Hawkesbury River exploration

Big hi to all members,

Presently in Melbourne and commencing towing my boat up the Hume this Sunday for hopefully a few days nice drive through country Vic and NSW. Immediate destination is the magnificent Northern Rivers of NSW and my first stop is to spend quite some time exploring the Hawkesbury River.

My desire would be to exit the M1 somewhere from perhaps Berowra northward where I can find easy access to Hawkesbury river boat ramps and parking. What would be perfect is being able to leave the Landcruiser and trailer somewhere safe/secure.

As we are not into the marina thing and almost all ways anchor overnight - so we are looking hopefully for peaceful little nooks to observe what I believe is some excellent wildlife and scenery.

Any local members who are big on the nature (bird watching, walks etc) and can suggest or recommend nice overnight spots and possible parking would be great.
Thx in advance

Id say it would be very hard to beat Berowra Waters great easy ramp your truck and trailer would be safe in the car park .I will PM my phone number I have been on this river system for 50 years and my boat is on the marina at Berowra Waters be nice to meet you.

Berowra Waters would be a nice area to start,be aware there is a twisty hairpin turns road leading down to it.
There are other parking facilities and launching ramp just after the Hawkesbury River Road Bridge. Not sure if there are time limits on parking, longterm there might be security issues. There is another at Brooklyn on Parsley Bay which is very popular.
Our marina,Dolphin, at Brooklyn, has a launching ramp and carparking, but they charge for usage,and they would for long term parking too.
For spending time on the Hawkesbury you could buy "Cruising Guide to the Hawkesbury" by John and Jocelyn Powell. It might be out of print,maybe check Whitworths Marine Chandlery,see if they have a copy, or check online. A wonderful place to cruise,quiet isolated bays even with National Parks moorings provided free, nature abounds, and there are walks to access.
Hope you enjoy it. Gaston will be a mine of information,do take him up on his offer.

Bruce, @ Parsley point ramp for o/n. What a ripping spot !! Got secured parking arranged and slip Nimiane in the Hawksbury 2morrow.
Pennant Hills road is surely the road from hell.....

bogranjac1 said:

Bruce, @ Parsley point ramp for o/n. What a ripping spot !! Got secured parking arranged and slip Nimiane in the Hawksbury 2morrow.
Pennant Hills road is surely the road from hell.....

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Yes,Pennant Hills Rd has a bad rap, then the M1, first the roadworks,and all good.
As you exit Parsley Bay you`ll see the railway bridge to port, boat mast height determines upstream access. If you pass under the railway bridge,later you can take a U turn to port instead of passing under the road bridge to enter Sandbrook Inlet,with 5 marinas, incl Dolphin, where we are.
Before you get to the rail bridge there is water access to Brooklyn. The small supermarket has a wharf for fuel and shopping,and there are free moorings to leave your boat and dinghy in.
The great thing about Brooklyn is you are about 1/2 an hour from Broken Bay. Midweek means less boats, the best places to lift a free NPWS mooring can be empty, like peaceful Pinta Bay off Jerusalem Bay(where the seaplane crashed), protected Castle Lagoon off Yeomans Bay, and Smiths Creek(don`t be put off by "creek", most of it is 18M deep) just past Cottage Point(good cafe/kiosk but pricey for supplies,Brooklyn or anywhere is cheaper) great mooring in the "hook"(as I call it) down the end, don`t ignore Stingray Bay to stbd about 1km before heading down to the "hook".
Have fun.

The Hawkesbury River system is absolutely beautiful. I have had the pleasure of spending the last 30 years cruising from Berowra as a kid. My old man started the motor yacht club down there some 20 years ago. It is a nice trip down stream toward Brooklyn with many inlets and public moorings to stay the night. Deep bay and Joe Crafts bay are a nice quiet spot. As you follow it up you have the choice to explore the river up towards Windsor, a windy river system passing many caravan parks, very popular for water skiing. There is the annual bridge to bridge boat race which is a must see at some point in your life. Or you could follow the river toward Brooklyn and the M1 bridge by either taking Milsons passage or you can go the long way around the island. From memory there are a ship wreck or two along the way.
You could spend weeks exploring, I still have not mentioned bobbin head, or Pittwater which although very busy, are a nice destination.
I knew a local fisherman Keith Crumpton who had endless tales of the river but he unfortunately passed away a few years back.
Near the road bridge there is a small island called Bar Island. It is small and a great place to explore the ruins of the church and check out the historical cemetery.
Have fun exploring!

Interesting to know how the OP`s cruise is going but Hawkesbury aficionados will know poor phone and internet access makes contact near impossible. Occasionally at night you get service,the fjord like topography is the problem, see the last post on "A sad ending to 2017" in this section. In my experience service, in descending order, is Telstra,Vodafone,Optus. There is a Telstra tower at Akuna Bay so good coverage there. Brooklyn is good for all 3. Elsewhere, it`s hit and miss, mostly miss.

Besides the poxy weather over here all good so far. Been through Cowan's and then back to Brooklyn and on to Mooney2 creek. That was great. No rabbits and so pretty. At Wiseman's tonite - actually McDonald's creek hiding from maniac waterskiing suicides. The village is cool. Tomorrow catch the tide down to Berowra for a captain cook.regards.

The Mc Donald has Australian bass in its upper reaches. Worth throwing a lure near the banks,under snags,etc. Beware of mosquitoes,and other airborne nasties.
Stunning weather Saturday pm and Sunday. Perfect light breezes autumn days, we overnighted in Little Jerusalem.