Sydney Solstice, the city's brand-spanking-new winter festival, is set to be a celebration of the city's best culinary spoils as well as its natural ones. One event brings both of those elements together: a new series of limited-edition cruises by Captain Cook Cruises in partnership with NSW wine giant Tyrrell’s.
Hop aboard a Solstice Gold Lunch ($169) which takes you on a jaw-dropping spin of the Harbour while plying you with a four-course degustation menu. You'll have canapés to begin, followed by an entrée of seared scallops in a lime foam. Then a centre-cut Angus eye fillet, with a black-violet cheesecake to finish. Each course will, of course, be paired with tehe cream of the crop of Tyrrell's wine, from a crisp Hunter Valley semillon to a rich, soft shiraz.
Would you rather a golden hour turn of the Harbour? The Sydney Solstice Sunset Dinner ($99) puts the emphasis on the elements of fire and light (very Game of Thrones), leaving the jetty at 5pm – just in time for the sky to turn a kaleidoscope of pinks, oranges and violets. After enjoying the sights (and a three-course menu), you'll hop off the cruise at 7pm – but the fun's not over yet. Take a short, 10-minute stroll along the foreshore to Cockle Bay to awe at the pyrotechnics of `LuminoSydney', the fireworks spectacular.
Sydney Solstice festival runs from June 8-20, 2021, but these cruises are only available from June 11-20 and there are only six departures for each, so better book in now.