Heritage Ventures
Morning River Cruise
SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2024
9am - 2pm
$190
Experience the beauty of the Hawkesbury River aboard a classic timber ferry the MV Clarence Head. Enjoy history, ideas, and conversation while cruising the waterways where it all happened. Step ashore for a delightful grazing lunch at Dangar Island.
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Morning and Afternoon river cruise can be purchased together.
Combined tickets at 10% discount
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Bungaree - The First Australian
Bungaree ‘Chief of the Broken Bay tribe’ was one of the most flamboyant and recognised figures in the early colony. Public historian Mark Dunn traces the significance of Bungaree - from explorer and negotiator who circumnavigated Australia with Matthew Flinders to cultural ambassador and leader who ceremonially welcomed visitors to Australia and navigated two worlds - that of the white colonists and his own Aboriginal community. Mark explores how Bungaree retained his connection to Country, his authority amongst his people and successfully negotiated the rapidly changing world of Sydney town, the Hawkesbury River and Newcastle.​
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Dr Mark Dunn
Mark Dunn is a public historian who has worked for over twenty years in heritage and archaeology. He was awarded a PhD from the University of New South Wales in 2015 and is the author of The Convict Valley: The Bloody Struggle on Australia’s Early Frontier (2020), which details the history of the Colonial Hunter Valley. The book was shortlisted for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (Australian History). He is the former chair of the Professional Historians Association of NSW & ACT and was the C.H. Currey Fellow at SLNSW in 2016. Mark has developed and led a number of walking tours in and around Sydney, Redfern, Kings Cross, Surry Hills, as well as site specific tours for the National Art School and an online tour of Darlinghurst for the City of Sydney Culture Walks.​
A Very Secret Mission
Operation Jaywick and Camp X
During WWll in the quiet backwaters of Broken Bay was a secret training camp - simply known as Camp X. As we travel along the river, maritime archaeologist Stirling Smith points out the secluded location where the camp was constructed and describes some of the gruelling training regimes the men were put through for the highly secretive seaborne raid - codename Operation Jaywick. Stirling outlines the historical background of the mission involving 'Z Special Unit', taking a captured Japanese fishing boat, renamed Krait, almost 4000 kilometres behind enemy lines to attack shipping in Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour in 1943. He discusses why it is considered one the most successful Australian special forces operations of WWll and what were some of the unforeseen consequences of the raid.
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Sterling Smith
Stirling Smith is a Sydney-based archaeologist and heritage practitioner specialising in maritime archaeology, military heritage and polar heritage. He is the former president of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology and a former Expert Member of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Polar Heritage. In 2020 he founded Operation Digger, a community-based volunteer project that is designed to assist veterans’ physical and mental wellbeing by involving them in recording archaeological and heritage sites throughout NSW. Stirling is currently a consultant working at the Australian National Maritime Museum where he is reviewing the interpretation and management of the Museum’s naval vessels collection.
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Below Deck on the Krait
The official story of Operation Jaywick focuses on the success of the raid where Z Special Unit operatives sabotaged seven Japanese transport ships using the Kofuku Maru, under its new name - MV Krait. Actor Chris Haywood provides a below deck perspective on the 14 Australian and British commandos and crew members who travelled thousands of kilometres from Australia to Japanese-occupied Singapore. Chris reads from the diaries of Horrie Young , the radio operator on Krait providing an insight into the dangers, challenges and day to day conditions aboard the wooden fishing boat. Chris also performed in a 1982 Australian World War II film 'Attack Force Z ' loosely based on the real events of Z special unit as Able Seaman A.D. 'Sparrer' Bird.
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Chris Haywood
Chris Haywood is an Australian actor, writer and producer based in Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury River. With over 500 screen performances and three AFI acting awards to his name Chris is associated with some of the biggest films and TV shows to come out of Australia since the 70s — including Newsfront, Breaker Morant and The Man from Snowy River – and more recently The Way, My Way. He is deeply associated with the river, its history and ecosystem through tours and as Deputy Captain of VRA Hawkesbury and coxswain of their rescue boat.
Grazing Lunch on Dangar Island
Step ashore on Dangar Island for a light lunch specially prepared by river chefs. Join us on 'Mullet Island' so named by Governor Philip in 1788 for the large quantity of mullet caught there when he was exploring Broken Bay weeks after the arrival of the first fleet.
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