A million years ago, between COVID pandemic lockdowns, we escaped to Great Mackerel Beach for a weekend away. Little did we know we were in for a love adventure.

As soon as we finished carrying our poorly chosen luggage and beverage choices (read: heavy) into the house we'd rented further up on the headland, we felt as if we were on another planet, totally removed from the mess back home.

As time ticked away, we kept returning to Mackerel Beach as often as we could, always dreaming to buy something one day.

One of us grew up on an island, and the other spent a lot of time on a houseboat, which would be taken to where the roads don't go.

Pinned to Sydney for work, we thought Great Mackerel Beach gave us both the opportunity to rekindle some of those core memories.

            our first weekend in Mackerel

            our first weekend in Mackerel Shackerel

As luck would have it, eventually one of the properties we had been eyeing off came up for sale.

We inspected the property (with our newborn!), reminded ourselves of the Mackerel magic, and in mid-2026 we got the phone call that would change our lives: we owned a small slice of paradise.

As our little family slept, we repaired what was broken, refurbished what we could, and replaced what we needed. The job list only seems to get longer, but so does the list of memories made in this special place.

The final result is nothing world changing - it's still just a shack(erel) - but it changed our world.

We hope you come visit, and we hope you enjoy your stay with us on Great Mackerel Beach.

PS we couldn't agree on a name and Mack Shack seemed too simple - I think Mackerel Shackerel is growing on us. Let us know what you think of it!