Oyster Catcher Huskisson
How one family turned their beach house into a benchmark for low impact luxury.
Nestled in a quiet enclave of the NSW South Coast, just minutes from the crystal-clear waters of Jervis Bay, Oyster Catcher Huskisson offers a serene getaway. More than just a holiday home, this thoughtfully designed three-bedroom retreat invites families, friends and couples to slow down, unwind and make memories that linger long after the holiday ends.
For owners Abby and Phil Cowlishaw, Oyster Catcher Huskisson began as a deeply personal dream. During COVID, as their family grew, they found themselves longing for more space; a place that they could retreat to and share with their community.
“What mattered most was this: it had to be forever. After years of travel across countries and cities, Oyster Catcher would become our constant. A place that evolves with us yet always holds room for the most important thing of all: our family,” Abby shared.
“At its heart, our motivation was simple: to create a place where friends, families and couples could slow down, feel truly cared for, and soak in the natural magic of Huskisson without noise or pretence.”
As avid eco-conscious travellers, Abby and Phil were determined that Oyster Catcher’s sustainability efforts go beyond good intentions. As such, the team adopted a systematic approach using Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, which allowed them to measure their practices against global standards, strengthen accountability, and uncover opportunities for continual improvement, ensuring the property truly reflected their environmental values.
“We believe sustainability shouldn’t be an afterthought – it should be part of the everyday part of hosting. The Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard offered a structured, credible framework to help us understand where we were performing well and where we could improve.”
Built on globally recognised certification standards, the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard provides tourism operators with a snapshot of their sustainability journey, assessing performance across 50 criteria in Sustainable Management, Environmental Impacts, Socio-Economic Impacts, and Cultural Impacts. For Oyster Catcher, the scorecard offered a way to benchmark practices, translate broad sustainability goals into tangible actions, and set clear benchmarks for continuous improvement.
“The greatest benefit was clarity. The scorecard turned broad sustainability goals into tangible actions. It gave us a benchmark for accountability and a roadmap for continuous improvement.
It also strengthened our ability to confidently communicate our efforts. Offering guests transparency and showing them that their stay supports meaningful environmental care.”
Oyster Catcher’s sustainability initiatives are wide-ranging and deeply integrated into both the design and daily operation of the property. The house is solar-powered, captures rainwater, and is single-use plastic-free. Hot water is solar-heated, and reverse brick veneer walls combined with clerestory windows reduce energy demand and maintain a consistent indoor temperature, even on warmer days.
These conscious decisions have measurable impacts. Between 2024 and 2025, Oyster Catcher reduced electricity usage by 27% and water consumption by 41%, while still increasing occupancy by 9%. These savings avoided approximately 1.47 tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to driving over 6,000 kilometres in a standard petrol car. The property also optimised its website, reducing its carbon footprint per page view from 0.54g CO₂ to 0.22g, while the addition of an electric vehicle charger has seen usage grow 35% year-on-year.
“One of the most valuable outcomes of the report was the creation of clear benchmarks. These are now meaningful markers that will hold us accountable, not only for this assessment but for every decision we make moving forward. Developing these benchmarks pushed us further than we expected. It wasn’t just about identifying what we were already doing well; it was about committing to measure, improve, and continually lift our standards.”
The Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard also helped the team identify ways to engage more meaningfully with the local community.
“The program helped us look beyond acknowledgement and towards building real, ongoing relationships: whether through collaboration, education, or supporting local businesses and experiences that connect guests to Country in an authentic way,” Abby reflects.
Looking to the future, Oyster Catcher sees certification as a natural next step.
“Absolutely. Certification would allow us to deepen our commitment, enhance credibility, and continue improving in a structured, measurable way,” Abby says.
Completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard gave Oyster Catcher Huskisson a clear view of strengths and areas for growth, while demonstrating accountability to guests and partners. It has been an essential step in turning the property’s commitment to sustainability into measurable progress and a pathway toward globally recognised certification.
Click here to learn more about Oyster Catcher Huskisson’s sustainable efforts, and book your stay: https://www.oystercatcherhuskisson.com/
Oyster Catcher Huskisson completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 25 November 2025 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.
