We asked Kim Ellis, General Manager of Calabash Bay Lodge to share her insider tips on what she loves about the Hawkesbury.
alluxia: What do you love most about relaxing in Berowra Waters?
Kim: I love that in only one hour, I can escape central Sydney and be making my way upriver by boat to the magical paradise of Calabash Bay Lodge. It’s close to all the modern amenities of the city, yet feels a million miles away!
The restaurant that best shows off your region...
Peat’s Bite is a secluded riverside restaurant which like Calabash Bay Lodge, is accessible only by boat or seaplane. With its extensive views across to Bar Island and the Hawkesbury River conjunction with Berowra Creek, Peat's Bite is an especially scenic spot to while away an afternoon, serving relaxed modern Australian fare in a tapas style degustation. Live music also entertains diners until it's time to wend your way back onto the boat for the ride home. It’s been a home away from home for local boating types for many years – you never know who you might bump shoulders with at the bar!
When friends are in town I take them for a drink at...
We hop in Calabash’s boat and zoom up river to our favourite beach in the Kuring’gai National Park. We find a shady spot under an overhanging gum tree, spread out a picnic rug onto the sand, then pop open a bottle of delicious Logan M Cuvee.
Couples wanting a romantic dinner for two should consider...
Booking one of our Michelin-star private chefs to prepare and serve dinner under the stars on our stunning candlelit outdoor deck at Calabash Bay Lodge. If you can time your stay to a full moon, you are in for an unparalleled treat. Watching the full moon rise over the sandstone escarpment opposite and then extend its’ sparkling kiss of moonlight over the water beneath is just idyllic.
The best breakfast spot is...
On the Lodge’s all-weather entertaining deck. You may have to keep an eye on the local wildlife though - our resident kookaburras can get a little inquisitive when they smell bacon cooking on the BBQ!
The best coffee can be found at...
Our in house Lavazza espresso machine keeps any city coffee cravings at bay, otherwise the Berowra Waters marina café is only a 10 minute potter away in the boat we provide as part of your package.
The best markets can be explored at...
The Hawkesbury Harvest Farmers and Fine Food Markets are on at nearby Castle Hill Showgrounds on the 2nd and 4th Saturday every month between 8am and noon. There’s an incredible array of fresh local produce from the Hawkesbury River basin - Sydney’s traditional local food source since white settlement - to sample and take home to cook up a feast at Calabash Bay Lodge. For those wanting to taste the famous Broken Bay Pacific Oyster, a visit to Broken Bay Oysters at Mooney Mooney north of Berowra on the F3 is mandatory. Reputed to be the best oysters in the world, the Broken Bay Pacific Oyster is plump, succulent and creamy with a distinctive flavor. Open Saturday & Sunday between 5am & 5pm, you’ll be able to enjoy your haul on the Lodge’s deck upon your return, with a complimentary glass of sparkling in hand. A potter through Brooklyn’s stores on the way home rounds out a nice off-river daytrip.
The best free activity in the region is...
Dropping a fishing line straight off our private pontoon – where schools of bream, flathead, mulloway, leatherjacket, mud crabs await to jump onto your dinner plate!
If it's raining...
Light the Lodge’s Jetmaster open fireplace, open a bottle of wine, and select a movie from our extensive complimentary in house collection. Or curl up with a good book from our library on our all-weather deck’s outdoor sofa and watch the rains pass across the bay – it’s very soporific.
What's the "Must See" attraction in your region...
Taking the time to explore the winding creeks of Calabash Bay during your stay is a highlight of any visit. Take advantage of your unprecedented access to the river by getting out on the kayaks at high tide and paddling up one of the three creeks that feed our tidal bay. Some of these meander past sandstone escarpment and hundreds of years old gum and angophora forest for several kilometres. One creek ends in a spectacular waterfall, and another a stunning freshwater pool one can take a cooling swim in. You’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time to a different world.
Our regions best kept secret...
How close it is to central Sydney. Unlike other destinations surrounding Sydney that require a 2 or 3 hour drive to clear the city and suburbs, like the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, or South Coast, making the start to a weekend break the very opposite of relaxing, we are under an hour away from the CBD, Parramatta, and Sydney Airport. You can leave work on a Friday afternoon and be relaxing by the waterfront with a glass of complimentary sparkling in hand, ready to enjoy the sunset.
Have we tempted you to visit Berowra Waters? alluxia recommends Calabash Bay Lodge for your next holiday.
