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Getting your coastal kitchen floor plan right
Watch 2:03

Getting your coastal kitchen floor plan right

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EP 20 (part 2): Wood-fired fish, fresh from the Hawkesbury River

EP 20 (part 2): Wood-fired fish, fresh from the Hawkesbury River

EP 7: The ultimate wood-fired sourdough recipe

EP 7: The ultimate wood-fired sourdough recipe

EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe

EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe

Luxe in the city: The Fullerton Hotel Sydney

Luxe in the city: The Fullerton Hotel Sydney

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4 reasons why you should take a spontaneous getaway this weekend

4 reasons why you should take a spontaneous getaway this weekend

8 Tasty reasons why you should pick local produce

8 Tasty reasons why you should pick local produce

EP 24: How to pair great Aussie wines with your favourite food

EP 24: How to pair great Aussie wines with your favourite food

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EP 21 (part 2): The no-dig vegie garden that anyone can create

EP 21 (part 2): The no-dig vegie garden that anyone can create

EP 13: Everything you need to know about pasture-raised beef

EP 13: Everything you need to know about pasture-raised beef

This Instagram feed will change the way you do breakfast

This Instagram feed will change the way you do breakfast

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Take me to church

Our favourite foodies on Instagram

Our favourite foodies on Instagram

This is the food and wine festival not to miss this spring

This is the food and wine festival not to miss this spring

A Hamptons-inspired family home on Sydney's lower North Shore

A Hamptons-inspired family home on Sydney's lower North Shore

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Hawkesbury hotspots

Only a hop and a skip from Sydney’s CBD, this riverside region dishes up fabulous food, stunning scenery and a whole lot of country-style hospitality - by Andrea Black
  • 14 Jun 2018
Hawkesbury hotspots
Cath Muscat

Fancy a mini-break among nature and spectacular produce? Within an hour of the bustling metropolis of Sydney lies one of nature’s salad bowls – the Hawkesbury Valley. Think ‘farmgates’ of every nature, as well as wineries, gin and cider distilleries, heavenly hikes and houseboat stays on the river. The Hawkesbury River winds through some of NSW’s prettiest countryside, dotted with rolling green hills and gum trees.

The Cooks Co-op

The people and the produce are what attracted renowned city chef Martin Boetz to this region. He eschewed a busy career in the big smoke to set up Cooks Co-op. Once a rundown farm in Sackville, but with breathtaking views of the river, it’s here the chef established a provedore business, supplying local produce to city chefs. Martin is also transforming the old shed on the property into a dining and event space perfect for weddings or a lazy lunch. And he is offering the cottage as a base for a gorgeous weekend away. What’s more, it’s inside the beautifully designed tin shed that he plans to host foodie feasts and chef collaborations, celebrating locally grown produce.

 

Restaurant interior

The shed at Cooks Co-op is planned to open as a world-class restaurant in early 2019.

Cath Muscat

Early next year, you can enjoy the spoils of Cooks Co-op, with Martin’s renovation reaching completion, revealing a space that everyone can enjoy – and stacking up against some of the best culinary farm-to-table restaurants around the world.

Showcasing the Hawkesbury region’s incredible farmers, produce and food producers, Martin is working with local suppliers including Gerry Harvey, the entrepreneur best known as founder and executive chairman of Harvey Norman, who is also a passionate farmer and supporter of the Cooks Co-op project. At Cooks Co-op, school prawns come from the Hawkesbury River, the free-range pork is sourced from Melanda Park, goat’s milk and curd products come from the nearby Willowbrae Farm and sourdough comes from local bakers Bowen Mountain Bread.

PS, you can follow Martin’s shed renovation dreams, enjoy his recipes and hear tales of the region in an exclusive web series, here, or scroll down to view episode one. For bookings, visit Cooks Co-op.

Cooks Co-op shed

The shed at Cooks Co-op before it undergoes its incredible transformation.

Cath Muscat

Trails to adventure

Why not make a weekend of it and follow the Hawkesbury Harvest Farm Trail? On the journey you can pick your own fruit (depending on the season) and visit the Ironbark Distillery – where small batch gin, vodka and even moonshine can be sampled – followed by a visit to Hillbilly Cider, which is set on the beautiful Shields Orchard. They brew a very special cider using a patented apple, the Sweet Julie. The apple was created by property owner Bill Shields and named after his wife, Julie. Finish off the tour with a visit to Bilpin Cider, which has a diverse range of local ciders as well as beautiful grounds for families and friends to gather for a picnic.

Dotted through the Hawkesbury are lovely little hamlets such as Wisemans Ferry with its famous Wisemans Inn, a perfect spot for lunch. Tizzana Winery should be on every wine buff’s list and, if you fancy a little old-world charm, visit Australia’s oldest surviving church, Ebenezer Church, built in 1809, where you can get a Devonshire tea with warm fluffy scones and lashings of cream and homemade jam.

Tizzana winery

Secure a spot in the sun at Tizzana Winery.

Destination NSW

The Hawkesbury offers scenic driving routes, and what makes it so enjoyable is you can cross the river on free car ferries to discover the different towns. Consider the Hawkesbury Convict Trail, the 43km section immediately north of Wisemans Ferry that winds through very steep country. Along the route you will see 19th-century buildings and dry-stone retaining walls. The Colonial Weekend, complete with a town crier and demonstrations by a blacksmith and a stonemason.

You can meander through the towns of historic Richmond and Windsor, enjoy the arts culture, shopping and lunch in Kurrajong, then head over to Bilpin. Nature lovers should make a beeline for Colo, where there are bushwalking tracks for all levels, with gorgeous views of the Colo River.

Visit Bilpin

Take a bite out of Bilpin.

Destination NSW

Where to stay

  • For a true adventure, book a stay with self-driven Hawkesbury River Houseboats.
  • At Wisemans Ferry, book into Del Rio Riverside Resort, which offers traditional camping sites through to luxury cabins. There are loads of activities for the kids, too!
  • Prefer a luxe hotel stay? Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley offers boutique accommodation set on landscaped gardens with an 18-hole championship golf course and spa. It also caters for high teas.
  • Top choices for private stays include a converted 19th century church on the Colo River, and the cottage at Cooks Co-op.
  • Or become a shepherd for the weekend and stay at Tobruk Sheep Station as part of its farmstay program.

 If you'd love to find out more about the fabulous Hawkesbury region, click here. 

Cooks Co-op EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe
Cooks Co-op
EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe

EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe

Cooks Co-op: Meet the team

Cooks Co-op: Meet the team

Recipe: Twice-cooked beef ribs with rich tomato sauce

Recipe: Twice-cooked beef ribs with rich tomato sauce

Cooks Co-op

- by Harvey Norman
EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe Entertain

EP 1: The most amazing twice-cooked wagyu beef ribs recipe

Cooks Co-op: Meet the team Entertain

Cooks Co-op: Meet the team

Recipe: Twice-cooked beef ribs with rich tomato sauce Entertain

Recipe: Twice-cooked beef ribs with rich tomato sauce

Recipe: Fresh herb, citrus and chilli gremolata Entertain

Recipe: Fresh herb, citrus and chilli gremolata

EP 2: How to make creamy and delicious goat's curd Entertain

EP 2: How to make creamy and delicious goat's curd

Recipe: Goat's curd cake with poached brown sugar pears Entertain

Recipe: Goat's curd cake with poached brown sugar pears

Hawkesbury hotspots Entertain

Hawkesbury hotspots

EP 3: The best-ever goat's curd cheesecake recipe Entertain

EP 3: The best-ever goat's curd cheesecake recipe

The dairy goats of Willowbrae chevre farm Entertain

The dairy goats of Willowbrae chevre farm

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