Travel On My Terms: Riverboat Postman

The riverboat postman is a boat that delivers mail to homes that, until recently, were only accessible by water. The boat travels daily to deliver mail and also provides a cruise that includes morning tea, lunch and commentary from the boat's Captain. Last time I was in Australia we did this cruise and it was one of my favorite activities. Margaret, Suzan and I went together.

Margaret and Suzan

The postman travels on the Hawksbury River in Brooklyn, New South Wales (NSW) Australia. It is about an hours drive from Suzan's house, a lovely drive into the rain forests of NSW. It leaves daily at 10 am and returns about 1 pm just in time for the train back to Sydney.

Highlights along the cruise include a mental institution that was first for men, then for women, then became a retreat for government officials. The site was picked because it was only accessible by water so it made it difficult for the residents to leave. Add to that the river is full of jelly fish that come in from the ocean with the tide and swarm in massive groups. This time the river was very muddy because of all the rain, but last time we were here we could easily see them - huge groups of them.

The homes have septic systems and cisterns for water and the captain made a joke of being sure not to mix them up when water is delivered, which is how homes get their water. They have electricity that comes in to the homes and we noticed phone boxes at each of the public docks.

Along the river bank is the wreck of HMAS Parramatta. HMAS Parramatta (I) was one of six River Class torpedo boat destroyers built for the Royal Australian Navy during the period 1909-16. During World War I they formed the Australian Destroyer Flotilla. HMAS Parramatta (I) spent the period of September 1916 to May 1917 on patrol in Australian waters. On 10 May 1917 she sailed from Sydney in company of Yarra (I) and Warrego (I) for the Mediterranean, being joined en route by Swan, Huon and Torrens to form an Australian Flotilla of six destroyers. Following a period of training the ships were based on Brindisi on the heel of Italy for Adriatic anti-submarine patrols. On this work the destroyers were responsible for blocking the southward passage of submarines through the Adriatic Narrows into the Mediterranean and also the safe transit of Italian transports to and from Albania. There is a complete history of the Parramatta at https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-parramatta-i.