A free ballot decides who stays on Cockatoo Island this New Year’s Eve. It closes soon.
I spent Friday night on Cockatoo Island/Wareamah, in a two-bedroom Harbour View Apartment with a verandah pointed straight down the harbour, and I said the same thing roughly nine times before dinner: imagine this on New Year’s Eve.
Turns out you can. You just have to win a ballot, and it closes at 2pm AEST on Wednesday 16 September.
Access to the island on NYE is reserved for people with an accommodation booking. (Credit: Harbour Trust)
The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust is putting 11 of its holiday houses and apartments into a public ballot for the New Year’s Eve period. Entry is free; you can nominate up to three properties, and if your name comes out, you get a four-night minimum stay: check-in from 3pm on Tuesday 29 December, check-out on Saturday 2 January. Prices run from $3900 to $12,000 for the four nights. This year’s ballot also marks the debut of the Dockmaster’s Residence, an 1848 sandstone building put up by convicts using stone quarried on the island, restored and sleeping eight at $12,000.
Winners will be called by 5pm on Thursday 17 September and have to say yes on the call, with a 50 per cent deposit due at that moment. The full balance is payable by 20 November. No refunds or changes are permitted.
What’s the cost breakdown?
When you breakdown the costs per person, per night, they're not as bad as you think. (Credit: Ardent Soul Photography)
A two-bedroom apartment is $6500 for up to five guests, or $325 per person, per night. (Credit: Ardent Soul Photography)
Look at the list and $12,000 is what jumps out. Look at it per person and the pricing turns itself inside out.
The cheapest property on offer is a one-bedroom Harbour View Apartment at $3900, which sleeps two. That’s $487.50 per person per night, the most expensive bed in the ballot. The two $10,000 Heritage Houses sleep 12, which works out to $208 per person per night. The new Dockmaster’s Residence, at $12,000 for eight, sits at $375. The two-bedroom apartment I stayed in is $6500 for up to five, or $325.
So the entry-level listing is the least value for money and the second dearest is the best, and the variable doing all the work is how many people you can round up. $208 per person, per night, on Sydney Harbour on New Year’s Eve is not a mad number. It’s roughly what a decent hotel room costs in this city on a Tuesday in March.
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AI Prompt
Wake up to this view in 2027. (Credit: Emily Murphy)
Cockatoo Island's New Year's Eve stays are decided by ballot. (Credit: Harbour Trust)
Spend four nights on Cockatoo Island over New Year's. (Credit: Emily Murphy)
There’s a reason the group size matters more than usual here. On 31 December, the island closes to everyone without an accommodation booking, and ballot winners are explicitly barred from inviting day guests. Whoever is on your booking is your entire New Year’s Eve. Get the maximum occupancy right at the ballot stage, or you’re paying premium rates to have a smaller party than you planned.
Camping packages are available
NYE camping packages go on sale on 22 September. (Credit: Harbour Trust)
Cockatoo Island’s campground is the affordable option. (Credit: Destination NSW)
If the ballot feels like a lot of money resting on a phone call, the campground is the accessible version of the same view.
NYE camping packages go on sale at 9am AEST on Tuesday 22 September, with a pre-sale for the island’s NYE mailing list on Monday 21 September. It’s a two-night stay, arriving Wednesday 30 December and leaving Friday 1 January. BYO tent sites start at $590 plus a booking fee for a four-person site facing the Harbour Bridge, and $690 for a six-person one. Pre-erected packages also start at $690 for the basic setup, climbing through to a deluxe waterfront package (Harbour Bridge view) at $1290 to a premium waterfront package (Woolwich view) at $1350, of which only two exist.
Run the same per-person sum and the six-person BYO site lands at about $57.50 a head per night. That is the cheapest legitimate Sydney Harbour fireworks view I know of that comes with a bed.
One catch worth knowing before you book: campers can’t bring alcohol onto the island and have to buy it from the licensed cafes, while house and apartment guests can bring their own in moderate amounts. It’s a real difference in what the night costs and what it feels like, and it isn’t obvious until you’re deep in the terms and conditions.
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Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her 4+ years at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? South Australia and The Kimberley.
Thredbo in summer is a nature lover’s dream of show-stopping alpine beauty, cool mountain air and magical moonlit adventure.
For many of us, Thredbo calls to mind shimmering slopes and snow-dusted gums, but come summer, this Alpine resort transforms into a playground of an entirely different kind. A cool mountain retreat despite the season, Thredbo summer hikes are astonishingly beautiful, criss-crossing over dramatic peaks, pristine glacial lakes and abundant flora and fauna.
From approachable tracks for novice walkers to more challenging hikes across the Main Range and even journeys under moonlight, Thredbo puts on an unforgettable show of natural splendour all summer. Lace up your walking boots and take the chairlift from Thredbo village to embark on a self-guided exploration or a tour of the Snowy Mountains’ most compelling landscapes.
These eight unforgettable hiking experiences are only available in summer and offer an alpine adventure like you’ve never experienced before.
1. Full Moon Hike to Mt Kosciuszko
Stand atop Mt Kosciuszko at full moon.
There’s something almost mystical about hiking by the light of a full moon. This guided experience begins with a 15-minute chairlift ride, where you’ll admire the Thredbo Valley below, bathed in the fading sun.
Once at the top, you’ll pass rivers, alpine lakes and spot nocturnal wildlife on your way to the Kosciuszko Lookout and Lake Cootapatamba. By the time you reach the summit, sunset is well underway as you watch day give way to night and the alpine landscape magically illuminated by the lunar glow. Enjoy a hot chocolate here before following the path back to Eagles Nest, brightened by the night sky.
The only thing that could level up the celestial beauty of a full moon hike would be a super full moon hike. Following the same route, you’ll meet the moon when it is largest and closest to Earth by ascending to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko at an elevation of 2228 metres. From such a height, it almost feels as though you could reach out and touch its glowing surface.
Given the rarity and splendour of the super full moon, limited spots fill up fast for this awe-inspiring hike, so be sure to book the 5 December in advance.
3. Lunar Eclipse Hike
See dazzling celestial displays.
What could be more extraordinary than witnessing a lunar eclipse from Australia’s highest peak? Whether you’re a keen astronomer or simply revel in nature’s beauty, this guided 13-kilometre hike will place you on top of Mount Kosciuszko just as Earth passes between the sun and moon, throwing shade over the lunar surface before transforming it with a deep-red hue.
It’s an epic place to witness one of our galaxy’s most spectacular and rare light shows. Apart from the dazzling celestial display, you’ll also enjoy walking through the moon-bathed landscape, an evening chairlift ride, and a hot chocolate at the summit.
Book now for 3 March.
4. New Moon Hike
Catch the changing skies of a new moon.
A stargazer’s delight, the darkness of a new moon gives the Milky Way full permission to dazzle with its shimmering display. Both astronomers and photographers will relish this opportunity to observe and capture the starry skyscape from the lofty height of Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko. Departing Thredbo Village at dusk and leaving its twinkling lights far below, you’ll arrive at the summit in time to see the sun slip away and the stars appear.
Embark on a gentle entry into the Snowy Mountain scenery with an amble along the Thredbo River. This self-guided hike hugs the river and wanders along the valley floor, revealing snow gum forests, swimming holes and little waterfalls that make for revitalising cold plunges in the summer heat.
6. Merritts Nature Track
Stop at swimming holes along the way.
On warm summer days, venturing into the cooler air of Thredbo’s alpine tracks offers relief from the heat. Particularly if you set course for the four-kilometre Merritts Nature Track, where there are opportunities to take a refreshing dip in swimming holes along the way.
The two-to-three-hour self-guided hike meanders through towering ancient trees (dubbed the ‘Pixie Forest’ by locals), takes in stunning mountain vistas and is soundtracked by the melody of birdsong. Stop for a picnic and discover a hidden natural infinity pool, the location of which is given away by the roar of a cascading waterfall.
7. Mt Kosciuszko Summit Tour
Follow a guide along Mt Kosciuszko’s summit.
While you can easily steer yourself to Australia’s most iconic peak without a guide, following an expert guide to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko will colour your experience with a deeper knowledge of the landscape and its wild inhabitants. The 13-kilometre return trail puts the alpine scenery on display with 360-degree views from the highest spot in the country.
The walk begins at the top of the Kosciuszko Chairlift and takes around four to six hours to complete, but is gentle enough to be embarked upon by all ages.
8. Snowies Alpine Walk Experience
Join a two- or three-day experience along Snowies Alpine Walk.
If you’re looking to truly untether from daily life and embark on a real immersion in Thredbo’s stunning alpine scenery, pack your hiking boots for the newest multi-day walk in the mountains. The Snowies Alpine Walk can be tackled over two or three days and includes nightly accommodation in the iconic Thredbo Alpine Hotel, daily buffet breakfast, packed lunch and dinner vouchers, plus daily transfers to and from trail heads in a brand-new Defender.
The two-day experience covers 24 kilometres, while the three-day experience almost doubles that at 44 kilometres. Along the way, explore barely trod landscapes, vast high-country plains and uplifting mountain horizons.
