The postie ferry is a brilliant concept, the idea being that since some homes on the Hawkesbury are only accessible by river (there are no roads) and so have to get deliveries by boat, it makes sense to take passengers.
The ferry still makes regular stops but few goods are actually delivered since there are few people to receive them. As well as the goods there is also a dog that plays a vital role. Never forget the dog. It stations itself in the right place to receive discarded meat from the plates of the passengers, despatching them efficiently and with apparent relish.
Strange things are happening on the Hawkesbury with property prices remaining eye watering while the actual number of people living there has declined markedly.
There is one entire island that used to be a mental institution where all the properties are boarded up. But that may have more to do with the vaguaries of government than the property market.
Whilst life on the Hawkesbury may seem idyllic, it is also reasonably tough. Tap water is uncommon, though some houses can get stream water. Others rely on what they can collect in containers on their roofs.
Electricity and internet connections are difficult and in some places impossible. Even bin collection can be horrendously expensive.
And the school system sounds like the sort of thing Mark Twain used to write about, even down to truant sessions involving the catching of rather dangerous catfish!
So only the dedicated and hardy survive. Yet for some reason the houses command serious money when they come onto the market.
The area is dominated by some rather fine sandstone which unfortunately is prone to breaking into large boulders that roll down the hills and flatten the odd house.
As well as the sandstone there are native Australian mangroves.
One fairly large area was called the Congo because it was so hot and steamy. But not today when it was cold (by Australian standards), damp and cloudy (hence the poor quality photos).
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Jonathan Brind