Summer is the perfect time for a sneaky mid-week getaway or a weekend escape and what better place to unwind, relax and explore than on the iconic Sydney Harbour! Only a short ferry ride from Sydney’s CBD (that’s right no long car trip where you eat your body weight in lollies!) , Cockatoo Island is the perfect place to enjoy harbour views whilst soaking in the serenity and the fascinating history of the island! The only harbour island where you can stay overnight, Cockatoo Island offers unique accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes from camping packages, glamping packages, heritage houses and apartments; the island has something for every holiday seeker.
During my recent mid-week getaway to Cockatoo Island, Glamping was the accommodation of choice! Glamping is an easy way to camp on Cockatoo Island, the island staff do all the hard work so you can relax and make the most of the only harbour island with sleepovers.
We arrived on Cockatoo Island by ferry and after being shown to our beautiful, harbour side tent we decided to make use of the last hours of sunlight and go for an audio tour of the island ($5 per person, 1.5 hours).The tour takes you all over the island as you hear about the lives of convicts incarcerated in the sandstone gaol and learn about the day-to-day work of the thousands of trades-people who made Cockatoo Island the biggest shipyard in Australia in the 20th century. We finished the audio tour by watching the absolutely stunning sunset on the west side on the island and then headed back to our tent.
Now let me tell you about our glamping tent! This is no ordinary tent. For starters, we didn’t have to assemble the tent or worry that we might be missing a few tent pegs, the island staff had set up our tent and bedding and had even add a little luxury with toiletries from Appelles Apothecary (they smell so divine!)
Included in our glamping were two super comfy deck chairs which we set up right in front of our tent so we could take in the breathtaking view of the harbour and cityscape whilst enjoying the picnic dinner we brought onto the island (it was basically just cheese, so many different types of cheeses!) Glampers do have access to a communal camp kitchen with ten BBQ areas, fridges, microwaves and a boiling water system if you want to cook up a storm whilst glamping. As darkness feel and we slipped into a food coma we knew it was time for bed. After a hot shower, we snuggled into our camp beds for probably one of the best sleeps of my life. The bed was so comfortable and felt like I was being cradled by cloud. As we drifted off to sleep all we could hear was the tweet of bird and silence!
We woke as the sun rose and headed to the camp kitchen to cook up our BBQ breakfast pack (which you can pre order from the cafe for $35) which included eggs, sausages and bacon… the perfect start to the day. We ate breakfast and took in the spectacular view for the last time and then jumped on the ferry and were back in the heart of the CBD just in time for work!
Staying on Cockatoo Island is absolutely perfect for traveller and locals alike and is definitely a memorable, unique and relaxing experience!
Rates:
Monday to Thursday: From $150 per night
Friday to Sunday: From $175 per night
For further info and to book head to: http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/stay
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