It’s been a long time since I’ve been for a kayak, and I’ve just bought a Winner Otium kayak that I’m keen to take for a test-paddle… so I’m swapping hiking shoes for water transport today. My plan is to explore a few of the beaches within easy striking distance of Brooklyn, in the hope of finding a suitable beach I can take the kids camping one weekend.
I’m used to paddling a sit-on kayak that’s a lot more stable, and I do a great job of entertaining the local boaties as I capsize my new kayak in attempting to get in. After finally settling into the cockpit, in what must be about the most ungainly entrance possible, I’m on my way… the kayak is easy to paddle and tracks very straight. I’ll just have to Google “getting into a kayak for dummies” when I get home!
I paddle across the Hawkesbury River to the small Croppy Beach (just after Croppy Point) – I find out afterwards the name was given to the beach by local Aborigines as it was a favourite spot where Irish convict escapees crossed the Hawkesbury (and the term “croppy” was applied to anyone with hair cut short, especially the Irish).
Croppy Beach is a nice beach with some shade, but not really anywhere to camp – it also seems to be private land and not national park (possibly a part of the nearby Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre). I take a few photos, and re-cross the Hawkesbury to have a look at Gunyah Beach and the adjoining Little Gunyah Beach (below), just to the north.
This beach is great: white sand and lots of shade. At one end is a small lagoon (which seems to be fed by a stream, but looked very brackish) and a potential camping site; near the middle is a large, grassy area well above the high tide mark.
This would be a very pleasant spot for an afternoon – or a weekend!
With the wind picking up and the water getting increasingly choppy, it’s time to head back. I follow the rocky coast back up past Green Point and past Sandy Bay, returning to the boat ramp in time to get some lunch in Brooklyn, before the drive home.
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