Voices from the Secret River: Cruising Upstream and Downstream
All day historical immersion cruising Dyarubbin with historians, geologist and storytellers evoking the magic of the Secret River - with Grace Karskens, Gil Jones and the Indigenous Astronomy Group. Visiting hidden locations and water only access islands for short walking tours. Lunch on waterfront.
Join eminent historian of the Hawkesbury River, Grace Karskens, on a journey upstream from Spencer to hear about the hidden places and forgotten voices of Dyarubbin. We step ashore at Greenmans to trace the origins of the first licensed inn on the Lower Hawkesbury and at ‘Gentlemans Halt’ for historical fiction inspired by the river’s history. After an exquisite lunch at a private heritage house, we set out downstream and are joined by a sandstone and rock art researcher evoking Gondwana and how the magnificent landscape of the Hawkesbury River was formed. We continue on to Mud Island for a unique tour delving into the unusual and bizarre stories from our entertaining history teller and visit the beautifully located Bar Island, once a hub for Aboriginal people and early river traders, now with an abandoned midden, church and cemetery. Our cruise meanders back to Spencer to hear about Australian indigenous astronomy and connections to the songlines associated with Dyarubbin.