Heritage Ventures
Voices from the Secret River
SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2025
Morning Cruise along the Hawkesbury River aboard the classic timber ferry MV Clarence Head. Departing from Spencer. Enjoy ideas, the Irish harp, song and river history. Hear about Indigenous foodways, Irish women's migration, and Hawkesbury tourism.
Join historians, maritime investigators, and raconteurs in an afternoon symposium on trading vessels along the river, first contact art 'Ships sailing on sandstone' and tales of skulduggery along the remote tributaries.
A delightful grazing lunch at the Hawkesbury Duck ashore at Spencer
River Cruise
SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2025
8.30am-1.30pm
$210
Along the river, Garigal man Adam Byrne shares Aboriginal traditional knowledge about the rich and diverse sources of bush tucker and the importance of food sovereignty. Our voyage continues with the sounds of an Irish harp. Learn about the transportation of Irish women escaping the famine and what awaited them in the early colony. On our return trip, we trace the arrival of another type of 19th-century visitor—the tourist—during the era of regattas, sailing races, and steamboat pleasure cruises.
Afloat am
Don Francis
Symposium
SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2025
12.30pm-4.30pm
$70
Gain insights into the range and diversity of Hawkesbury river trading vessels with maritime researcher Peter Rea. New research from renowned historian Grace Karskens takes us into the world of 'ships sailing on sandstone', indigenous inscriptions clustering along Dyarubbin/the Hawkesbury River. Chris Haywood, actor and storyteller, regales us with tales of smuggling, sabotage and skulduggery by the river dwellers who lived in the many hidden tributaries of the Hawkesbury.
Product Manager
Alexa Young
Combined River Cruise
and Symposium
Make a day of it enjoy both events.
Buy both tickets together for the full day experience
8.30am-4.30pm
Combined tickets at 10% discount $252