The most incredible luxury experiences in NSW

Feeling like you deserve a little boost? These luxury experiences take you from everyday to extraordinary. It may be raising a special experience to the next level – making a waterfront lunch even more memorable with a spectacular seaplane arrival – or the chance to go behind the scenes at a pearl farm, discovering the cultivation secrets of the jewel.

From the outback to the city, these exclusive experiences are a great way to spoil yourself. 

Jonahs Restaurant and Boutique Hotel, Whale Beach - Credit: Mandy Zieren

Take a flightseeing tour of the Snowy Mountains

For scenery on a grand scale, it’s hard to go past the Snowy Mountains. From the high-country plains in the east to the sheer cliffs in the west, these untamed landscapes are usually off-limits to all but the hardiest hikers. A flightseeing tour with Snowy Mountains Helicopters is a relaxing alternative.

 Snowy Mountains Helicopters, Jindabyne

Discover hidden waterfalls and shimmering alpine lakes, including Lake Jindabyne. Gaze down on the ski fields and marvel at the majestic twin peaks of Mt Kosciuszko and Mt Townsend. Keep an eye out for the wild brumbies that have made their home here, as captured in Banjo Paterson’s celebrated poem, ‘Clancy of the Overflow’.

Be chauffeured around world-class wineries

With more than 150 cellar doors dotted around the pretty villages of Lovedale and Pokolbin, the Hunter Valley, a 2hr drive north of Sydney, makes for a great getaway, whether you come for one day or settle in for a short stay. The most indulgent way to explore Australia’s oldest wine region is with a private chauffeur from AEA Luxury Tours.

Wine tasting at Audrey Wilkinson in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Drink in the scenery as you visit a selection of the area’s best wineries, stopping to sample the goods and learn more about winemaking. It’s not all about the wine, though – your tastebuds will get an additional treat on a visit to a local dairy as well as at a leisurely lunch in one of the Hunter’s many acclaimed restaurants.

Catch a seaplane to lunch

Few cities can match Sydney when it comes to restaurants with outstanding water views, but Cottage Point Inn is something truly special. Surrounded by verdant national park on Pittwater, north of the city, this intimate waterfront restaurant is beloved by celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Pippa Middleton for its tucked-away location as well as its superb food.

Sydney seaplane experience

Save yourself the long road trip and arrive in style with Sydney by Seaplane. It’s just a few steps from the wharf where you pull up to the restaurant where your table awaits. Time it right and you may get to say hello to the resident kookaburras as you savour a three-course lunch, before your pilot whisks you homewards again. It’s an experience that will stay with you. You might even have to do it again.

Go behind the scenes at a pearl farm

The pristine waters of the Hawkesbury River, just a 45min drive from the centre of Sydney, are home to the only pearl farm on the east coast of Australia. Broken Bay Pearl Farm specialises in growing the rare akoya pearls, prized around the world for their outstanding lustre.

Broken Bay Pearl Farm, Mooney Mooney

The private 4hr tour immerses you in the intricacies of pearl farming. Enjoy the breeze on your face as you take to the water to see how pearls are grown and harvested, before returning to solid land to learn how the value of each pearl is assessed. You will even get hands-on experience grading pearls yourself, before choosing a pearl of your own to take home.

Create your own custom rum blend

Tucked away in the streets of inner-city Surry Hills, Brix Distillers specialises in rum, using Australian molasses, organic sugar cane and native spices to create its acclaimed range. Sign up for a Rum School Session to put yourself in the creator’s seat, mixing up your own rum blend to take home and share with family and friends. The distillery will provide a range of fruit, nut and spice infusions produced in house, and explain how to use each one to blend your customised drop.

Brix Distillers in Surry Hills - Credit: Brix Distillery

Enjoy a luxury outback experience

Few landscapes are as quintessentially Australian as the rolling plains and sprawling cattle stations of the NSW Outback. Now you can enjoy them on an unforgettable day trip thanks to Crooked Compass by Air.

Callubri Station, Cobar

Drink in the extraordinary sense of space you only find in the outback as you fly to the 11,500-hectare Callubri Station. As well as exploring the farm and its resident fauna – expect to see kangaroos, emus and echidnas – you will enjoy a memorable lunch in the property’s atmospheric old church, where dishes made with farm-fresh ingredients are served on a rustic timber table.