The sound of gentle waves lapping at the sand a few metres away joins sweeping water views at this classic coastal cottage.
Picture perfect positioning has 33 Rendlesham Ave, Mt Eliza, set above the bathing boxes along Ranelagh Beach, with a path winding down to the sand from the base of the property and a mature pine stretching out towards the water to frame sunset.
When Leslie and Jon Bensdorp discovered it was for sale they “bought it on the spot”, despite living in Sydney’s northern beaches at the time.
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Mr Bensdorp had walked past along the beach while visiting a friend in the area and knew it would be an ideal perch to retire to.
For Ms Bensdorp who was born near the Venetian coast in Italy, it seemed they were meant to live at the unique waterfront address. After her family moved to Argentina, she spent most of her school years living at No. 33 in a street in a town called Ranelagh — name for the same English village that gave the Mt Eliza hamlet its tag.
Be it fate or luck, their 22 years at the home have been idyllic.
“The balcony has been fabulous, we are always out there,” Ms Bensdorp said.
“We get the most amazing sunsets, it’s very much a happy entertainer’s home. And we are very, very private.
“The two houses next door to us are both owned by holiday makers, and they’re closer to the street. We are as close to the water as you can get here.”
Extensive sunlight finds its way into the home thanks to a northern vista across the bay. And the house is far enough down a slope that cold southerly winds don’t reach it.
Since moving in they’ve sanded and repainted the home’s original cedar timbers, extended the size of the bedrooms and added a bathroom, as well as updating the kitchen.
“And when we first moved here there was no front door at the front, you had to go down a passageway and to the balcony, so we added a proper entrance,” Ms Bensdorp said.
That door is a few steps down from a carport, which is itself set at the end of a private driveway between two homes on the street above — accentuating the home’s privacy.
From the main living space, the only signs of other people are beachgoers below or the occasional fishing boat or paddle boarder.
It’s the same view from the main bedroom, while a guest bedroom or study is set next to a private courtyard on the eastern side of the house.
Ms Bensdorp said while a village feel persisted, the area had become a lot more “cosmopolitan” since they moved into the neighbourhood 20 years ago.
Rather than wait for injury or age to force them to sell, the pair have decided to list now so they can leave the home on their own terms.
McEwing & Partners Mornington Peninsula director Quentin McEwing said the home’s position right against the beach was “just ridiculously good” and a “perfect escape from the world”.
“Walking into the property, what hits you the most is the presence of the beach right in front,” Mr McEwing said. “You are literally metres from the sand. You just can’t get real estate like that, with that orientation, that’s right on the beach.”
With a coastal cottage feel, the home had scope to be extended with a level below the main living zones — but a big part of its charm is the size.
Expressions of interest for 33 Rendlesham Ave are expected around $4m-$4.4m and close 4pm March 30.
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