Brooklyn, NSW: kayak trip
The mouth of the Hawkesbury river. I’ve seen it from the train to the
Central coast of NSW. I have driven on the expressway from Sydney as well,
glancing longingly down the valley and at the forked entries of the river and
creek tributaries entering the mouth. It has been a long time coming, now it’s
time to paddle on it.
I found a place to hire a kayak in Brooklyn (Hawkesbury River Kayaks, fantastic service) and I enlisted the interested of my good friend
Livio to come along with me on the first day.
The map shows where I visited on my trip:
DAY 1
Livio accompanied my on the first day to Cottage point. We had calm waters to
start with, and some nice kayaks to paddle on a sunny day, what more could you
ask for ?
At about 8:45 we set off on our journey. After an hour or so we stopped at a
nice beach. There are not many beaches around, so this was a welcome
stop.
We arrive at Cottage point Kiosk at about 11:30am. This is a delightful place
to stop for lunch, being right on the water front with a jetty it was very
handy.
We both managed to extricate ourselves from our vessels without incident.
Our burgers were huge. I am not sure how we consumed them, but somehow we did,
along with some cooling refreshment to suit the hot sunny day.
I was initially planning on going all the way down Cowan creek, but given that
Livio is not an experienced paddler and the wind was picking up we elected to
return to base. We stopped by on a beach for a brief stop before heading back.
It had some lovely eroded sandstone formations and lots of ants to keep us
honest.
I left Livio at around 4:30 pm as he needed to get home, he had done a good
distance of 23km or so.
I left to seek a suitable place to camp. Unfortunately, anywhere in proximity
to Brooklyn is a home base for alcoholic homeless people so I had to go
further afield. There are not many sites to be had as there are houses here
and there and thick shrubby shores preventing access. I paddled under the
highway bridge and headed towards Pelican Island. The wind was getting
strong and the tide going out sending small standing waves against me. A visit
to Pelican Island – no camping permitted at the jetty.
I was almost beyond care about regulations, having travelled over 9 hours and
36km in the hot sun, wind and tide. I did eventually find a suitable
site just before sunset.
DAY 2
In the morning I woke at 5:30am to wonderful windless mirror smooth
watery scene.
I left camp at about 8:30am. Paddling down Berowra creek in the early morning
was so serene
The creek narrows and the foliage enters the water. I take my time to absorb
and take it all in. There is no rush.
Eventually I got to
Crosslands Reserve at about 2pm and set up camp there. It is a large reserve, well set up
with clean toilets and water.
The neighbours were very pleasant too and keep very much to themselves.
Having travelled around 16km
I tried to do some more exploring downstream, but ran out of water as the tide
was on its way out.
DAY 3
I leave camp and headed back up the creek, stopping at the Berowra creek
ferry. The car ferries on the Hawkesbury and its tributaries are quaint and
have that nostalgic era charm about them. I hope they remain for a long time
yet.
8:30 and it’s time to have breakfast at this charming place by the ferry.
I wonder how much property is around here ? Probably out of my budget.
As I paddled there are plenty of fish jumping around, most likely mullet, and
the odd jellyfish.
I decided to check out Marramarra creek. It was a bit tricky with the oyster
farms but once through them the paddling was straightforward. I find a nice
camp site in the Marramarra national park by the river bank.
(National Park blurb)
Marramarra National Park is one of the Hawkesbury’s best-kept secrets and has to be among the most exciting national parks in the country. Hidden away in the northern outskirts of Sydney at the junction of Hawkesbury River and Berowra Creek, it’s a peaceful pocket of Aussie bush on Sydney’s doorstep, just waiting to be explored.
It’s so close to the city, but you’ll barely see another soul. Go boating, kayaking and canoeing on the beautiful waters of Hawkesbury River and Marramarra Creek. Enjoy bushwalking on the many walking tracks and go cycling on your mountain bike along Canoelands Ridge management trail. Take in spectacular views while discovering more about the area’s Aboriginal heritage, and see historic heritage sites from early European settlement.
Marramarra National Park is one of the Hawkesbury’s best-kept secrets and has to be among the most exciting national parks in the country. Hidden away in the northern outskirts of Sydney at the junction of Hawkesbury River and Berowra Creek, it’s a peaceful pocket of Aussie bush on Sydney’s doorstep, just waiting to be explored.
It’s so close to the city, but you’ll barely see another soul. Go boating, kayaking and canoeing on the beautiful waters of Hawkesbury River and Marramarra Creek. Enjoy bushwalking on the many walking tracks and go cycling on your mountain bike along Canoelands Ridge management trail. Take in spectacular views while discovering more about the area’s Aboriginal heritage, and see historic heritage sites from early European settlement.
I had to negotiate terms with the locals before landing however.
The Marramarra creek was a good finish to my paddle.
I covered 25km of paddling distance today, fully relaxed as the going was easy
(apart from the technical process of navigating oyster beds !
The Hawkesbury: a nostalgic overview of Stuart’s paddling history.
It has been years since I have kayaked on the Hawkesbury river. I used to water ski with my neighbours as a teenager at Sackville and hadn’t been there since – not that I can remember anyway. When I was 16 and 17 (1978,1979 !) I did the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic – some 110km running from Windsor to Brooklyn.
It has been years since I have kayaked on the Hawkesbury river. I used to water ski with my neighbours as a teenager at Sackville and hadn’t been there since – not that I can remember anyway. When I was 16 and 17 (1978,1979 !) I did the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic – some 110km running from Windsor to Brooklyn.
We did it in a canadian canoe I had made at an after school holiday program
with some tiny plastic bladed aluminium shaft paddles I bought at Big W.
Me and my good friend Greg did that event in just over 20 hours, the second
event had a lunar eclipse to boot and we were hanging onto the mangroves
towards Spencer as the fog was rolling in and the king tide running past
waiting until it turned and we could see something. Life is one big adventure
!
36 years down the track I was reminded by the
book
and
ABC mini-series
‘Secret River’ by Kate Grenville about the beauty of the Hawkesbury river and
thought it was about time I revisited it. I made a public announcement on
Facebook to all my friends viz:
In 1978 and 1979 at the tender age of almost 16 me and my good friend Greg
entered the Hawkesbury canoe classic. With the enthusiasm, determination and
support of our families - especially dad who drove all night to follow us 20
hours later we completed the 111km journey from Windsor to Brooklyn. Well,
nostalgia has got the better of me and I've taken it on as a challenge to do
it again this year. Hopefully with the benefit of modern technology and
training I'll knock it over in a few hours less. So here it is in writing
the goal for this year 26 and 27th October 2013 Hawkesbury. Sponsors, land
crew, fellow paddlers and trainers all welcome !
I enrolled and trained, but copped a nasty chest and sinus infection that put
the kibosh on completing the event.
Move forward to now. My hankering to go back to the river and kayaking does
not and will not go away for a long time yet.
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