Heritage Ventures
Symposium
SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2025
12.30pm - 4.30pm
$70
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Symposium on maritime trade and craft, indigenous contact art, stories of smuggling and skulduggery along the river. Speakers: Peter Rea,
​Emeritus Professor Grace Karskens and Chris Haywood.
Enjoy a beautiful grazing lunch in Spencer prior to the symposium​​
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Symposium and river cruise can be purchased together.
Combined tickets at 10% discount
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Hawkesbury River Traders
Peter takes us on a captivating journey through the heyday of Hawkesbury River commercial and government vessels, from sloops, large schooners to government brigs. In the early days of the Hawkesbury River a fleet of as many as seventy vessels could sail with a fair wind. Known as the ‘Mosquito Fleet’ these boats were the lifeblood of the river, connecting scattered communities to Port Jackson. From the pictorial archive and his own collection of boat models Peter traces the range of vessels, diversity of uses and highlights the challenges faced in trading along the coast and in Broken Bay. From the era of sail to the era of steam this fascinating history includes little known anecdotes and details of the movement of vessels including the story of General Gordon, which plied across the Hawkesbury carrying mail and passengers and linking the two ends of the NSW north-south railway line.
Peter Rea
Peter Rea is a local historian and maritime enthusiast whose research focus is the history of shipbuilding and trade along the Hawkesbury River and Brisbane Water. He has developed a 3km self-guided Shipbuilders Heritage Walk, which was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship in 2021 and has received awards from National Parks & Wildlife Service and Gosford City Council Heritage for outstanding achievement. Peter’s interest in ships and boats extends to the creation of models include the General Gordon and other significant watercraft of the river system.
Ships sailing on sandstone
The Sydney region is astonishingly rich in Aboriginal rock art, but it had been assumed that contact art, including images of vessels, was insignificant. Yet when the images of ships and boats were counted and mapped, over 35 were located, representing a range of vessel types. Besides clustering along Dyarubbin/the Hawkesbury River, they reached from South Head in the east, to Faulconbridge, in Gulumada/the Blue Mountains, to the west, and as far north as Buttai in the Hunter Valley. Clearly Aboriginal artists in the Sydney region, as elsewhere in Australia, considered European vessels important enough to draw and engrave, sometimes adding them to larger, existing artworks. In this illustrated talk, Grace will explore some of the ways we might contextualise and think about these pictures of vessels sailing on sandstone, and what they may signify.
Emeritus Professor Grace Karskens
Grace Karskens is Emeritus Professor of Australian History at the University of New South Wales Sydney. Grace writes about Australian colonial history, Aboriginal history and environmental history. Grace began her career as a public historian and has a lifelong commitment to bringing good history to wide audiences. Her books include 'The Rocks: Life in early Sydney'; The Colony: A history of early Sydney, (Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction; the US Urban History Association’s prize for Best Book, 2010) and the multi-award winning 'People of the River: Lost worlds of early Australia',
(Australian History Prize, NSW; Premier's History Awards,; Australian History Prize, Prime Minister's Literary Awards, 2021 and xo-winner Ernest Scott Prize, 2021.
Smugglers, Sabotage and Skulduggery
Storyteller and actor Chris Haywood takes us back to a time when the Lower Hawkesbury was far enough away from Sydney to escape the watchful eyes of the law. Along the shorelines and creek beds, caves served as secret hideouts for contraband and the illegal trade of sly grog. Hear tales of cons, cunning schemes, and defiance against authority from the river dwellers who lived in the many hidden tributaries of the Hawkesbury, from Mangrove to Marramarra Creek. Explore the histories of piracy, vessel attacks, smuggling, and skulduggery that flourished in these remote waters.
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 Platters
Enjoy a fabulous grazing lunch on arrival specially prepared by Kate's Catering from Brooklyn. Seasoned with native bush food and with gluten free and vegan options. Enjoy eating off vintage china with platters on lace tablecloths and decorated with native flora.
