Today we chat to Dave to find out about the history and ideas behind the successful Beach Huts Middleton, and the things Dave and Haylie like to do in their rare spare time.

Beach Huts Middleton is owned and operated as a family business with Dave and wife Haylie along with Haylie’s parents Graham and Denise Duff. It all came about when Denise & Graham were visiting a friend who owned the property before us, and it was known as the Old Middleton grain store. They found out the property was for sale. In parting words, they ‘said don’t sell it too cheap.’

The cogs started ticking and we all saw potential of what would be a great venture, and here we are today 18 years later still going strong.

We wanted to make the concept beachy, hence a renaming to Beach Huts Middleton and facelift to give it a cute beach look. With some inspiration from the English Brighton beach huts and cottage gardens the creating was started. Even now the property still has a European/English feel with its village atmosphere. The property has continued to evolve with the times and continue to provide what our guests desire.

We are honoured to be part of an SA Tourism award winning property multiple times now. It is many hours work to complete a submission and to enter the awards. To keep in the running we must be seen to be moving with the times, providing a quality product, business plan, sustainability, involved with tourism initiatives and on top of a marketing plan. All these things are key to success when applied correctly to your product. Our product is also eye catching and helps sell the Fleurieu Peninsula. Guests tend to book at the beach huts then think about what to do when they arrive, bit of a bucket list thing to do, I think.

We accommodate romantic getaways, short holidays, families, retreats, groups and weddings. Wedding’s combine very well with onsite Blues restaurant.

Our favourite group are ‘The Scott’s”. They are a group of Scottish friends that know how to have a good time and have been coming here for 16 years now. They will book all the huts; each year is a different theme. This year just gone was Halloween and they don’t hold back when it comes to costumes and makeup. They have had horror, rock stars, Bollywood, horse races, and even The Wizard of OZ.

In my spare time I enjoy the beach, involved with Port Elliot SLSC, Mountain Bike riding, coaching and racing athletics 70-300m sprints. Haylie has a great passion for interior décor and loves to keep the Beach Huts fresh, walks on the beach and taking the kids surfing. We love the outdoors.

We are very lucky to have the opportunity to run such a fun business that has been so rewarding in many ways. We have great staff who treat our property as if it was their own. Our guests are wonderful and always have fun when enjoying the beautiful south coast and what it has to offer. The Fleurieu Peninsula is a very easy region to sell. We are so lucky to have the ocean and beaches, hiking, fishing, river Murray, the Coorong, wineries, and many other local attractions at our doorstep. It makes it difficult to justify going on holidays as it is all right here!

Check out the Beach Huts Middleton on the Fleurieu App HERE