highlights

• Tracing the original road from Sydney to the coast 

• St Thomas Cemetery and the site of the School of Arts and wharves. 

• Fairview - last remaining homestead in the area and the site of the haunted 'Inn of the Damned'.

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the tour
On this walking tour we drop down into Dubbo Gully to Mangrove Creek and explore the hidden sites of a former community. First fleet lemons and blackberries, former orchards and slab huts. Our expert guides illuminate the histories of settlers from the 1830s and 1840s and living stories from growing up in the area - Mead Gully, Island Flat and 'the matchbox'. We trace the original road from Sydney to the coast across heritage wooden bridges within the extraordinary landscape of gymea lilies, sandstone bluffs and trickling creeks. Morning tea at the Hub, Mangrove Mountain. Please bring your own lunch for during the walk.  

the guide
Dr Bernadette Flynn is an historian and heritage professional with a passion for researching and sharing the layered histories of the Lower Hawkesbury River. Bernadette established Heritage Ventures to introduce people to the delights of the landscape and waterways around the Mangrove Creek catchment area and local sandstone country. Since moving to Spencer 15 years ago Bernadette has explored places off the beaten track on foot and by kayak, building up knowledge of the local flora and fauna and delving into the archive for historical and archaeological evidence.  Her PhD is in interpretative cultural heritage and she has a background in museums and education.