Dean & Lorraine Gardner

We have both lived in the Darwin for over 20 years. Being very keen anglers we organised and ran the first Junior Fishing Clinic in the NT thought the Arafura Game and Sportfishing Club at the Mandorah Hotel in 1991.

Although we had not previously spent any time across the harbour, the area appealed to us. One Sunday afternoon in mid 1992 we drove around to Mandorah/Wagait Beach to have a closer look at the area. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine we would buy a one acre beachfront property. The then owners Ted and Lila Nottley lived next door to their vacant block for sale. We didn’t need much convincing. It took a chat with Ted & Lila, a week to organise $$ and another drive over the gravel and very corrugated Cox Peninsula Road to do the final deal.

BUILDING THE DREAM

The shed was built with amenities at the end of 1992. From then until we moved permanently to the area in 2006 many a weekend was spent relaxing and unwinding from work and play in Darwin. Friends from near and far borrowed the key for rest and relaxation. If the shed could talk there would be stories, some of which are probably best left untold.

We still pinch ourselves regularly knowing we live in such a tranquil setting so close to Darwin. Dean commutes by ferry each day to work. We can enjoy both a city and rural life with only kilometres between. Our recreational interests range from fishing to photography, beach walks to exploring the wetlands and Dean has his shed for his mechanical interests.

Cyclone : I can’t leave Cyclone our staffy out as he has won the hearts of many guests and his name comes up regularly in the guest book. Cyclone has a fenced area on the road side of the house with no access to the guest area. He thinks he is human and has the ability to con guests into taking him for a walk along the beach.

Bed and Breakfast Lure Inn:

Dean collects old fish memorabilia including fishing lures. As a gift a friends painted an underwater scene on a peg board in the shed so Dean could display his lures. The shed became known as “The Lure Inn” - hence the name B&B Lure Inn.

Work commenced on our new home in May 2006 and we moved into our one bedroom wing in early 2007. The final inspection to gain certification as a B&B was in September 2007. During the development we endeavoured to make the least possible environmental footprint on the block. The NT Government’s EcoBiz has recently completed an audit which we easily passed.

Our first guests drove past and saw our sign on the front fence in October 2007. We have met some amazingly nice people since we commenced operation and would welcome every one of them back at any time. Our guest book is filled with beautiful words and positive comments. Word of mouth has been by far our best marketing tool. The gratitude we receive from guests for allowing them to share our private piece of paradise has been well above our expectations.