The Making of "The Nepean" - Day 15
First Shown: 4 June, 2019 on YouTube
It is said that "All good things come to an end" and it is true in our case. We found the excitement of discovery and the beauty of the environment rather compelling. But it all ended today when we visited Castlereagh and searched for the split in the river and found the Nepean not only dividing its course but displaying a lake-like calendar scene and a set of rapids behind the Huntington Estate.
Our next stop took us to the western end of Devlin Road where we were disappointed to find green algea bloom all along the shore-line and out many metres. Two Water NSW employees took water samples while we were there and when questioned on the algea, that we thought was a problem, the answer was, "Oh, that's normal". Sorry, algea might be there but its not normal. It's a sign the river is not flowing fast enough to wash it away.
Yarramundi Reserve was our next stop. It is situated on the western bank of the Nepean at Agnes Banks, between Springwood Road and the Gross River. It's a nice park in which to have a picnic. It's here that the Gross and Nepean rivers meet and become the Hawkesbury River. 176.6kms from it's source the Nepean is a mere trickle and a sad reminder that in all its course water has been diverted and pumped from its flow.
The very last stop, an additional place, that we had not planned on visting, was the Hawkesbury Lookout on Springwood Road. Bush fire smoke was evident all day and greatly emphasised from the lookout.
In closing, I'll leave you with these words:
"The ever changing mood of the river has shaped the local landscape. People forget that the river could be an angry raging flooded torrent, set on a destructive course. Flooding shaped the settlement pattern in the Cumberland (Sydney) Basin. Now, it struggles to flow and keep itself healthy and clean. It’s banks and ancient crossings attracted many people, and incidentally provided a living for hotels, and boarding houses. Wilton, Douglas Park, Picton, Camden, Mulgoa, Wallacia, and Penrith, have their own unique charm, and the river made a cool rendezvous, an excellent background for the summer attire, of the carefree youth, in between tennis and dancing."
If you know these places, you will appreciate the wonderful heritage that is ours in the hospitable, Nepean.
