Hawkesbury Country Retreat

We celebrated my partners 40th birthday at the Hawkesbury Country retreat and had the most wonderful weekend. Anna and Andrew we're extremely professional and helped us organize a truly memorable weekend. We were a group of 18 adults and 8 children and the house, facilities and grounds were perfect for our celebration

First of all, I do want to say that HCR is an absolutely stunning venue, with beauty and whimsy to be found at every twist and turn. There is so much to love about it, and with so many locations for your ceremony, reception & photos, plus the option to stay onsite for the weekend. It really takes the pressure off the day being able to settle in and not have to worry about driving between locations. A huge amount of work has been put in by Anna, Andrew and their team (especially Anthony and event manager Shae, who we hope get well paid because the amount of work they put in is ridiculous) to get the venue looking the way it is, especially given all the setbacks they've had with flooding, so for that they should be commended.The recent addition of the Stables, the pond & courtyard to the already beautiful orchard with fairy-light archway has really made the outdoor spaces available at HCR sparkle. The kids will love the horses, petting zoo & bird aviary! The river area is also stunning, but I would not get too attached to having your ceremony down there as we were meant to - once floods happen, this area is the first to go under & get covered in sludge. No matter how hard the owners work to get this back into a usable condition, the fact remains that this area is always at-risk.The reception Shed scrubs up quite well, but expect a little bit of work to get it there. While this space has come a long way since we first saw it there is still plenty of room for improvement & I seriously doubt that the room would pass a WHS Audit. Two of our guests tripped over on a hidden step coming back in from the bathroom (one was not drinking, wearing flats, & still managed to trip & crack her tooth!) and one of my maids of honor had a big (thankfully unlit) candle fall on her head and break in half from behind the bridal table where it sat unsecured on a wooden post. The loos had several plumbing issues over the weekend we stayed.There are several things about the venue that are unfinished, broken or just plain dirty, & while some concessions can be made due to the recent flooding, some are things are so evidently systematic. Aside from the polishing issues the venue has, the thing that caused the most stress during my wedding planning experience was dealing with Anna, the poor communication, inability to listen to what her couples want, and the ever-changing rhetoric (keep in mind we wedding planned during Covid!) Ideas were constantly changed from what was agreed on. There were two occasions where I received phone calls/texts/emails from Anna stating that I had overdue balances that were to be paid immediately (at no stage besides when first booking in the venue in 2018 did I receive an invoice or any notice of an outstanding balance, but I was meant to remember to pay amounts months/years on without prompting) receiving emails that were really unprofessional and rude. The last of these emails was received THE MORNING OF MY WEDDING, when I had been emailing Anna the whole month leading up and had seen her for the 3 days preceding, and not once was an outstanding balance mentioned.I met with Anna 3 days before the wedding, and despite correspondence discussing seating arrangements, the room was not set up as was planned after a drop in our numbers. Instead of accommodating our original seating arrangements, Anna wanted us to change our already printed seating chart! It took my family, friends and Shae from 9am-8pm the Friday before the wedding to get the room looking the way it needed to for the reception. Anna did not arrive until about 1pm on that day. Everything was covered in a layer of dust (we literally were wiping chairs down as we put them out) and despite our numbers being reduced from what they were meant to be there were still not enough chairs or sets of cutlery available to us and more had to be brought from offsite!We were lucky enough to still have a wonderful day thanks to Shae who needs to be put front and center because had we dealt with him from the start I feel we would have had a much better experience!

We initially booked the Hawkesbury Country Retreat back in 2019, and have been through a few postponements due to COVID and the NSW floods. Anna and Andrew have been with us every step of the way, and have been nothing short of amazing. Over the past few years, I have seen their venue grow into an absolutely stunning location. Our day finally happened in June this year, and it was perfect. The staff were incredible and so accommodating. I was able to put my own touch on the venue, all whilst having the constant support of Anna and her staff. I could not recommend this venue enough! Anna's magic room of props and décor items will be everything you need to make your wedding set up perfect! Photography by @wildreef.co on Instagram.

I was lucky enough to have my amazing wedding at Hawkesbury Country Retreat just weeks after the 2021 flooding & the place was amazing! It is 100% the perfect wedding/event location if you want to make it completely customised how you like. The place has so many amazing places on the property for the most gorgeous photo shoot, the props and accessories that Anna already has on sites just makes it so much easier when already planning such a stressful event. Anna and her staff go above and beyond to ensure that your day is everything you want it to be. I would 100% recommend you take the time to explore this amazing venue when looking for the perfect wedding/event experience

Anna and Andrew were absolutely amazing hosts of their beautiful property.From start to finish Anna went above and beyond to ensure our occasion was perfect.Their decoration and catering suppliers were also exceptional!Would recommend in a heart beat , we can't wait to come back next time.We had the BEST 30th we could of wished for, forever grateful.Jasmine and Pauric xx

Hawkesbury County Retreat is an absolutely beautiful venue. We were so amazed at how beautiful it was. The staff have done so much work to the property since the recent floods. They have put their heart and soul into bringing this property back to the beautiful property that it is. The staff are amazing and make you feel like part of the family. It was perfect for us as we could customise it to our taste. Anna and her staff have an endless amount of props and accessories for you to choose from. The grounds are amazing and there are so many choices for photo shoots. Anna and her staff made sure that our day was perfect and it was more than we expected. It is definitely worth checking it out we would love to have another event there. It is such a beautiful place and you can see the love that they have in every part of their property.

We were invited to a wedding with approximately 100 guests.The event was over 8 hours commencing with ceremony followed by magnificent afternoon tea and dinnerThe food was exceptional and not your normal fare. I e at dinner we were provided ongoing dishes whilst seated with enormous variety not to mention the magnificent sweets & cakes at the end.The atmosphere was very relaxed with a Australian rustic theme.The staff were great and you could tell they are a family business ready to make sure everyone had a good timeA real experience to be remembered

A beautiful location on the Hawkesbury River, this was the first & only venue we visited and knew straight away it was where we wanted to get married.Anna was extremely helpful in the lead up and on the day, there were so many props to choose from to decorate the venue and there were so many great locations on the property to take photos.Hiring the house for onsite accommodation was convenient and allowed us to enjoy the entire weekend with our family. We had such a great time and so many of our guests commented on what a stunning venue we chose.

I was lucky enough to have my wedding at Hawkesbury Country Retreat last weekend (Jan 2023). From the moment my partner and I stepped into the venue and met with Anna, we knew it was the venue for us.Anna and Andrew made us feel like part of their family every step of the way. Anna is so easy to talk to, so laid back was so organised with everything we had to do. It was clear that she knew her business, and the wedding business, inside out and it made planning everything so easy.She provided us with names of vendors (celebrant, caterers, photographes, ect) which made planning and organising a breeze! I had a very, stress- free wedding lead up.On the day of the wedding, the staff were went above and beyond to make sure we had the best day. We had to make some changes (to not fault, whatsoever of the venue) and the staff were swift in implementing these changes with zero fuss, complaint or questions- and all with a smile and being friendly to guests!Every single guest commented on the beauty of the venue. The grounds are huge and magical with so many spaces to explore, so perfect for the time between ceremonies and reception. The shed and stables dining areas are gorgeous and were set up by Anna and her team perfectly how I envisioned.I could not recommended this venue enough!

Amazing venue the staff are so friendly and more than commentating to anything you need I highly recommend the Hawkesbury country retreat