On July 24, the Sun (Brooklyn speak for ferry), and the sun that provides light and warmth, both returned to Brooklyn, after, for the former, a short time on the slips, and for the latter, a spell of true winter weather.
John, at the popular King Tide Cafe, says this winter has been much better for them than the last, as there have been so many brilliant days interspersed with the dull ones.
The Sun appears to be watertight below the rub rail now, but above, on the port side, two thirds is clad only in plywood, presumably temporarily, while some work is being carried out on the frame.
The girls at River Dreams at Hawkesbury River Marina have the name up above the shop entrance, which looks splendid. Their end of July sale was successful and has enabled them to display their new stock to great advantage.
Trish's wonderful "Broken Spines" bookshop is such an asset to Brooklyn and she stocks secondhand books, including children's, fiction and non-fiction, on a wide range of subjects.
Last week we had a visitor from Point Lonsdale in Victoria. Rick Stockley, of Marine Cabs, was waiting for his son to return by train from school, and we asked him to take us on a little river cruise. We started by dropping his son on Dangar Island, where Rick and his family live, then to Little Wobby, round Dangar Island, then under the rail bridge where he showed us the Aboriginal birthing rock. Then back under the railway bridge, where Rick pointed out the holes drilled in the pylons of the original railway bridge, into which explosives were to be packed if the Japanese had taken Sydney. Rick is very knowledgable about the river and has a larger cab for groups.
At Little Wobby there's a racing yacht hull which is attracting attention and comment. It is being prepared for the summer racing season and is an entrant in this year's Sydney Hobart.
Q Rex, the bow-return clinging dinosaur is back, having spent a week or two in the hull of the tinny it is usually enhancing.
Monday, 8 August 2011
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
July 2011
This week we heard a boat propeller salesman described as a marine engineer, and this made me think that maybe the fact that all is not as it seems is the major fault with Western society, for, while there is a brown haze, filled with untruths, broken promises and incorrect conclusions hanging above the beer garden at the pub, there is a certain innocence and admirable simplicity in Brooklyn, which doesn't aspire to delusions of grandeur.
It is school holiday time so there are lots of children about fishing and generally enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of Brooklyn. The winds have been like August Westerlies - bitterly cold and very strong, forming white caps and spin drift across the river.
The June/July issue of Club Marine magazine has a feature article about the Hawkesbury, as does the Weekend Australian Travel supplement July 9/10, confirming what most of us know about this beautiful waterway.
The brush turkeys are alive and well and often can be seen in the tops of the highest trees. Unfortunately, as lot of rubbish is placed in the rubbish area, but not inside the bins - even when there is plenty of room - and the birds really foul up the area looking for food among this litter.
One of the homeless men has rehabilitated the steps from the old station master's cottage to the park opposite the railway station. It is an excellent job, and he has use the brush turkeys to his advantage in an ingenious way, in order to facilitate this job.
The station master at Hawkesbury River Station must have felt he was presiding over an exclusive domain from the heights of William Street. It is such a wonderful position.
The warm winter soups are proving very popular at the King Tide Cafe at the marina, and the girls at River Dreams are selling lots of colourful and fashionable winter woollies, including fair trade pure wool beanies and leggings from Nepal.
The Sun, (which in Brooklyn-speak means the ferry), which never seems to stop, is on the slips at Dolphin Marine, so the Hawkesbury Explorer and the Hawkesbury have taken over the Dangar/Little Wobby run for the time being.
It is school holiday time so there are lots of children about fishing and generally enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of Brooklyn. The winds have been like August Westerlies - bitterly cold and very strong, forming white caps and spin drift across the river.
The June/July issue of Club Marine magazine has a feature article about the Hawkesbury, as does the Weekend Australian Travel supplement July 9/10, confirming what most of us know about this beautiful waterway.
The brush turkeys are alive and well and often can be seen in the tops of the highest trees. Unfortunately, as lot of rubbish is placed in the rubbish area, but not inside the bins - even when there is plenty of room - and the birds really foul up the area looking for food among this litter.
One of the homeless men has rehabilitated the steps from the old station master's cottage to the park opposite the railway station. It is an excellent job, and he has use the brush turkeys to his advantage in an ingenious way, in order to facilitate this job.
The station master at Hawkesbury River Station must have felt he was presiding over an exclusive domain from the heights of William Street. It is such a wonderful position.
The warm winter soups are proving very popular at the King Tide Cafe at the marina, and the girls at River Dreams are selling lots of colourful and fashionable winter woollies, including fair trade pure wool beanies and leggings from Nepal.
The Sun, (which in Brooklyn-speak means the ferry), which never seems to stop, is on the slips at Dolphin Marine, so the Hawkesbury Explorer and the Hawkesbury have taken over the Dangar/Little Wobby run for the time being.
Friday, 10 June 2011
June 2011
The frangipani which are such a fragrant and tropical symbol of summer, have dropped some of their leaves as if they've experienced a shock. The few flower buds fail to open more than a fraction, but still have that beautiful perfume.
All this means we had a cold and wet May, interspersed with beautiful, clear sunny and warm days, and now it's June and the winter solstice will occur in 10 days.
King Tide Cafe at the marina has added hearty soups, including seafood chowder, to its blackboard menu, in keeping with the change in weather, and has installed some wonderful new gas heaters, housed in smart wooden lattice boxes,
Linda and Kate now have two life-size mannequins at River Dreams to model some of their ab.fab gear. Kate's restoration skills are coming to the fore with their range of tables and chairs, featuring beautifully finished oiled timber.
Gerd at The Edge Art Space has yet another very exciting concert this month, featuring ice instruments this time.
For a couple of years I have pointed out to children and adults alike, a tiny plastic dinosaur, clinging to the bow return on a tinny moored at the marina. Suddenly, it vanished, and I wondered if it was a casualty of a mooring rope thrown during the recent rough weather, and if, perhaps, it was bobbing along the Hawkesbury somewhere. Fortunately, I encountered the owner disembarking his tinny and was able to ask him. He said that it had probably shaken into the hull as he bounced across the waves in rough weather, and told me he had found it while participating in a clean up of a beach on the river, and that therefore this dinosaur belongs to the river. A few hours later, there was the dinosaur clinging to the bow return once again!
We used to see whistling kites at Terrigal, and a few years ago, watched them building a nest in one of the Norfolk Island pines there, but they are no longer to be seen there, so it is a delight to have them here, as well as the majestic sea eagles.
All this means we had a cold and wet May, interspersed with beautiful, clear sunny and warm days, and now it's June and the winter solstice will occur in 10 days.
King Tide Cafe at the marina has added hearty soups, including seafood chowder, to its blackboard menu, in keeping with the change in weather, and has installed some wonderful new gas heaters, housed in smart wooden lattice boxes,
Linda and Kate now have two life-size mannequins at River Dreams to model some of their ab.fab gear. Kate's restoration skills are coming to the fore with their range of tables and chairs, featuring beautifully finished oiled timber.
Gerd at The Edge Art Space has yet another very exciting concert this month, featuring ice instruments this time.
For a couple of years I have pointed out to children and adults alike, a tiny plastic dinosaur, clinging to the bow return on a tinny moored at the marina. Suddenly, it vanished, and I wondered if it was a casualty of a mooring rope thrown during the recent rough weather, and if, perhaps, it was bobbing along the Hawkesbury somewhere. Fortunately, I encountered the owner disembarking his tinny and was able to ask him. He said that it had probably shaken into the hull as he bounced across the waves in rough weather, and told me he had found it while participating in a clean up of a beach on the river, and that therefore this dinosaur belongs to the river. A few hours later, there was the dinosaur clinging to the bow return once again!
We used to see whistling kites at Terrigal, and a few years ago, watched them building a nest in one of the Norfolk Island pines there, but they are no longer to be seen there, so it is a delight to have them here, as well as the majestic sea eagles.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Second Blog for May 2011
The first thing I have to do in this blog is apologise for my mistake in thinking that The Island is in Gosford. Dangar Island is in Hornsby shire, the same as Brooklyn. The second thing is to let you know that while the public wharf steps were repaired recently, the white tie-bar was straightened.
Last time I said we were going to breakfast with friends at King Tide on the Marina, and we've had two breakfasts there this month, and on each occasion eggs benedict has been the favourite item. It must be one of the finest breakfasts in one of the finest locations, in the world. Two poached eggs on a bed of baby spinach, on an English muffin, served with freshly made hollandaise sauce and chunks of smoked salmon - smoked by the proprietor - absolutely delicious! One of our guests had the omelette, with bacon, tomatoes and toast, and although she thought she'd be unable to finish it, she managed.
The girls at the marina shop are excitedly planning their winter collection, which includes clothing, jewellery, homewares, furniture, artifacts and art. They support many locals and seem to have found a market niche which appeals to visitors and locals alike. Kate and Linda have always wanted to open a shop and now they have their River Dreams.
On Friday (May 20), there is another concert at The Edge Art Space in Brooklyn. The last one, last month, was fabulous, and it was full house, and Gerd expects this will be the same.
On Saturday, an historian from the island launched her latest book aboard the Hawkesbury Explorer - a book launch on a launch. That evening, the lovely old MV Reliance pulled in to Brooklyn. It is a classic wooden ferry, built in 1919 by Goddards of Palm Beach, to perform the
Brooklyn to Wisemans Ferry, via Spencer, mail run. It is now owned by Bobbin Head Cruises and is cruising the wonderful Hawkesbury again.
On Sunday we were privileged to be invited for a cruise aboard the Earl of Brooklyn's yacht. This was a wonderful experience, and we enjoyed perfect weather and an excellent seafood lunch
on board. It is amazing to enjoy the tranquillity of Refuge Bay and Jerusalem Bay and yet realise that Sydney suburbia is, literally, just over the hill.
The Hawkesbury River, especially around Brooklyn, presents such a splendid image, with its towering sandstone escarpments, varied trees and shrubs, and rocks that wilderness photographers
dream of. It is such a delight to live surrounded by this magnificence.
Last time I said we were going to breakfast with friends at King Tide on the Marina, and we've had two breakfasts there this month, and on each occasion eggs benedict has been the favourite item. It must be one of the finest breakfasts in one of the finest locations, in the world. Two poached eggs on a bed of baby spinach, on an English muffin, served with freshly made hollandaise sauce and chunks of smoked salmon - smoked by the proprietor - absolutely delicious! One of our guests had the omelette, with bacon, tomatoes and toast, and although she thought she'd be unable to finish it, she managed.
The girls at the marina shop are excitedly planning their winter collection, which includes clothing, jewellery, homewares, furniture, artifacts and art. They support many locals and seem to have found a market niche which appeals to visitors and locals alike. Kate and Linda have always wanted to open a shop and now they have their River Dreams.
On Friday (May 20), there is another concert at The Edge Art Space in Brooklyn. The last one, last month, was fabulous, and it was full house, and Gerd expects this will be the same.
On Saturday, an historian from the island launched her latest book aboard the Hawkesbury Explorer - a book launch on a launch. That evening, the lovely old MV Reliance pulled in to Brooklyn. It is a classic wooden ferry, built in 1919 by Goddards of Palm Beach, to perform the
Brooklyn to Wisemans Ferry, via Spencer, mail run. It is now owned by Bobbin Head Cruises and is cruising the wonderful Hawkesbury again.
On Sunday we were privileged to be invited for a cruise aboard the Earl of Brooklyn's yacht. This was a wonderful experience, and we enjoyed perfect weather and an excellent seafood lunch
on board. It is amazing to enjoy the tranquillity of Refuge Bay and Jerusalem Bay and yet realise that Sydney suburbia is, literally, just over the hill.
The Hawkesbury River, especially around Brooklyn, presents such a splendid image, with its towering sandstone escarpments, varied trees and shrubs, and rocks that wilderness photographers
dream of. It is such a delight to live surrounded by this magnificence.
Monday, 2 May 2011
Early May 2011
'We've pulled the plug on the island', he said as he sat with us facing The Island, 'but it won't just sink suddenly - it will take a couple of years'. About two weeks ago, a month or two after this announcement, I remarked that we'd not noticed any difference in the level. A wry smile appeared on his face and he said 'You will'.
Just what has caused the antagonism towards the island dwellers we're not sure, but perhaps it's because they have no allocated parking (hardly their fault), or that they are in Gosford council area while we are in Hornsby shire - who knows? There are lots of very talented people living there, and one of them, an artist, has an exhibition, which from all reports, is a stunner and depicts local scenery, showing right now at The Edge Art Space in Brooklyn.
This morning we are going to meet friends for breakfast at the Marina cafe so in the next blog I will be able to give an up to date report on these breakfasts in such a wonderful location.
Just what has caused the antagonism towards the island dwellers we're not sure, but perhaps it's because they have no allocated parking (hardly their fault), or that they are in Gosford council area while we are in Hornsby shire - who knows? There are lots of very talented people living there, and one of them, an artist, has an exhibition, which from all reports, is a stunner and depicts local scenery, showing right now at The Edge Art Space in Brooklyn.
This morning we are going to meet friends for breakfast at the Marina cafe so in the next blog I will be able to give an up to date report on these breakfasts in such a wonderful location.
Saturday, 23 April 2011
April 2011
This month there have been high tides during waking hours of morning and night, and at 2 metres, the fish co-op and police ramp actually face upwards to their pontoons, and the slightly-less-than-level white tie-bar on the public wharf steps goes right under water, avoiding any embarrassment for the wharf builders who must have forgotten their spirit level that day.
On Sunday night The Brooklyn Thai Restaurant opened opposite the landmark Anglers Rest Hotel. Run by a young Thai woman, who came to Australia to study English, then met and married her Australian engineer husband, it has all the makings of becoming another landmark if the quality of the meal we had with friends on Monday is an indicator.
The food at the Hawkesbury River Marina is great as well. The breakfasts need their own blog space at another time! We can see the fishing boats come in, and know that the fresh fish there is filleted almost daily. There are crabs - both blue swimmers and "muddies" - in season, and most of the lunches are accompanied by fresh salad and delicious chips.
There are such lovely walks around Brooklyn and these will be explored in later blogs. As well as these walks, Brooklyn has its own little beach and tidal swimming pool, plus some excellent parks with barbeques and facilities. The one thing in short supply is parking, but it never seems to be too great a problem, as so many people visit by train to the Hawkesbury River Station (lots of steps), and by boat.
A delightful ferry trip can be taken aboard the "Sun" to Dangar Island and Wobby, and the Hawkesbury Explorer departs each weekday, as the riverboat postman, with passengers if they have booked, and Marine Cabs will take passengers to any water access place on the river
On Sunday night The Brooklyn Thai Restaurant opened opposite the landmark Anglers Rest Hotel. Run by a young Thai woman, who came to Australia to study English, then met and married her Australian engineer husband, it has all the makings of becoming another landmark if the quality of the meal we had with friends on Monday is an indicator.
The food at the Hawkesbury River Marina is great as well. The breakfasts need their own blog space at another time! We can see the fishing boats come in, and know that the fresh fish there is filleted almost daily. There are crabs - both blue swimmers and "muddies" - in season, and most of the lunches are accompanied by fresh salad and delicious chips.
There are such lovely walks around Brooklyn and these will be explored in later blogs. As well as these walks, Brooklyn has its own little beach and tidal swimming pool, plus some excellent parks with barbeques and facilities. The one thing in short supply is parking, but it never seems to be too great a problem, as so many people visit by train to the Hawkesbury River Station (lots of steps), and by boat.
A delightful ferry trip can be taken aboard the "Sun" to Dangar Island and Wobby, and the Hawkesbury Explorer departs each weekday, as the riverboat postman, with passengers if they have booked, and Marine Cabs will take passengers to any water access place on the river
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