Cockatoo island: A blissful place amidst the city

I am sure many of us find ourselves in a common dilemma, every year.

The  dilemma of - where do we go, as a family, which will not be very far from the city, dear on the pocket but quite and blissful.

Year after year have tried to answer this question, be it Bangalore, Mumbai or Hyderabad. This year I had another new variable added to it - a new city - Sydney !

Fortunately I was able to find a place which was in the heart of the city and yet so detached....it's a small island in Sydney - Cockatoo island.

This island has been used as a convict prison, ship building & repair yard during the world war days and now is a UNESCO heritage site. It is famous for its Glamping - which is basically Luxury camping!!

This island getaway provides a good one night stay in pre-erected  & BYO tents at a reasonable cost. A great place for kids - as they have a fun time running around and also get to watch their kids movie at night....inside the prison barracks!

It takes you back to the early days when it used to be a ship building  yard and you can still see those old- rusted craned jutting out all around...

The Sun sets over Sydney harbor bridge at the 

Some additional activities like night camp fire, or guided tours (though there exists audio tours) would have been great.

In case you do not like birds chirping early in the morning - then you better pick up the ear-plugs from the information kiosk !

Tips for travelers:
-  Island is 20 minutes ferry ride from Circular quay / Barangaroo Wharf or a 30 minutes ride from Parramatta Wharf
- Do order for an extra sleeping mat
- Check your tents for spiders and other insects ....before you rest
- It has an extensive kitchen - so do carry things like bread / butter/ milk / rice etc. for preparing breakfast or barbeque
- Do carry a thick blanket as it get colds in the night and a torch as it gets dark!
- Below is a map for your quick reference