It’s been just over a year since I packed up the tent and other camping gear in the kayak and went ‘walkabout’ – a one night stay at Gentleman’s Halt campground, in the vicinity of Spencer on the Hawkesbury River (and a blog for another day!). Although these last 12 months have seen plenty of paddling and several camping trips, there’s been nothing combining the two. So, before the fierce heat of summer fully arrives, I decided it was time to make use of a few days off mid-week and get back out there.
Stretching and meandering some 120km, the Hawkesbury River runs from its origin somewhere north of Penrith, easterly, to where it empties into the Central Coast’s Broken Bay. I’ve spent the last few years exploring almost every nook and cranny the Hawkesbury has to offer – up to Wiseman’s Ferry (a 55km paddle from Broken Bay), the wide expanses of Brisbane Water and Pittwater, and the lengthy Cowan and Mooney Mooney Creeks.
Having tracked pretty much all of the shorelines these waterways have to offer, I find myself repeatedly drawn to Berowra Creek. Being that bit further up the Hawkesbury and more inland than, say Cowan Creek, it feels a little less exposed to coastal elements (swell, stronger winds) – and although maybe not too much less trafficked, the buzzing jetskis that plague the Broken Bay area are certainly a pleasant rarity.
I’ve lost count of the number of trips I’ve made around the ‘top end’ of Berowra Creek, launching at Deerubbun boat ramp (Hawkesbury Interchange on the M1 Pacific Motorway), then down around Bar Island and Coba Point. I’ve paddled to Berowra Waters a few times, also, but I’ve only made it to the very end of Berowara Creek just once (as its a fair distance and you need higher tides at the end).
On each trip, though, one of the Twin Beaches has always been a guaranteed stop-over, for lunch and often a swim. Both have a long-drop toilet, too, so if you don’t like digging holes, then these are definitely the beaches for you!
The plan then:
- Day 1: launch at Deerubbun with the morning tide (route via HMAS Parramatta and Bar Point), paddle 10km to Twin Beaches South, set up camp, scout the lower reaches of the adjacent Marramarra Creek, then have an easy evening by the campfire;
- Day 2: early launch with the morning tide, then a 30-something kilometer round-trip south, to the very end of Berowra Creek, stopping off at Berowra Waters for coffee on the way down, and at Crosslands campground for lunch on the way back up – swimming/fishing at any convenient location in-between; and
- Day 3: pack-up camp first-thing, and paddle a slack tide back to Deerubbun (via Sunny Corner and Milson’s Passage).
It was a great plan! However, we arrived at Deerubbun a little later than planned, and with a spring tide, we found we had little or no beach to load-up the kayaks on, and it was a bit frustrating trying to stuff everything into the kayaks whilst they were being buffeted by the waves created by the occasional passing boat.
Catching the remainder of the rising tide, though, the paddle around the northern shoreline – taking in the sights of HMAS Parramatta – was straightforward and relaxing, and we arrived at our (deserted) destination in a little under two hours.
The south beach is more spacious – and in my view more scenic and enjoyable – than the north beach, but still it only has four bookable camping spots. Whilst each site can be booked for up to four people, the sites themselves are not particularly separated, or spacious. That said, camping is free, you just pay the NSW Parks & Wildlife $6 booking fee – and I’m fine paying this small sum to access such great facilities.
Each camping spot has it’s own firepit, which we used both nights (incl. the first night to cook on), but I recommend taking your own firewood with you as we found much of what might otherwise be available was likely scavenged by previous campsite visitors.
A little concerned for the high tides occurring in the area over the last few days, we selected the beachfront fire pit but pitched our tent up from the beach, claiming the one picnic table as part of our base of operations.
The flies and mosquitos were surprisingly absent on the first night – no doubt encouraged by our blazing campfire to go and bug (literally!) someone else – but were back on the second night. This was to be expected though, so as always, bring the appropriate insect repellent and first aid kit items (Stingoze etc.). I did manage to step on a bull ant (or something similar) and suffered a fairly painful bite, so, as I was reminded, respect nature – and keep your shoes on!
Although I’ve yet to realise my aspiration of catching dinner whilst kayak-camping, my fishing efforts with a ‘softie’ lure that afternoon were rewarded with a small dusky flathead – but nothing else for the whole trip, despite the fish constantly jumping, and there being shoals of large bream among other species all the way to the end of Berowra Creek. A paddler I may be, a successful fisherman I am most definitely not!
A place worth visiting in its own right – and certainly as part of any paddle on Berowra Creek, is Berowra Waters. Charaterised by its classic Hawkesbury River-style cable ferry, this very small town is best seen from the water. Paddle the shorelines and have a good nosey at the fancy riverside dwellings, before cautiously paddling over the ferry’s pair of cable lines draping across the waterway.
We opted to stop at the public boat ramp and marina, on the western shoreline, where I knew there to be a cafe/restaurant where we could enjoy ourselves a coffee and a pastry before continuing down the creek. We also used the opportunity to stretch our legs, have a short stroll and watch the ferry operations for a little while.
Further downstream, the channel first widens and gets very shallow (requiring a rising/hide tide to navigate it) before then narrowing again and becoming much more navigable. The upside of this is that there are almost no motor craft to be found once you leave Berowra Waters, making for a much more serene and peaceful paddling experience.
Just a few easy kilometers past Berowra Waters we arrived at our destination, the end of the navigable section of the creek, the waterway made impassable by a tumble of large boulders. What does stand out here the most, though, is the transformation in vegetation – lush green rainforest taking over from the predominantly bush and gums of the higher reaches of the creek, teeming with many different types of birds, such as the Eastern Whip bird, making its distinctive call.
By midday, the clouds had cleared and the sun was really starting to warm things up, so on the way back up we decided to stop off at the northern end of Crosslands campground where we’d earlier spied a sandy beach perfect for landing the kayaks on, and clear, flowing water, ideal for a refreshing dip.
All-told, the we covered about 35km and were out for about 10 hours. That said, we’d caught the rising tides out, and the falling tide back, plus had received some assistance from the wind in several sections – so despite us having a long day out on the water, we weren’t completely exhausted.
Or maybe we were – I never find that I have my best night’s sleep when camping, but I certainly slept well that night (after another wine-accompanied campfire), and rising in the morning for that all-important first cup of coffee of the day was not at all difficult. But maybe that was more to do with the sunrise that welcomed us…
After enjoying the tranquil views that lay before us, enjoying these calm, still and peaceful waters, we reflected on how fortunate we were to have had such an amazing playground more-or-less to ourselves.
Coffee cups emptied we decided to break camp, load up the kayaks and catch the tide for an easy run back to Deerubbun. Our return leg would see us follow the opposite side of the Hawkesbury to that on our outbound leg, skirting the shores of Muogamarra Nature Reserve and paddling through the little hamlet of Milson’s Passage.
It was definitely a trip worth doing, and one I shouldn’t have waited so long to do. This amazing waterway, and this fantastic campsite are right on the doorstep, so I’m glad we finally made this outing happen.
And I strongly encourage you all to do the same!
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