Heritage Ventures
Acoustic Life of the River
A celebration of the embedded stories
along the waterways of the Hawkesbury River
SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2025
Enter into the enthralling sound filled world of the river
Our wonderful story tellers, musicians and singers will take you on an odyssey along the Hawkesbury River to secret locations and forgotten sites.
Pop-up performances departing from Spencer. Floating storyteller and haiku happenings; fabulous fiddlers; shanty singers; Irish harp and singing.
First and Second Voyages
Choose First, Second, or Both Voyages
Rogue Stories - Murder and Mayhem
Haiku Happenings
River Dogs Sea Shanties
Irish Harp
Fiddlers Feast
History With A Twist
Limited Places onboard. First in best dressed !
First Voyage 10.00am-12.00pm.
Step aboard for a river journey winding through sandstone cliffs and untold histories. At our first forest site listen to the melodious strains of the Irish harp and stories of Irish women. On the opposite shore join in the rollocking verses of Hawkesbury River sea shanties from up and down the river. Tales from the boatshed takes us to the deliciously dark stories that lie beneath the surface.
Irish Harp Music + Sea Shanties + Boatshed Tales
Irish Harp
Voices from our unsung past’. Harpist Clíona Molins evokes the stories of Irish women transported in the famine’s wake to New South Wales, many ending up on the Hawkesbury River. Be transported by the haunting songs and melodies of Courageous Girls and Parramatta Mary.
River Dogs Sea Shanties
The River Dogs hail from river communities from Milson’s Passage to Dangar Island. At a hidden riverside spot, these songkeepers revive the voices of boatmen and smugglers, singing songs of love and loss amongst the prawn heads and crab traps. Join in with rollicking sea shanties, river lore, and echoes of working boats and wild tales.
Tales from the Boatshed
Reminiscences of the river, where actor-at-large Sophie Cook brings history to life with a wink and a wild tale. Ghost ships drift by, the Green Man Inn groans with apparitions, and whispers of smugglers and pirates float in the air. Dive into the deliciously dark stories from the shadows and secrets beneath the surface.
Second Voyage 11.30am - 1.30pm
Our boat journey takes us across the river to secret locations. We step ashore where fiddles play and Awen weaves river-tales in voice and song. A lone flute calls us onward, its notes guiding a quiet journey of reflection. Here, write your own haiku —words shaped by wind, water, and impressions of country. Further on, our rogue storyteller awaits on the shoreline with tales both tall and true: murder, mayhem, and the mysteries of the deep. Bring your best self—the river remembers.
Fiddler-Singing Folkies + Haiku Happenings + Rogue Storyteller
Fiddlers Feast
Join fiddle-singing folkies, Awen with their evocative original songs drawn from the histories of the river and its people—taking you on an acoustic journey through time with fiddles, guitar and fabulous vocals.
Haiku and Flute
Haiku Happenings invites you to pause, listen deeply to nature, and craft a 3-line poem, shaped by place, gently guided by sound designer Is Guillemin and her improvised flute (Garden of Sound and Stories).
Rogue Storyteller
Sophie Cook, performer extraordinaire tells tales of the river where the Hawkesbury River meets Mangrove Creek. Tales of mayhem, murder and intrigue. Tales too wild not to be true!
Combined Tickets for Both Voyages 10.00am - 1.30pm
Have it all? Step onboard for both voyages and enjoy the full repertoire —from stringed and wind instruments, to the voice in song and spoken performance along with the rollocking sounds of river sea shanties and a rogue character actor. Invitation to dress for the river and enter into the spirit of the haiku.
