Discovering the Hawkesbury River

A new experience this time, travelling with Em and Jac.  Both my daughters work incredibly hard, both of them at work they mostly love but that constant being in demand, being responsible, can take a toll.  Good then to plan a short break with Em while I'm in Sydney, her first since going into lockdown. Just one night so we didn't want to travel too far.  Em decided to leave her doxies at home but we took Jac.

We chose Dangar Island, found an Air BnB, Very Special Place Dangar Island and headed off, with Em driving so a bit of a break for me.  If we went the most direct way it would be about 1.5 hours from Sydney.  We did not.  Chose to head to Berowra Waters Fish Cafe for lunch.  Once we got out of the worst of the Sydney traffic the drive was delightful.  Through mildly windy and tree lined roads and coming out at a tributary of the Hawkesbury River.  Short walk along the river, past small jetties with so many boats around, tree lined hills and fish and chips on the deck on the water.  The cafe is a fish and chips place but the chips were good and the fish (whiting) was moist with a light crisp batter.

Next to the cafe is a river crossing by what I would call a punt, but here they called it a ferry.  A flat barge with a cable that takes cars across the water - for an interesting read about car crossings see Our Rivers, Our History.  Em was a little nervous at first as it was her first time crossing the river on a punt, but it is very straightforward, if a little disconcerting when the punt takes off and creaks its way over the water.  

Then on to another windy, narrow tree and rock lined road, with occasional views of the river and the valleys.  But after ten minutes or so, into suburbia again, built up areas, lots of houses.  Em explained that throughout the suburbs of Sydney there are National Parks and state reserves so you can be minutes away from what is a hugely built up area and you are in the middle of natural bush.  Now I understand one of the joys of living in Sydney. As well as the harbour, in a very short time you can be at wild ocean beaches or immerse yourself in a National Park.  Short drive to Brooklyn and we were at the public wharf where the ferry was waiting

All prepared for pandemic with sitting spots at appropriate distances marked on the bench seats and a limit on the number of passengers, luckily, despite a bunch of primary school aged kids, they were under the passenger limit.  Poor old Jac had to wear a muzzle - one of the conditions for dogs being allowed on the ferry.  The sun was shining and it was a perfect day for it.  The island is a 15 minute trip, there are no cars on the island except for one or two with permits for safety purposes, it's boast is it's the only Sydney suburb where cars are not allowed.  Lined up near the ferry wharf are a bunch of wheelbarrows which the 300 or so people who live on the island use to cart their goods around.  Ann, the host met us near the ferry and it was a short walk to our residence for the night.   

The house is actually the last bit remaining of the original house built on the island by Henry Dangar, a surveyor with a checked history but who was successful in gaining licences for he and his brother to settle  land all the way up to Armidale as well as buy the island and rename it after himself.  Lots of history about that and him using the island to store the equipment while a nearby railway bridge was built, but again very little about the traditional owners who came to the island seasonally.

The key thing that stood out apart from the vast expanse of water, was birds, birds birds and more birds.  From the Pelican we saw catching a fish as we got on the ferry to Lorikeets, Galahs, Cockatoos, Kookaburras, Butcher Birds, Herons, Oyster Catchers and little swallows flitting around near the 'beach'.  There is not a lot of activity on the island apart from walking and then only two reasonably short walks (15minutes to the beach and maybe up to 45 around the top of the island) but a whole different world.  

Our host Ann Howard was a wealth of knowledge, having lived on the island for 47 years and written extensively about its history as well as publishing lots of other books including some about women in wartime.  The house itself was a bit like a museum with some original furniture, the original ceiling and walls in the main area and Ann's extensive food garden where some of our brunch the next day was sourced from.  The only downside was Ann did not like people being in her kitchen so we could not help ourselves to a cup of tea or make a coffee or snack which I found a bit disconcerting.   She had some lovely touches like providing a sheepskin for Jac which Jac actually loved, so might consider getting one for her at home.  Would go well in front of the fire.   

Following Ann's suggestion we went for the short walk to the beach, the river is so big and wide, I can't think of anything like it in Victoria except maybe up around Lakes Entrance.  It's immense, the water was so still and one end of the the beach is rocky and covered in open oyster shells (a midden perhaps).  Had wine on the verandah watching the birds, including very curious Lorikeets who came for a gander at us until Jac barked and off they went.   

We had decided to eat in the only choice for eating out, the Dangar Island Bowling Club which was a 2 minute walk from the house.  Had Jac with us so sat on the veranda with a very welcome heater as it was just a tad nippy.  Menu was mainly burgers, with vegetarian options, but a good wine list and an incredibly helpful sole waitress.  Best to book if you go there as it is a very small place and a group of young people who had booked a house there to celebrate a birthday arrived without a booking 15 minutes before the end of the 'dinnertime' and the kitchen had closed.  They did scrape together something for them so they did not go hungry but choices were extremely limited.  It was actually good to see them because, in the dark of night, being so cut off by being on an island and realising we clearly stood out as outsiders, it felt for a short time, a little creepy, like maybe you could be imprisoned by a cult or somehow cast into the wilderness for breaking some unwritten rules.  That group made the place feel a little more normal and it was actually very welcoming and felt quite safe.   A few of the locals who were of course, taken in by Jac, sitting quietly with us, said hello.  

We stopped on the walk back to look up at the clear night sky and enjoy the stars.  My bed was a water bed, shades of the 70s!  I found it a little disconcerting every time I moved though it was generally comfortable and warm.  I had a door out to the verandah, so it was easy to let Jac out for a wander and there was a good, deep bath for me to enjoy.  

Next day had a most sumptuous brunch, prepared by Ann. Sitting on the verandah overlooking the water, watching the mist slowly rise over the water and surrounding mountains, and the ferry putter in and out again was pretty remarkable.   There's a small cafe/grocery/art gallery down at the ferry, so we had coffee after brunch, Em walked up the hill while I sat around at the cafe and then the ferry back to Brooklyn to pick up the car.

I had researched a walk to stop at on the way home to try the walk to Bujwa Bay from Cowan, however when we found it, there was a steep and rocky descent down to the Bay (on the river) so we just walked a short way in to a place where we could sit on the rocks and look out at a view of the river winding through bushy hills.  Just in that very short distance there were so many different wildflowers, Happy Wanderer winding through the bushes, a beautiful plant with small pink flowers, from a distance I thought it was heath but it was a bit more orchid like up close, Wattle, Flannel Flowers, old Banksia trees and a range of different eucalypts.  As we walked back to the car through an oval, some Oystercatchers were dive bombing Jac and we noticed they had chicks wandering around the oval so tried to get past there as soon as possible so as to alleviate their anxiety.  Jac was not perturbed at all by the dive bombing.    

My verdict on the trip was it was a great thing to do.  apart from enjoying travelling with Em, something about being on an island with no cars and  just one quite basic place to eat felt like a real escape from the City madness.  The whole area around the Hawkesbury was a discovery for me and I plan to go back and explore it more.  The abundance of National Parks and Reserves so close to the city was an eye opener and there is a long walk one can do through the connected National Parks.  Couple that with the harbour and ocean pools, Sydney I could learn to love you!

Moving around NSW

Yep I'm still in NSW.  Don't really see the purpose of racing home to lockdown.  It's been hard listening to the growing numbers and feeling a bit guilty about not being there.  Have to say I have loved being at Em's.  Getting to cook for her and Joe has been fun and have been trawling through the old Women's Weekly Cookbook for inspiration.  It's interesting to recognise how limited the ingredients are that were used 40 years ago.  Also get to feed the maggies when they come begging and Em is at work. Em and I both enjoy our own space so Jac and I headed off to visit a friend in Armidale to give each other a break.

Morpeth street and sunset from main street

Headed off down the Pacific Motorway having booked a cottage in Morpeth for a night to stop along the way to Armidale.  Interesting little town, sort of like a mini Daylesford, good wine store, not surprising given we are in the Hunter Valley, it's about 2 1/2 hours out of Sydney.  Trying a new wine tonight to go with my Indian curry from the place next door to where I stayed, The Loft in the Surgeon's Cottage.  Shiraz Tempranillo, my two favourite wines together - Phoenix from Pokolbin Estate eminently drinkable, smooth dry and full bodied.  The cottage is very comfortable, in an old stone building, set in a rustic and green courtyard, and love that they have a teapot and looseleaf tea.  Morpeth also has a great pub, the Commericial with a microbrewery so I tried one of their beers sitting at a table on the street.  Was very aware of people not wearing masks and not appearing to socially distance, particularly in the pub where people, mainly men, were congregating in large groups.  Jac made herself very comfortable in the cottage.

From Morpeth I drove to Armidale on the rather intriguingly named Thunderbolts Way.  The road was named after a bushranger, a man who was known for stealing horses but 'only the best'.  That man, Frederic Ward, has that road named after him, Thunderbolt's Rock where he is reputed to have had a hiding place, a statue in Uralla, and his grave is marked with a biscuit tin where visitors leave etters for him.  His bush ranging career lasted 6 years.  6 years and he has all of that, whereas the Aboriginal people who lived on that land for tens of thousands of years, who were massacred and driven off their lands are hardly acknowledged.  There is a tourist map of Thunderbolt's Way which has all the information above, yet I found it hard to pick up anything which had the history of the traditional owners.  By looking at local Government websites I discovered the names of the traditional owners in the stretch between Walcha and Gloucester. I think they were Dangaddi, Worimi and Biripi.  I apologise if I have got any of that wrong or left out any, but it is hard to find that information.  But a bushranger, a criminal who was connected to that area for 6 years and has his story told and celebrated.

The drive itself was good, a large part of the road follows the Nowendoc river. Stopped for a break at Bretti Reserve, a peaceful little free camping area along the river, had a chat to the only couple camping there who told me about Pilligap and the area where there are several artesian springs.  Plan now to come back and do a round trip of all the artesian springs, sounds like heaven.  My friend was just a kilometre from the main centre of Armidale, a town developed by the squatocracy which apparently still has vestiges of the power of those original squatters.  Explored her property, picked veggies from the garden for dinner, had a fire outside then another inside, drank some good Hunter Valley wine and had a relaxing night.  Next morning we went to one of the many spectacular gorges around Armidale to look at the Wollombimbi Falls.  Poor Jac had to stay in the car as it was a National Park.  The area was devastated by bushfires earlier in the year but they have rebuilt a most magnificent viewing platform and refreshed the paths and amenities.   

Decided to head back along Thunderbolt's Way, stopping at another river side camping area and stayed in Morpeth again overnight.  Didn't want to just stay on the Motorway to get back so thought I'd try the Pacific Highway - don't, it was stop and start all the way and many built up areas, though I did take a few side trips.  One to Caves Beach a long stretch of beach which apparently has caves at one end but not at the dog friendly end.  Wild surf and sand had streaks of black, lots of erosion of the sand dunes.  

We had a long walk then back to the Highway with another stop at Chittaway Bay.  The bay is on Lake Macquarie, apparently one of the largest saltwater lakes in Australia.  It felt fairly rundown but got a piece of battered fish to eat and sat on a wharf on the Lake.  And along came a pelican, swimming up close and looked like she was hanging around for a feed. Took some of the batter off the fish and threw it to her, she caught it in her beak, clacked clacked with her beak to get it down and then patiently waited for more.  Jac was completely oblivious, although the pelican would move a bit away when she started walking around.  As Em said, I fed a pelican junk food.  Then got back in the motorway and headed home to Sydney, braving the Sydney traffic.   Some of Sean's extended family were there for dinner and cards and  helped try the sparkling fortified wine which was also from the Hunter Valley and was delicious. 

Footnote: 

Overheard conversation at one of the art gallery/come cafe I went to.  'Victoria is in a bit of a mess' 'Yes its because of the hotel guards who fraternised with the returning travellers' 'mm I think he Premier is Dan Andrews - is he Labor or Liberal?'  'Labor I think' 'Oh well that explains it' ....  Despite that have not had one person recoiling from me in horror when I have told them I am from Melbourne or the Mornington Peninsula.   

Learning and growing during Covid-19

One of the interests I've developed a bit more while slowing down because of Covid-19 is my garden which is a mix of natives, old favourites like daphne and lavender and food.  Food wise it's good to have an opportunity to explore bush food.  The time that's been available of late to spend in the garden has brought much nourishment, both for the body and the soul.  

The Jerusalem Artichokes are just at the beginning of harvesting.  Chucked a handful in with the roast veggies the other day and they were, not amazingly delicious, but quite tasty, so looking forward to trying out different recipes with them.  The bonus of course is while they are growing you get sunny yellow flowers like smaller sunflowers.

The fig tree next to the back deck has tempted me for the last few months with small figs, which are now beginning to ripen.  The birds do get a substantial amount but I do manage to get 4 or 5 a day which is sufficient for me.   The benefit of the birds eating the figs is I get to watch the little honeyeaters that love them and the pineapple sage I have growing underneath. The little eggplants that I planted have also provided a fairly bountiful harvest, not only do they look delightful, but they are so easy to slice up and add to just about anything I cook.  Beans however continue to frustrate me.  I put in seeds directly and watch and watch and watch ... and nothing!  The broad beans and carrots, however, are sprouting and looking quite healthy and there are some directly sown peas which are struggling up.  

Bushy Needlebush, one of the Hakea family.

A great discovery when wanting to explore different plants is the app called What Plant is That.  It is not always completely accurate but mostly pretty good for finding the name of a plant.  My walks of late have involved stopping at  many of the plants I walk past all the time to check what they are.It's particularly useful for working out what is native and what has just taken root around here and flourished.  The coastal rosemary is a bit of a trick as it does not smell or taste like Rosemary at all although it does look  a bit like Rosemary.  

A term I have come across is 'naturalised', it was in relation to a bird I was looking up and it was used to say even though something is an 'introduced' species, by European settlers, it has become acclimatised or settled in our bush.  Plants that are not native but have adapted to our soil and climates without taking over like those horrible Cotoneaster which grow everywhere they find a space down here. 


This bright little plant on the right is, I think, a Cobra lily and it has found a home on one of my favourite walks down here under the Moonah trees.  I don't see it really anywhere else so it doesn't seem to take over and it is a lovely burst of colour as you walk along.

Sea or Coastal Parsley

But bush food is what I have been exploring a little bit.  I have planted some Murnong Daisy Yams which are edible, though I am told by a friend that the variety (Microseris Lanceolata) that I have is the easiest one to grow but not the best tasting.  They take a year before the roots are ready to harvest, but in the meantime it seems to be happily multiplying.  Have also started some sea parsley which grows up on the cliff tops here on the ocean side, and am hoping that will take.  It tastes like European parsley but a little more salty.  
The finger lime I planted last summer is surviving and thriving now I have moved it to a sunnier spot.  Can't put it straight in the soil here as it's too sandy so have it growing in a half wine barrel.  It has had one fruit so here's hoping it will have more.  And then of course there is the Warragul lettuce which just goes wild here, it climbed over an old boat I have in the back yard.  I didn't realise that you couldn't eat it raw as it has toxins on the leaf, so when I put it in a salad I was not impressed.  However now I know to cook it, so I toss it in with stir fries or include it in my spinach and feta pies.  It was so rampant I pulled it out completely but now have replanted a few leaves so hopefully they will take.  Then I have a Coastal saltbush which I use to flavour anything I cook really, just chuck a few leaves in.   

Not native but the cutest little plant is the 'Mexican Cucumber' that I picked up one day at Bunnings.  The latin name is Melothria Scabra, and it has the finest little cucumbers (or mouse melons) which are good tossed in a salad, they have a slightly sour taste.  They are very prolific and grow on a delicate climbing vine.  Found some seeds at The Diggers Club diggers.com.au so have them ready to plant next spring, although the plant from this year is still producing and apparently they will self seed.  

In terms of sourcing the native plants, locally we are rather blessed with a Council run indigenous nursery at The Briars in Mt Martha.  Two other local ones that I am aware of that sell on line are https://merricks-nursery.business.site/ which is wholesale but they will sell retail as well, worth inquiring, and the other one is https://nativeplantproject.com.au/about/.

If you have time I would recommend getting into the garden and, even if you don't have much time just try planting a few herbs in pots, there is nothing nicer than just grabbing a handful of something from the garden to throw into whatever you are cooking.