Pittwater's heart. Scotland Island rises from the water like a private estate, its shores dotted with boatsheds and jetties that hint at a slower, saltier way of life. Just around the headland, The Basin in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park offers one of the harbour's finest sheltered beaches — a crescent of sand backed by paperbark forest and native bush tucker gardens.

Highlights

• Swim from Belle's swim platform into The Basin's clear water
• Bushwalks through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
• Aboriginal engravings and heritage sites ashore
• Private beach barbecue prepared by your onboard chef

Tucked into the national park's northern shoreline, these twin anchorages are Pittwater's best-kept secrets. Vertical sandstone walls plunge into deep green water, and the silence is broken only by kookaburras and the splash of a jumping fish. Drop anchor and stay for the day — or the week.

Highlights

• Secluded anchorage beneath towering sandstone cliffs
• Tender exploration of hidden rock pools and overhangs
• Kayaking through mangrove-lined inlets
• Sunset cocktails with no other vessel in sight

On the western foreshore, these sheltered bays offer deep-water anchorage surrounded by bushland that has remained unchanged for millennia. The walking tracks to Towlers Bay Beach and the creek beyond are among the most peaceful in the national park — a rare pocket of true wilderness within an hour of Sydney.

Highlights

• Deep-water anchorage with all-round shelter
• Tender landing for national park bushwalks
• Birdwatching — sea eagles, cormorants and kingfishers
• Morning coffee on the foredeck as the mist lifts

At the northern gateway to Pittwater, Palm Beach stretches between the Pacific Ocean and the calm waters of the estuary. Barrenjoey Headland rises 91 metres above the tip, its lighthouse visible for miles. Cruise Belle past the longboard break, round the headland and watch the Southern Ocean open before you.

Highlights

• Sail past Palm Beach's golden shoreline
• Climb to Barrenjoey Lighthouse for panoramic views
• Whale watching from the headland June through November
• Surf culture and waterfront dining ashore

On Pittwater's eastern shore, Coasters Retreat and Morning Bay offer the deepest sense of escape. These are places without roads — access is by water only, and the handful of waterfront cottages and shacks have changed little in a century. It is the Pittwater of novels and memory: still, green, and quietly magnificent.

Highlight

• Waterfront-only access — no roads, no traffic
• Paddleboarding across glassy morning water
• Heritage waterside cottages and jetties
• Lunch on the aft deck with bushland as your only backdrop

Beyond the mouth of Pittwater, the Hawkesbury River opens into one of Australia's great river systems — 120 kilometres of navigable waterway framed by sandstone cliffs, oyster farms and riverside villages. Cruise north to Brooklyn for fresh Sydney Rock Oysters delivered to the swim platform, or anchor upstream and let the current carry the afternoon away.

Highlights

• Fresh Hawkesbury oysters delivered aboard Belle
• Brooklyn waterfront and riverside dining
• Upstream exploration to Spencer and Wisemans Ferry
• Seaplane or helicopter transfers from Sydney CBD