Look what I found in Western Sydney...
There's so much more to Sydney than just the harbour...
Nepean River gorge captured from my kayak, looking South...
Sometimes traveling away from where we live lets us appreciate just what is right at our doorstep. How many times have you been on a holiday, only to come back and spend a little time closer to home and discover something so beautiful less than 5 minutes from home?
I decided to dust off the kayak and head out onto the beautiful Nepean River and it was well worth the effort. During the week the waterway is at it's quietest, as the weekends see plenty of water skiers and jet ski pilots enjoying themselves.
Incredibly, I did not see another human being on the river and I was on my boat for a little over two hours. And that is the amazing thing, the busy M4 motorway crosses the river with thousands of vehicles traversing the crossing daily, I was only 10 minutes from the busy Penrith CBD and Sydney city is about an hour away by car (actually that would be at about 2am) but you get the idea!
So there are places in Sydney I can go, spend hours there having a great time and it's free?
Yes, there are literally hundreds of them. Fortunately for me I am close enough to the River that I can carry the boat there, without having to drive which is great.
Eastern side of the Gorge...I took this as the caves up near the top provided Bushrangers with a place to hide from authorities in the 1800s. How cool is that?
You can take your time and enjoy the waterway when you're on a kayak. It's quiet which means the birds and wildlife don't seem to mind you being there. I found it almost therapeutic, just listening to the breeze and the sounds of the water gently hitting the rocks. If you decide to paddle faster, add the sound of yourself gasping for air to that won't you...
I chose late morning for my adventure and the conditions were perfect. I was surprised to discover that my phone got better reception out on the water than it does at home which I found amusing. The toughest part was knowing that I had to turn around at some stage and head back North, unfortunately life gets in the way sometimes doesn't it?
The Nepean is a freshwater river and further North it joins the Hawkesbury, eventually flowing into the Sea North of Sydney. Of course, if you don't have a boat you can enjoy the beautiful river walk. Park on the Eastern side, grab a coffee and choose the direction you wish to take. The path is fully sealed and it's about a 7km stroll. One of the many benefits to the walk is the River is visible for most of it. A new footbridge is under construction and will be completed by Christmas (and yes I have not stated which Christmas...it is a Government project after all).
Heading North...a slight Southerly making the return paddle a little easier.
Or if you don't have a kayak, why not try a bushwalk?
The Knapsack Gully Viaduct is one of many historically significant structures in Western Sydney and just like the river, it's easy to get to and free to enjoy. Originally used as a railway line and later the Great Western Highway, now it forms part of the many walking tracks in the local area.
"they don't make 'em like this anymore" came to mind as I shot this...
I don't claim to be a travel writer, I just took a water bottle, dressed appropriately for the conditions, made sure I had my phone and headed off. There are plenty of sites you can visit on the web related to both the Nepean river and Knapsack bridge and I have included a few links later in this blog.
What I want to encourage you to do is get out in your local area and become an urban explorer. Wherever you reside, I'll bet there are some places of beauty waiting for you to explore, be they natural or man-made.
So what are you waiting for?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepean_River