Ultimate river locale: Another world awaits just moments off the highway

As you get picked up on your private tender boat for a weekend in Berowra Waters, an outer suburb of Northern Sydney, it's pretty clear this part of the world is something else.

The suburb is just a few kilometres off the M1, but it feels a million miles away. The location is an easy two-hour drive from Newcastle, or less than an hour from Sydney.

Berowra Waters couldn't be more opposite from the haste and noise of the freeway, and not just for the lack of cars. In fact, the only cars you will see during your stay are vehicles being ferried across the water by barge.

After Manuel picked my partner Kurt and me up by boat, we cruised along the Hawkesbury River to our accommodation at sunset. The only sound that could be heard along the way was the gentle waves washing onto the boat as lights from houseboats and waterfront homes twinkled around us.

We arrived at Wild Luxury's gorgeous Calabash Bay Lodge, which towered multiple storeys over us as Manuel showed us to our own runaround boat to use at our leisure for the weekend, complete with a full tank of fuel.

But at this property, the desire to go anywhere else was minimal.

With sweeping views of the river from every room in the house, a cosy fireplace, a bottle of sparkling wine, a dinner and a lunch taken care of by chef Manuel and even some pearl gin to try, we could nestle in and enjoy the serenity.

The eco-lodge, which backs onto the Marramarra National Park, has four bedrooms, a yoga room, multiple balconies and decks and an array of water toys to take advantage of for those brave enough to hit the river.

The lodge has paired up with the Pearls of Australia's Broken Bay Pearl Farm for the ultimate Hawkesbury River experience.

The farm collects guests from the lodge directly for a trip up the river to the farm, where you get the chance to hear about the secrets of pearl farming, take another boat tour to see the oyster lease and find out how pearls are graded before tucking into some scrumptious fresh oysters that you even get to shuck yourself.

While strong winds on the Saturday of our stay meant we could not do the farm tour that day as planned, this gave us a chance to take full advantage of all the lodge had to offer and watch the winds blow across the water from the comfort of the lounge warmed by the fireplace.

The addition of the second night's dinner at the iconic Berowra Waters Inn was the cherry on top of an incredible day.

Again we were collected via a private transfer boat by the restaurant for our six-course meal, which included beetroot and macaroon, Murray cod, duck and rhubarb and the inn's famous Tooheys Old dessert.

The two-hatted restaurant is only accessible by boat or seaplane, but the delectable dishes and supreme service make the effort to reach the venue completely worth it.

The weather was much calmer on the Sunday, so we visited the farm on the way home, and what a treat. The team educated us on everything there is to know about oysters, including how the farm recovered after losing 90 per cent of its Akoya oyster in floods in 2021.

The Ultimate Hawkesbury Pearler's Package is priced from $930 per person for six guests and includes two nights at Calabash Bay Lodge, with exclusive use of the guest boat (with a full tank of fuel); water toys such as kayaks, paddleboards, a Canadian-style double canoe and fishing rods; a private boat tour from the lodge with Broken Bay Pearl Farm; a three-course private-chef meal at the lodge; and a bottle of Oakridge sparkling on arrival. Lunch or dinner at hatted riverfront restaurant Berowra Waters Inn can also be added at extra cost and includes complimentary boat transfers between.

Explore more: wildluxury.co; wildluxury.co/packages

The writer was a guest of Calabash Bay Lodge and Broken Bay Pearl Farm.