Pretty Beach House destination - Luxurylodgesofaustralia.com.au

Small secluded beaches, fringed by rainforests, sandstone cliffs and coastal heaths blanketed in wildflower colours, make Bouddi National Park one of the most diverse and delightful reserves within the greater Sydney area.

The word Bouddi is the local Darkinjung name for the eastern headland of Maitland Bay and has become synonymous with the national park and the surrounding area. It has various meanings in local Aboriginal languages, and is thought to mean ‘a heart’ or ‘water breaking over rocks’. A number of Aboriginal place names are still in use today including Bombi Point, Gerrin Point, Kourung Gourong Point and Mourawaring Point.

Around 100 Aboriginal sites have been recorded in the park and nearby areas and many more sites are likely to exist. Sites include rock engravings, grinding grooves, rock shelters with art (drawings and paintings), middens and other archeological deposits. Aboriginal sites provide a valuable insight into Aboriginal traditions, lifestyles and interaction with the environment and are an important part of First Nations culture.

The Bouddi Peninsula is surrounded by the meeting of five iconic waterways, just a stone’s throw from Sydney’s CBD where pristine sandy beaches and sparkling bays meet the native wilderness of the Bouddi National Park.

The regions seaside villages hark back to simpler times and display a strong sense of local history and community. Expect local fishing boats, pelicans perched on wharves, ducks crossing the road, seaside cafés, art galleries and local craft.

The local landscape creates beauty and awe. The topography of the area is mainly due to water erosion and changes in sea level. During the last ice age, 18,000 to 6,000 years ago, the sea level was 140 metres lower. The coastline was 20 kilometers further east and the Hawkesbury River and Brisbane Waters were dry valleys. With the melting of the ice caps at the end of the Ice Age, the sea level rose. The coastline receded to where it is today and the Hawkesbury River and Brisbane Waters became drowned river valleys. Melting of the remaining ice caps would cause a rise in sea level of 70 metres.

The massive Hawkesbury sandstone dominates the higher levels as platform-like escarpments, where the exposed edges of the formation form vertical cliffs and overhangs.

Getting there

BY ROAD

BY FERRY

BY AIR

Pretty Beach House is approximately 90 minutes’ drive north of Sydney, and 90 minutes’ drive south of Newcastle.

Return airport transfers can be arranged from Sydney or Newcastle airports. Alternatively you may prefer to hire a car from the airport and self-drive.

A favourite route to Pretty Beach House is via the Palm Beach – Wagstaffe ferry service.

This picturesque ferry trip, departing roughly every hour, travels between Palm Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Wagstaffe and Ettalong Beach on the lower Central Coast peninsula.

Pretty Beach House can arrange the five-minute transfer from Wagstaffe wharf to the lodge.

For a truly indulgent luxury getaway Pretty Beach House can arrange a helicopter transfer. Price on application.

Or for arrival via seaplane, Sydney Seaplanes fly into local Booker Bay, and boat and car transfers will be arranged which add another 15 minutes to the journey. Seaplane departures are from Rose Bay, with the seaplane journey lasting approximately 30 minutes, as you head north above the spectacular Northern Beaches of Sydney.

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