Voices from the Secret River: Combined River Cruise and Symposium
Join historians, maritime investigators, musicians and raconteurs on a river cruise along the Hawkesbury River on the MV Clarence Head. Plus symposium on trading vessels, first contact art 'ships sailing on stone' and tales of skulduggery along the river. A delightful grazing lunch ashore.
Cruise: Along the river, Garigal man Adam Byrne shares Aboriginal traditional knowledge about the rich and diverse sources of bush tucker and the importance of food sovereignty. Our voyage continues with the sounds of an Irish harp. Learn about the transportation of Irish women escaping the famine and what awaited them in the early colony. On our return trip, we trace the arrival of another type of 19th-century visitor—the tourist—during the era of regattas, sailing races, and steamboat pleasure cruises.
Symposium: Gain insights into the range and diversity of Hawkesbury River trading vessels with maritime researcher Peter Rea. New research from renowned historian Grace Karskens takes us into the world of ‘ships sailing on sandstone’, indigenous inscriptions clustering along Dyarubbin/the Hawkesbury River. Chris Haywood, actor and storyteller, regales us with tales of smuggling, sabotage and skulduggery by the river dwellers who lived in the many hidden tributaries of the Hawkesbury.