” Kurt says.
“Mornings begin with the most magical sunrises over the ocean, and in the evening, the light shifts with breathtaking sunsets over the creek.”
Few addresses in Byron Bay offer both seclusion and beach access. And fewer still offer it without a road separating you from the sand.
“Other prestige areas in Byron, like Wategos, are beautiful, but they’re busy with a somewhat fishbowl effect,” says Kim Jones of Kim Jones & Co.
“What makes this property so rare is the sense of seclusion combined with absolute beachfront.”
The house itself sits gently in the landscape – not competing with it, but designed to let it in. It has a grassy knoll above the sea, a detached studio, and stairs that lead directly to the beach.
Inside, barefoot living feels like the natural state.
“We wanted the detached studio to feel like a little retreat – somewhere peaceful but also practical, with the outdoor tub for rinsing off after long, sandy beach days,” Leah says.
“There have been so many beautiful moments framed by those arched doorways, but it’s the sunsets that are always the most talked about and most photographed.”
The couple say a typical morning begins at the top of the property, letting the early sun wash over them in a moment that feels peaceful and grounding.
From there, it’s a slow walk along the sand – a quiet ritual that might lead into town for a few supplies, coffee at the beachside markets or a solitary wander north towards Brunswick.
“Some mornings you’ll spot dolphins cruising the waves or whales breaching in the distance if the season’s right,” Kurt says. “When the surf’s up, there’s this quiet buzz in the air – the kind that comes from living somewhere the ocean sets the rhythm.”
Creekside moments hold their own charm. The family would often paddle together to the Elements resort and spa, drifting through what they describe as “a hidden jungle”.
“During high tide, the water turns crystal clear and the mangroves rise around you,” Leah says. “In the late afternoon, light on the creek becomes so golden and reflective it’s impossible to tell where the water ends and the sky begins.
“All the while, our resident pelican, flying fish and low-flying birds move together in harmony.”
In a place where time flows quietly with the tide, get-togethers tend to blur into the landscape. Impromptu dinners stretch long past sunset, and friends who come for lunch can end up staying for days.
“The children would race between the ocean and the creek, climb trees and dart from the trampoline to the skate ramp before collapsing into the spa, still buzzing from sun and salt,” Kurt says.
“Nearly every evening ended by the fire pit, sharing stories and playing music under skies so clear they pulled your gaze upwards.”
This feature is part of a Prestige Estates package.
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