Scotland-Island-in-Sydney

Why You Need To Visit Scotland Island In Sydney

I randomly found the beautiful Scotland Island in Sydney a couple of years ago whilst researching a last-minute deal on booking.com for a getaway.

I’d never heard of it before but Scotland Island Lodge popped up and it looked perfect. I could see it was located near Palm Beach and this area has always given me the holiday vibes so I thought it would be the perfect long weekend away.

We had a brilliant time that weekend and fast forward two years later, we’ve gone back there again, this time to celebrate our anniversary! This time around, I’ve made notes and took some photos to compile into this post and a video below to show you how gorgeous it is there.

You’ll honestly be wanting to book this staycation in Sydney pronto!


How to get to Scotland Island In Sydney

It’s just a 50-minute drive from Sydney CBD up to Church Point. You’ll need to find parking (which can be tricky) near the ferry. We ended up paying something like $40 for a couple of days, pricey but if you’re just going for the night, you could get there around 4pm to get the 2 hour free parking until 6pm which will take you through until 10am the next day.

If you need to take public transport, it’s going to take a bit longer and around 1h30m. You’ll need to get the 180 bus from Wynyard, then change 40 minutes later to get the 156 bus on the Pittwater Road.

Once you’re at Church Point, you’ll just need to jump onto the ferry over to Tennis Court Wharf which is just 10 minutes and absolutely beautiful. The ferry runs at half past the hour and costs $15 pp return (you can use the return whenever you like).

Next door to the ferry at Church Point is a gorgeous restaurant with a lovely holiday vibe right on the water. You’ll also see  bike path next to the water with families and people enjoying the views over to Scotland Island.

<meta charset=utf 8><em><a href=httpwwwwaterfrontstorecomau target= blank rel=noopener noreferrer>Church Point Waterfront Cafe <a><em>

Stay At Scotland Island Lodge

Once we arrived onto Tennis Court Wharf, it felt like we had just left Sydney completely. Finally, we could relax on this slice of heaven that is Scotland Island. It was then just a five minute walk up a hill to Scotland Island lodge, run by a lovely British couple called Colin and Rosemary. They had emigrated back in the 1970’s and welcomed us with open arms.Scotland Island Lodge

Their beautiful home had three amazing, but all completely different rooms to choose from. For the family, there’s the bedroom with it’s own living room, kids bedroom and separate bathroom which is what we stayed in the first time we visited.


The Family Accommodation

Scotland island lodge review

Scotland island reviewComplete with our own living room!

The extra rooms for kids


The Room With A View

We had a sneak peek into the second room, a very beautiful and large room complete with knock out water views. I absolutely loved the retro, seventies Hawaiian theme in this room. The bed was also huge and this is definitely a room I’d like to stay in if I were to visit again!scotland-island-lodge-sydney

Imagine waking up to this view everyday?


The Room With A Spa

We were lucky to stay in the room with a spa this time round. The room had a lovely boat theme, ensuite shower and it’s own outdoor spa.

We were had some vegan cake waiting for us as well, which was a beautiful touch by Rosemary!The bed was very comfortable and having TV to watch in bed was a bit of a luxury as we don’t have it in our house.

The spa though was incredible. It heated up straight away and we made the use of it, having a dip at night time and then during the day when we had the sun on our faces. It was awesome. We literally could have sat in it all day long!

The amazing spa, all to ourselves!


We then went for a walk down to the wharf to enjoy the sunset. We just sat there on the dock and still couldn’t believe how close we were to our home, yet it felt like we were a million miles away. There’s something very calming and peaceful about Scotland Island.It would be hard for anyone not to love this romantic setting at Scotland Island!

We then strolled on back up to Scotland Island Lodge and got ourselves ready for Rosemary’s amazing dinner! She is an incredible cook and caters for all dietary requirements. Last time we stayed she had us vegans, gluten free and dairy free to master up some amazing food.

Dinner table’s set for dinner at Scotland Island Lodge

You see, you have the option of eating at the lodge which costs an extra $55pp for a home made three course meal. This food is restaurant standard easily! There’s no shops or cafes on the island so you would have to get a boat over to Church Point otherwise. Both times I’ve stayed at Scotland Island Lodge, everyone ate there, and I can see why.

Starter – a simple but beautiful salad

Dinner’s served at 6:30pm so by the time you’re finished, it’s going on to 8:30 ish and you’re ready for bed. It’s that kind of place where you can just relax and get a good night sleep.

Roasted veggies and the most amazing homemade humous for our vegan mains!

For dinner, all guests sit together like it’s a dinner party. It’s really interesting because we’ve met some great people both times now. This time round we had a Romanian/Spanish couple and Australian couple at dinner and last time there was another Australian couple and Irish couple staying there.The most amazing stewed pear with a sweet glaze and strawberries – all homemade!

When we woke up, we it was so peaceful, all we could hear were the birds. For breakfast we were greeted with a help yourself musli and fruits mix along with a cooked breakfast. So much food, I was so full yet again from Rosemary’s incredible cooking!

A starter breakfast of mixed fruits, musli and coconut yogurt.  

scotland island lodge

More food to choose from with a cooked breakfast!

 I had some cooked mushrooms and tomatoes with Rosemary’s amazing home-made bread

We were even in for a treat at breakfast as we had breakfast with the kookaburra’s and rozellas who apparently visit often!

We had a few visitors at breakfast!


Things to do on Scotland Island

There are loads of things to do on Scotland Island  like plenty of hikes which all take around 30 minutes to walk all the way round. We took the path up to Elsie’s track which takes you up to the top of the island. Easy to navigate hiking paths around Scotland Island

It was so lovely walking around, we admired a lot of the houses there and could totally live on this slice of paradise. I even overheard a local on the ferry over saying how she used to live in Coogee and had to move to Scotland Island because it was the only affordable suburb left in Sydney. Who would have thought it?

A tropical paradise on Scotland Island

 Along the way we passed loads of locals who were so friendly we were so surprised how nice they were compared to how people can be in big cities.

Having fun taking photos at the stunning Tennis Court Wharf

There is also a masseuse on the island as well as a yoga class to take part in. Otherwise you can catch the ferry back over to Churchpoint and drive over to Palm Beach to enjoy the beaches and restaurants as well as boat rides over to Ettalong beach or to the nearby Basin for awesome bush walks.

We recently went over to Mackeral Beach and hiked over to Resolute Beach, a secluded stunning beach opposite Palm Beach.

Resolute beach Hike from Mackeral Beach to Resolute Beach (30 minutes) and absolute paradise!


Outcome

I really loved Scotland Island for its peaceful, calming energy. The other guests as well as us couldn’t believe that just a 50 minute drive away from Sydney could give you exactly what you’re looking for – a beautiful and peaceful weekend that makes you feel like you’re on holiday!

I honestly spent both times at Scotland Island saying how much I couldn’t believe how close it was to my home, yet it felt like a world away. When we left, we felt like we had been away for ages, but in a good way. What a great weekend spent there!

The biggest highlight were Rosemary & Colin at Scotland Island Lodge. They were so welcoming and you could see they really put their heart and soul into their business which worked so well.

If you are looking to get out of Sydney for the weekend, look no further! Scotland Island Lodge costs $210 per night if staying 2+ nights or $250 for 1 night which includes a full breakfast. If you’d like dinner, it’s an extra $100 per couple.

Have you been to Scotland Island yet? If you haven’t, why not? It’s waiting for you!


Scotland Island Lodge

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