John Howard is not the only former Liberal prime minister to fall in love with Port Stephens.
Tony Abbott has bought a waterfront house at North Arm Cove, not far from the Hawks Nest holiday destination which Mr Howard still visits.
Real estate agent Tom Woods posted on Facebook on Monday that he had completed the sale of a Port Stephens property to Mr Abbott.
"It's not everyday you have the opportunity work with the former prime minister as your purchaser," Mr Woods wrote.
"Regardless of which side of politics you tend to lean towards, it's an honour, and certainly a work milestone of mine, to help a former Prime Minister of Australia to find a new house to call home.
"Welcome to the neighbourhood Tony Abbott AC - 28th Prime Minister of Australia."
The two-storey house has four bedrooms and a boatshed on 1277 square metres of land sloping down to the water.
Mr Woods said Mr Abbott and his wife, Margie, planned to use the property as a holiday house.
Mr Abbott, who was prime minister from 2013 to 2015, has remained a vocal figure in conservative politics since losing his seat of Warringah in 2019, expressing views on issues such as China, climate change and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
He is an adviser to the British government's Board of Trade and attracted headlines in February after joining a UK think tank known for its climate change scepticism.
He and Margie have three daughters and welcomed their first grandchild in 2021.
Mr Howard used to holiday in Hawks Nest for two weeks every year with his family and told the Newcastle Herald last year that he still visited the "family-friendly" coastal hamlet.
