Trip Diary: She SUPs Eco Retreat
Dear friends,
How are you? I hope you are well.
I’ve been planning our next She SUPs Eco Retreat for December (see the details here!) and it has left me reminiscing over our first She SUPs Eco Retreat earlier this year, so I thought I’d share that experience with you in a bit of a trip diary entry (with LOTS of photos… you’ll soon see why!)
First of all, we need to talk about this location. If you’ve never paddled in the waters of Pittwater in Sydney… get yourself on this trip!
Pittwater is by far my favourite spot to paddle in the whole of Sydney (I know… BIG statement!), with endless bays and secret corners to explore.
Part of Pittwater’s magic certainly comes from this waterway running alongside Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is full of magical natural wonders such as waterfalls and secret swimming holes, as well as many significant indigenous sites that add to the story of this magical place. Paddling along the edges of this National Park it’s instantly clear that this area is abundant with birds and wildlife, with the rare black cockatoos a regular sighting.
As you can see from the photos below, the National Park comes right down to the water’s edge, creating a green oasis when paddling in its bays.
We started our She SUPs Eco Retreat at Church Point ferry wharf where the group met for the first time.
With benches and a couple of coffee spots here, it was a great way to kick off the trip and kick off the introductions!
99% of women attend our trips and retreats solo, so having this moment to pause and connect over coffee was ideal for helping our paddlers get to know each other. We excitedly welcomed paddlers from across Sydney, the Central Coast, Melbourne and Canberra to this Retreat.
We packed our bags and gear onto the local ferry for a short ride across Pittwater to our accomodation. All SUP gear is provided for this trip, so all our paddlers needed was their clothing for 3 days of adventures and a packed lunch!
On arrival at Morning Bay, we grabbed a quick bite for lunch and then set off on our first activity, a 3-hour guided bush walk straight into the beautiful National Park.
We were so grateful for our local guide Katie who guided us to an incredible look out, overlooking the whole of Pittwater. As well as running Pittwater Eco Adventures, Katie grew up in Pittwater, once living on Scotland Island, so it was great to learn about the local area from a true local.
Coming back to the lodge, spirits were high after a great first activity. Half of the group then changed into their yoga clothes for a restorative yoga practice with our lovely yoga teacher Bergia, while the other half of the group got started on happy hour!
She SUPs does not provide any alcohol for these trips, however we are more than happy for guests to bring their own alcohol for the evenings if they would like to.
As well as being our yoga teacher, the lovely Bergia is also the most amazing in-house chef!! As a trained naturopath, Bergia combines incredible blends, spices and ingredients into the most amazing hearty and nutritious meals that not only taste insanely incredible, but leave your body feeling wonderful.
With full bellies and full hearts, we concluded day one sat around the campfire sharing stories and enjoying some toasted marshmallows!
The next morning we were up early for a sunrise paddle!
While there wasn’t much of a sun-rise as such, we were treated to glassy conditions on the water, and many of our paddlers had their first taste of the incredible paddling opportunities Pittwater has to offer!
Coming back to the lodge for a warming breakfast, we then rugged up in our ‘gardening clothes’ (aka old clothes we didn’t mind getting dirty in) for a day of giving back to Mother Nature through some bush-care activities.
We were provided a quick lesson on identifying the local plant life, including how to identify indigenous plants and invasive plants.
We had a couple of tasks set for us for our day of bush-care;
Remove invasive plants/weeds that were compromising the health of the indigenous plants
Fuel reduction (removing potential fuel such as sticks, dry leaves etc from the bush floor to reduce the risk of a bushfire destroying this area)
Planting a new community garden
It’s safe to say, the bush-care work got addictive and these ladies didn’t hold back! We provided all of our paddlers the opportunity to try all three activities, and then continue with the one they enjoyed the most. It was amazing to watch everyone get so into it and learn a lot about the environment in the process.
Of course with this being a ‘retreat’ we also encouraged our paddlers to take plenty of time to rest, whether that was curling up in a hammock with a good book, or snuggling up in their doona out on the verandah (see below - looks so cosy!)
Planting the community garden was a great moment and everyone had a part to play in its creation.
I’m so excited for our next She SUPs Eco Retreat as there is a high chance that we will be eating from the community garden our previous trip planted! How cool!
As day two started drawing to a close, the second half of the group headed off for their restorative yoga, before we regrouped once more for another delicious dinner thanks to chef-Bergia!
That evening a couple of paddlers took on ‘fire duty’ and helped us keep a strong fire pit burning all evening, gradually making our way through the HUGE fuel reduction piles we had created. Great job ladies!
The next morning we awoke to the most beautiful day!!
How epic is this view for our breakfast??? (see below)
After a hearty breakfast, it was time to hit the water again, this time for a bigger paddle adventure around Pittwater’s waterways. We spent several hours on the water this time, exploring the local bays, mangrove forests and admiring a couple of waterfalls we could spy cascading down the rocks deep in the National Park.
Before we knew it, it was Sunday afternoon and time to head home - for some this involved catching a coach or flight, so we provided plenty of flexibility for those who needed to leave early. We came back from our paddle, took a quick shower and headed off to catch the ferry back to Church Point (and reality). The final ferry trip was a really memorable moment of this trip for me, because I loved looking around the ferry at all of the new friendships and bonds that had formed between these 15 women from all walks of life in just three days!
A HUGE thank you to all of the ladies who joined this trip, for their positivity, enthusiasm, fun nature, and all the great memories we shared.
Like the sound of this trip? You should join us!
Our next She SUPs Eco Retreat is scheduled for the following dates:
Friday 17th December - Sunday 19th December 2021
Aaaand goes on sale TOMORROW - Wednesday 27th October at 6pm. Set your clocks as I am sure spaces are going to go fast!
To find out more including itinerary and cost, click the button below. I cannot wait to return to Pittwater, and I hope to see you there!
Take care,
Vikki x
Founder of She SUPs