Bear Cottage

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Bear Cottage is the only children’s hospice in NSW, one of only three in Australia, and the only one in the world affiliated with a children’s hospital.

Bear Cottage provides support, respite and end of life care for children with life limiting conditions and their families. Located on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in Manly, our vision is to be as far removed from a hospital environment as possible. Staff don’t wear uniforms and children’s rooms are designed to be like a normal bedroom. This ‘home away from home’ is complete with a therapy dog called Beau, who is always around to provide some extra comfort. That said, Bear Cottage is set up to provide excellence in paediatric medical care 24-hours a day, and our affiliation to Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network means we have access to some of the best medical resources in the world. Bear Cottage has ten children's bedrooms and three family units. Children may stay at Bear Cottage unaccompanied or with family or carers. There is communal tea room, lounge room and outdoor areas to relax and enjoy the view. There is a quiet room, spa room, multi sensory room, teen room with TVs and video game consoles, messy play area and an outdoor wheelchair swing and seesaw. With a wheelchair accessible pathway down to Shelly Beach nearby, it is possible to enjoy the beachside location and the city of Sydney is just a short ferry ride away. Bear Cottage has a Child Life Therapist, Music Therapist, Art Therapist, Physiotherapist and Social Worker as well as a full time chef and housekeeping staff. Families can do as much or as little as they choose whilst staying at Bear Cottage. There is no charge to families for their stay at Bear Cottage and we rely on the community for donations. For more information, please visit our website at www.bearcottage.org.au

09/10/2026

A JOURNEY OF COURAGE | This World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, we're honoured to share the story of Coen, a little boy whose life was filled with bravery, resilience and an unwavering love for his family.

As his mum Amanda recalls: "Coen was a happy, bright boy who adored the Cronulla Sharks. He proudly wore his Sharks jersey, cheered for his favourite players and loved playing footy and Oztag with his mates. Away from the field, he enjoyed Mario Kart, collecting Pokémon cards and singing along to car karaoke with his family. He especially treasured time with his little brother, Logan."

Diagnosed with brain cancer at just 15 months old, Coen endured years of treatment while continuing to face each challenge with remarkable bravery. Amid the uncertainty and heartbreak, Bear Cottage became a place of comfort and cherished memories for Coen and his family.

"For Coen, Bear Cottage felt very different from the sterile hospital environment he had become so familiar with. Its colourful walls, playful decorations and welcoming atmosphere immediately brought a sense of comfort."

From beach visits and music sessions to making slime, painting colourful masterpieces and cheering on his beloved Sharks, Coen's days at Bear Cottage were filled with laughter, love and experiences tailored to what he enjoyed most.

"Bear Cottage gave Coen and us a place where we could be a family - not simply patients and carers - and where precious moments could be created and treasured."

This World Hospice Day, we celebrate Coen's life and the difference compassionate paediatric hospice care can make for children and families facing the most difficult journeys. 💕

➡️ Read Coen's story here: https://bearcottage.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/articles/2026/10/coens-time-bear-cottage

08/10/2026

🎩 Hats On 4 Children’s Palliative Care Day 🎩

Today we’re proudly wearing our hats to support children’s palliative care and the children, families, caregivers and professionals who are part of this journey every day.

At Bear Cottage, every hat matters. From nurses, doctors and therapists to chefs, housekeepers, and volunteers, it takes a dedicated team working together to provide care, comfort and special moments for children and families. 🧢

This year, we were delighted to acknowledge the day with the wonderful team from Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice at Manly, who joined us for a Mad Hatter-inspired morning tea filled with arts and crafts, connection and cake! 🧁

Hats On 4 Children’s Palliative Care Day raises awareness of the vital role children’s hospices and paediatric palliative care services play in supporting children with life-limiting conditions and those who love them. 💕

So, whether it’s a top hat, sun hat, or your favourite cap – put your hat on and help us shine a light on the importance of children’s hospices and paediatric palliative care services. 👒

Cakes By Kathleen

06/10/2026

Dinosaurs, family, memories, laughter, and grief all came together at our recent Bereavement Family Support Day at the Australian Museum. 🦖

Throughout the day, families could talk openly about their children, share memories, and spend time with others who understood. We talked about how grief and joy can exist together. When a child dies, there can be deep sadness and pain, but there can also be laughter, happiness, and moments of joy. We talked about giving ourselves permission to make space for both.

There was plenty of dinosaur fun, too! The Australian Museum Education team shared an engaging session on dinosaurs and fossils, with children meeting a real palaeontologist and getting hands-on with fossil impressions, fossil digs and real dinosaur fossils - including some fossilised dinosaur poo, which our therapy dog Bailey was particularly curious about! The fun continued with a dinosaur stomp dance led by Winnie the Dinosaur. 🦕

We finished with a reflection activity, inviting each family to choose a card that represented what they were taking away from the day. It was lovely to see the children carefully choose a card for their family and share their choice with the group. The cards included self-compassion, kindness, laughter, gentleness, and permission to hold different emotions. It was a beautiful way to finish the day and hear what had resonated with each family.

A special thank you to Winnie the Dinosaur and Bailey for bringing plenty of smiles, fun, cuddles, and comfort. We are also grateful to the families who joined us, our staff and volunteers who helped make the day possible, and the Australian Museum for welcoming us and providing such a wonderful setting. 💕

28/09/2026

Over the past few weeks, we’ve loved getting out and about visiting some of the incredible preschools and day care centres that took part in Superhero Week this year, raising money in all sorts of wonderful and creative ways.

And this year, we had a very special visitor with us – our new therapy dog, Bailey! 🐾 He was only too happy to make the rounds, offering pats and cuddles to those who wanted them. The children also enjoyed learning all about Bailey's important role as a therapy dog. They had lots of wonderful questions and were excited to learn more about how he helps bring comfort, companionship and smiles to our children and families. Safe to say, he was a big hit!

We love visiting these centres and seeing first-hand how much heart goes into supporting Bear Cottage. It’s a beautiful way for children to learn that even small acts of kindness can make a real difference and that they can help make life a little brighter for another child and their family.

To every child, educator and family who got involved, thank you for being our superheroes. Each bake sale, dress-up day, gold coin donation, obstacle course and superhero adventure helps more people discover what Bear Cottage does and why this special place matters to so many families.

We couldn’t do it without you. 💕

25/09/2026

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 💕

Recently, our Clinical Nurse Specialist, Hayley, attended an event hosted by Through the Unexpected focused on "When unexpected news changes pregnancy".

The evening brought together professionals who support families following a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis, providing an opportunity to connect, share knowledge, and learn more about the services available to families during what can be an incredibly challenging time.

Hayley was also pleased to share information about the perinatal palliative care work at Bear Cottage, including the support available to families before and after birth, and how we work alongside referring teams to provide holistic, family-centred care.

Events like these help strengthen connections between services, improve collaboration, and ensure families can access the support they need, when they need it most.

A big thank you to Through the Unexpected for hosting such a meaningful evening and bringing together so many passionate professionals dedicated to supporting families, including
The Pink Elephants Support Network, North Shore Private Hospital Maternity, Westmead Hospital Maternity and Penthos.

17/09/2026

Thank you to the Australian Chamber Orchestra and their generous donor for making a magical day possible for some of our Bear Cottage children and families at Pinocchio. 🎭

From the moment the show started, our families were captivated by the wonderfully talented performers, beautiful music and engaging storytelling. There were plenty of smiles, laughs and moments of wonder as Pinocchio's adventure came to life.

One of the things we love most is how accessible these performances are, ensuring everyone can be part of the experience together.

Opportunities like these create treasured family memories and open the door to the joy of live theatre for children who may not otherwise have the chance.

A heartfelt thank you to the Australian Chamber Orchestra for your kindness and support. You helped create a day our families won't forget ❤️.

14/09/2026

“𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺.

“𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘋𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺.

“𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢’𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴” 𝘊𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘦, 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘢’𝘴 𝘔𝘶𝘮. 🦋

In memory of beautiful Lila, Chloe, George, Mia and Evie have raised an incredible $18,500 for Bear Cottage. Amongst their fundraising efforts were the hugely successful "Laps for Lila" Colour Run and the Bangor Brumbies Trivia Night.

What makes this achievement so special is the way Chloe and her family have transformed their love for Lila into a lasting legacy. By bringing together friends, family and the football community, they have created opportunities for hundreds of people to celebrate Lila's life, while helping other children and families who need the support of Bear Cottage.

A special thank you to the Bangor Football Club Inc, their committee and community, local businesses and supporters, and the many people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

Chloe and her family’s ongoing commitment to Bear Cottage, together with the Bangor Brumbies Football Club’s shared vision and dedication, is a beautiful tribute to Lila’s memory. 💕

09/09/2026

🐨 Our Bear Cottage families recently came together for another special Family Support activity, spending the day exploring WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo. 🐍

Children and their families enjoyed learning about koalas, wombats, snakes and other Australian animals through interactive activities, LEGO challenges, stories and songs. Families were free to explore the zoo at their own pace, discover their favourite animals and enjoy the day together.

During Bear Cottage's closure for refurbishment, these activities have been a meaningful way to stay connected and give families opportunities to come together, create memories and enjoy special experiences at different locations, while still being supported by our staff and volunteers.

To top off a fantastic day, every family received a personalised gift bag generously provided by the team at Warner Bros. AU, bringing plenty of smiles and providing the perfect end to a wonderful outing. 👏

A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful team at Merlin Events Australia, whose generosity and support helped make this experience possible and ensured the day ran so smoothly. 💕

If you would like more information about Bear Cottage's Family Support Program, please contact us at ➡️ [email protected]

08/09/2026

"It is such a privilege to work as a physiotherapist at Bear Cottage. The overarching goal of physiotherapy in palliative care and respite is to provide care, comfort and connection to the children and families we support. This can include helping a child manage pain, muscle spasms and respiratory symptoms, assisting with positioning for comfort, and supporting their ability to play and socialise. It may also involve continuing regular therapy programs while they are staying with us, as well as repairing and adjusting specialised equipment and splints.

“We aim to provide an environment that encourages participation, whether that involves stretching on a mat on the floor, accessing music or sensory toys, playing in the water, or spending time outdoors.

“While Bear Cottage is temporarily closed for refurbishment, it has been wonderful to build new connections with the amazing Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice team and to have access to their lovely facilities. It has also provided me with the opportunity to spend time with the Palliative Care teams at Westmead and Randwick, strengthening our relationships and creating valuable reciprocal learning opportunities," says Jan, Bear Cottage physiotherapist.

Today is World Physiotherapy Day, and we're celebrating the vital role Jan plays in helping children and families work towards their goals. 💕

05/09/2026

This Father’s Day, we celebrate all the dads, grandfathers and father figures who guide, support and love so generously. Thank you for the difference you make every day.

Whether you're celebrating treasured moments or remembering someone special, we are thinking of you today.

Wishing you a very Happy Father’s Day. 💕

Address

2 Fairy Bower Road
Sydney, NSW
2095

Telephone

+61299768300

Website

https://bearcottage.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/

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