Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Having negotiated the falcon wings of a gleaming Tesla X, and settled myself into its alarmingly white, vegan-leather rear seat, I decide it’s OK to begin relaxing. A bit like turning left when boarding an international flight, being chauffeur-driven from home means your holiday starts sooner.
And when your holiday is only for two nights and two days, every minute counts. Calabash Bay Lodge is in a prime position with direct north-east views up Berowra Creek. We’re headed for Calabash Bay Lodge on a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, about an hour’s drive north of Sydney’s CBD.
It’s accessible only by boat or seaplane, which means that after the Tesla drops us at a small wharf in Berowra Valley National Park, we’re picked up in a runabout for the final leisurely leg to the lodge. It’s autumn, so by 4pm the sun is selective about where it visits. When we reach Calabash Bay Point, the lodge is in shade, but the angophora gum-covered sandstone cliffs on the opposite shore are bathed in a warm gold light.
Aside from birdlife, the world is at peace. The lodge’s interior is as serene and calming as the vista beyond. “You’ll notice the absolute darkness at night – and the quiet,” says our boat driver, host and chef, Manny Affarian .
“I dropped some new guests off here recently and that night they ra.