Hawkesbury River
In February 2020, we rented a boat to explore the Hawkesbury River. The 8-ton Resort 35 boat with 3 cabins provided plenty of space for our family but was hard to steer as it had only a small Diesel engine that limited the speed to 8 knots. The speed limitation permitted us to drive the boat without a boating license.
But, we were not permitted to approach a wharf and had to use a mooring for the night. The dingy (tender) that came with the boat gave us access to the shore. The boat was equipped with two hot showers (one indoor and one outdoor), a microwave, a cooktop, a gas BBQ, two toilets, chart plotter, depth measurement, two bedrooms and an additional 4 bunk beds.
We drove two hours to Refuge Bay where we went to shore to stand under the waterfall that comes from high above the mountain. Then, we drove another hour to Smiths Creek where we moored at a spot where there were only two other boats.
Alexandra caught three fish for dinner—part of the dinner as they were really small.
We used the dingy to drive into the shallow areas of the Creek. Except for the occasional airplane, we could only hear nature sounds during our dinner. During the night a bad thunderstorm rocked the boat quite a bit—shaking as in the wake of another boat or on the ocean. But all was holding up—just the outside parts of the boat, like all the chairs and benches, were drained in the morning.
On the second day, we had lunch at Cottage Point Kiosk and Boat Hire.
Here more images.