Brooklyn

Postman's Run on the Hawkesbury River

Last Sunday we joined the Travel Club for a Sunday outing on the Riverboat Postman on the Hawkesbury River.  It was a wet day, not the best day for being on the river, but needless to say it was still very enjoyable.  The Riverboat Postman is a daily mail service delivering mail and provisions to the isolated water-access-only residents of the lower Hawkesury River.   There has been a mail delivery service to these remote residents for over one hundred years, but on Sundays they take a break from delivering the mail and do a sight-seeing cruise in the opposite direction.  They cruise past the several islands in the river, past the National Parks and go as far as the entrance into Broken Bay.

We arrived at Brooklyn Wharf by tourist coach in the pouring rain.  We left the bus and raising our  umbrellas, we queued up to walk through the cutest little boat shed and out on to the gangplank to board our big stable catamaran for the luncheon cruise on the Hawkesbury River.  It was warm and dry inside the boat and we sat, in groups, at long tables with a good view of the river through the wrap-around windows.  We had morning tea with home-made Anzac biscuits and cups of tea and coffee as we began the cruise past Dangar Island.  Lunch was an Aussie Ploughman's-style plate with cold meats and a salad topped with a Turkish bread roll, pickles, chutney, butter and dressing.     There was a bar on board and wine and beer and soft drinks were available.

We passed under the Brooklyn rail and road bridges and saw the rusting wreck of Australia's first warship, the HMAS Parramatta lying in the mud flats near Milson Island.  We saw sea eagles soaring high in the sky above the sandstone ridges.   We cruised in close along the waterline, so we could see several Aboriginal rock carvings.  Ken also saw some jellyfish in the water and tried to photograph them. 

I was amazed at the size of the River.  It is known as "Derrubbin" by the local Dharug, Wannungine, Darkinung, Eora and Kuring-gai indigenous people.  This means "wide, deep water".  They used the river as a source of food, such as fish, eels, water birds and mussels.  Yams, also a staple food, grew along the banks of the river.  They travelled on the river in their bark canoes.

In the early days of European settlement, the River was an agricultural highway used to transport food from the farms in the west of the Sydney Basin along its smooth waters, out through Broken Bay into the sea, before heading a few miles south down the coast and into Sydney Harbour to unload at Circular Quay.  

The River is now a nature lover's paradise.  Much of it is only accessible by boat, with no road access and attracts hermits, holidaymakers, artists, boaters, anglers, oyster farmers and retirees.

I noticed little pockets of housing sitting between mangroves and mountains and these were a mix of ramshackle dwellings of the early European settlers and refurbished retro style bungalows of later Europeans.

I climbed the stairs on our boat up to the deck on top to get a better view and hopefully to take some good photos, but there wasn't much shelter up there and the rain was coming down quite heavily at that stage so I returned to the shelter of the cabin downstairs.

Here is a photo of the cute little boathouse/office at the entrance wharf to the Riverboat Postman. 

We queued up in the rain, under umbrellas, waiting to go aboard.

The cost for cruising for 3 hours is $54.00 for seniors/concession

$64 full adult rate and school children $20.00. 

This also includes morning tea and lunch.

The wreck of HMAS Parramatta.  This was a River Class torpedo boat destroyer built for the Royal Australian Navy in the period 1909-16

Here is a little pocket of housing along the river bank.

Mangroves provide habitat for fish and they also protect the foreshore from erosion by retaining the river sediments thus helping to maintain a clean and resilient waterway.

Here is Lion Island which we saw silhoueted against the backdrop of Broken Bay.

A beautiful sandstone cave beside a little sandy beach.

Seagulls resting on a barge in the water. 

We enjoyed our Sunday cruise on the Hawkesbury River, despite the rain.  I had previously been on the Riverboat Postman cruise many years ago on a smaller boat, so enjoyed the comfort of this much bigger cataraman and also seeing the opposite end of the river to the Postman's run.  

There is no mail to deliver on Sunday, so it was a more relaxed and  leisurely cruise on the river.  We returned to the Brooklyn wharf about three hours later and boarded our coach for the trip back home.

Acknowledgments

1.  riverboatpostman.com.au

2.  wikipedia (information about HMAS Parramatta)

Bilpin

 Bilpin

To anyone living in New South Wales the name Bilpin immediately conjures up a vision of apples.  Bilpin is a small rural community in the Hawkesbury area.  It is known as the "land of the Mountain apple".  Jonathon, Royal Gala, Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples are all there, as well as lesser known varieties such as the English Bramley.  Some of these apple orchards are open during the season where people can go in and pick their own baskets of fruit.  This is a wonderful experience for families living in the suburbs as they can come and show their children where the fruit is grown.  They can then pick their own selections, which they pay for when they leave.  Bilpin is a settlement on the Bells Line of Road between Richmond and Lithgow and, at an elevation of 623 metres, the steep hillsides are covered with rows of apple orchards.  Most people, at some time, have stopped at the famous Bilpin Fruit Bowl and bought their wonderful home-made apple pies!

Well, that is what we did yesterday when our small group of friends, travelling together in a mini bus, stopped off at the Bilpin Fruit Bowl Shop to have a look around and have a serving of their delicious apple pie for morning tea.   In Summer they also sell Peach pies made from Peaches grown in their orchards.  Recent changes to the farm have seen the introduction of strawberries growing in a hothouse where there are long tables of these luscious fruit growing, ready for picking all year round.  They also grow long rows of lettuce and bok choy, also available for picking.

We then drove on to the Cellar Door at the Bilpin Cider Co. and had some non-alcoholic ciders for our second morning tea.  There are also alcoholic ciders for sale in the tasting shed and Ken and I bought a six pack of the original cider made from freshly crushed Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples.  This cider is neither too sweet nor too dry as the tartness of the Granny Smith juice is balanced by the sweeter apples.  

We then continued on further up into the Blue Mountains intending to have lunch at The Hive located at Berambing at the base of Mt. Tomah.   However, when we arrived there we found it was not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  We turned around and headed back down to have lunch at Mountain Bells Cafe, opposite the Fruit Bowl, with a vegetarian/vegan menu and this cafe is open seven days a week.  I had a huge cheese, egg and tomato sandwich with salad and a large cup of English Breakfast tea, all quite delicious.  

The Bilpin Fruit Bowl shop is stocked with local honey, local home made jams, cider from local cellar doors, apple juice, seasonal fruits and lots more. 

Apples for sale in the Bilpin Fruit Bowl shop.

The Bilpin Cider Co. produces an extensive range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cider products using only freshly crushed Australian apples.

Inside the storage shed at the Bilpin Cider Co. where you can choose the ciders you want to buy.

These apples were for sale in the Mountains Bell Cafe in Bilpin.

After lunch it was time to head back home and Nick, our driver, drove us back down to Richmond and back home via Castlereagh Road to Penrith.  We all enjoyed our day very much.  It was an extremely hot day, but very pleasant in the cooler environment of the Mountains.

Acknowledgments

1.  www.bluemountainsaustralia.com

2.  bilpinfruitbowl.com.au

3.  bilpincider.com

Barangaroo

Barangaroo

On Wednesday 11 January, 2023 we went by bus to Barangaroo Wharf in Sydney and did a walk northwards along the foreshore through Barangaroo Reserve.   

This area was once an industrial site, a disused container terminal which has now been transformed into a six hectare parkland.  There are beautiful views of Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge.  There are lookouts, extensive walking and cycling trails, idyllic coves, picnic spots and places for quiet contemplation.  More than 75,000 native trees, palms, ferns and shrubs and other plants have been planted that are native to the Sydney region.  This once-scarred promontory is now visually reunited with Goat Island and its sister headlands at Balls Head, McMahons Point and Ballast Point.  Pyrmont and various other landmarks and destinations are also clearly visible.

The sandstone foreshore follows the natural Sydney fault line so the new headland is in line with natural Sydney Harbour headlands.  93% of the sandstone used was sourced from the on-site extraction pit.  Every grain of sandstone extracted was used.  Offcuts were ground up and mixed to become the sandy topsoil required by the newly planted trees and plants.  These trees and plants are thriving and already looking well established!

You can now walk along the foreshore between Walsh Bay and Cockle Bay which was once industrial and commercial land and off-limits to the public.  This walk is known as Wulugul Walk.   Wulugul is a local indigenous word for kingfish, a prize catch for Aboriginal people long before European settlement and still a delicious treat at many Sydney restaurants.  The wulugul/kingfish has a golden band along its blue-green skin, similar to the golden sandstone lining the blue of the harbour along the length of the new walk.   

The Gadigal people of the Eora nation are the traditional custodians of the land.  Barangaroo was a leader of the Cammeraygal people and wife of Bennelong of the Wangal people who played a significant role within her community and that of the early British colony.

On Monday of this week, Marrinawi Cove in the north-east corner of Barangaroo Reserve was opened for swimming.  A shark net has been installed across the ocean end of this sandstone-edged cove and also a shower on the shore. The NSW Government says this once neglected industrial western side of the Harbour has now been cleaned up and they will consider adding ladders and decking to Marrinawi Cove in the future, if the area proves popular for swimmers.  This area was used by the local Gadigal people for thousands of years as a fishing, canoeing and swimming spot, but has been off limits for Sydneysiders for the last few decades due to pollution and neglect.  It is wonderful that it has been restored to its former pristine condition.   

We weren't quite sure where Marrinawi Cove was situated and, unfortunately, we did not walk far enough to see the new swimming pool. 

 

Crown Sydney, also known as One Barangaroo is the tallest building in Sydney and makes a dramatic statement at the Wharf precinct in Barangaroo.  The stunning curve of the building derives inspiration from nature in the form of three "petals" that twist and turn rising upwards into the sky.

These steps rise up from Nawi Cove to the Stargazer lawn in Barangaroo Reserve at the top.

A view of the Anzac Bridge taken along the foreshore on the Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo Reserve.

At the Northern end of Wulugul Walk we were able to get a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Back in the Wharf precinct stands Barangarooo House, a Matt Moran Restaurant on three levels.  Each level offers its own dining and drinking adventure.  There are plants spilling over the edges of each level.

I like the design of this building which features an innovative external diagrid structure wrapping the outside of the building.  It is the Macquarie Shelley Street Bank building behind Barangaroo House.

We had some lunch at the Bourke Street Bakery and then headed back to our meeting spot to catch up with our friends.  It wasn't long before Nick came in the bus to pick us up and drive us back home after a very enjoyable morning exploring Barangaroo.

Acknowledgments

1.  TimeOut.com

2.  Sydney Morning Herald

3.  Barangaroo.com

4.  fitzpatrickpartners.com 

5.  Wikipedia