December 2019

About 40km north of the Sydney CBD is another world. The hustle and bustle of a big metropolitan city gives way to nature – forests, rivers and the only sound being a cacophony of birds interrupted now and again by the sound of a boat motor chugging along. We were to spend a weekend away with our good friends Amy and Gordon, replacing city living for river living as we stayed in a house on the water’s edge.

Berowra Waters is a riverside community situated on Berowra Creek, one of the main tributaries of the Hawkesbury River. The name ‘Berowra’ is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘place of many winds’. The aborignal populace lived in relative peace until the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and within weeks ‘ European’ diseases such as smallpox eradicated a large number of locals as the disease spread from present-day Sydney. Captain Hunter surveyed and charted these waters in 1789. The first European settlements were granted in 1829 with fishing and forestry becoming the main industries into the 19th century.

The house we were staying in was located on a point next to Calabash Bay and the creek and we had to take a small water taxi from the Public wharf next to the Berowra Waters Ferry. A cable ferry that connects both banks.

After arriving and settling in we took another water taxi back along the way we came to the Berowra Waters Inn. Built in the 1930s as a guesthouse, this restaurant is now home to one of the best restaurants in Australia. It’s charm magnified by the fact that you can only access it by boat or if you have some spare dosh – a seaplane from Rose Bay. One of them arrived during our stay and it was quite the sight to see it land right outside our accomodation.

This Edwardian-style tea-house was completely refurbished in the 1970s with corrugated tin roofing, louvre windows and a sandstone base. A cutting edge design from award winning architect Glenn Murcutt. We had a very nice meal here. The chef (and owner) Brian Geraghty had spent time working in high end restaurants in London, Paris and New York before brining his experience and touch to Berowra Waters. The only odd thing was the special mix-your-own cocktails they had that night. One of them, a gin, looked like a bottle of Davidoff Cool Water and we have it on great authority that it tasted like it too.

The Ozarks

The river runs through everything, so much so, that our accomodation can with a rather unique perk. Our very own boat.

In lieu of a hike or morning stroll we had the chance to take a spin up and down the river – starting with heading northwards towards the Hawkesbury River and the bridge at Mooney Mooney. There were no big towns along this route – just dozens of houses in a motley collection of styles and sizes but all with small pontoons in front of each of them. Cate Blanchett lives here somewhere but we didn’t spot her.

There was a decent amount of boats on the water – a throwback to the 1920s when a WWI veteran Rex Jones set up the first boat hire business on the water creating the first hire boat fleet in Australia. A legacy that continues today at the Berowra Waters Marina.

We were joined on our morning punt by a smack of Jellyfish – thousands of them bobbing just beneath the water surface. We had not seen this many since heading to Scotland Island and seeing them in the Pittwater. We also spotted some mud crabs on the rocks as they are ‘in season’ between December and June when the tide is right. In addition to the usual birds – kookaburras, pelicans and herons we were treated to a solitary white-bellied sea eagle that tracked our journey.

Lunch with a view

For lunch we booked some space on a the main ‘water’ bus and headed north to Peat’s Bite. The restaurant has been running since the 1980s serving up great lunches and live music. When we went there was a former reality tv contestant banging out tunes on his guitar. The atmosphere is great, wide open lawns looking north across the water to Pelican Island and Fisherman’s point. You could have a nice outdoor wedding here and they are smart – with a small number of bungalows, swimming pool and a marina deck.

That evening we listened to music on the BBQ deck while Gordon tried his hand at some fishing using the host provided fishing equipment.

It was great to get to Peat’s Bite after hearing so much about it from friends over the years and we timed it just right as it was before COVID because sadly in May 2021 the restaurant burnt to the ground in a freak fire. It is still closed but there are plans to re-build.

Smoke on the Water

Speaking of fires – this trip of ours was back at the start of the devastating fire season of 2019/2020. On our last morning the entire river valley was filled with smoke from the nascent fires burning in the national parks to the north of us covering our vista with haze, smoke and more than a hint of burning smell. Blue skies and verdant riverbanks giving way to ghostly scene. A scary end to a great weekend away from Sydney.