Wisemans Ferry & St Albans

Wisemans Ferry:  A collection of resorts, ski parks, shops, cafés and pubs – some heritage, others new – sit alongside the Old Northern Road where it abruptly ends at the Hawkesbury River. Bound by the river, valleys and sandstone escarpments, Wisemans is the playground of holiday-makers in all seasons.

Getting there is part of the fun. The countryside drive past Riverside Oaks Golf Resort at Cattai, Maroota’s Tobruk and down into Wisemans is a theme-park ride with twists and bends leading into sharper twists and bends on a narrow road. [A “photo op” not to be missed minutes above Wisemans Ferry: the Hawkins Lookout offers a stunning viewpoint to the river below. Roadway signs alert you to its location on the left but the entry often takes drivers by surprise.]

Wisemans Ferry on the Hawkesbury River Map

Wisemans Ferry is the place for outdoor sports and recreation – a morning of bowling, a round of golf or, for the more adventurous, across the river, a trek on the Great North Road, now closed to automobiles. Unwind with a slow drink afterward on a the patio of a swish resort.

A drive on either side of the river leads to caravan ski parks and recreational parks. Sit back with a picnic  lunch and watch the 100-year-old sandwich-size ferry “putt-putting” across to the other side – back and forth, back and forth. Move on for dinner and a bottle of wine with friends at the local pub – if life could be like this everyday!

Wisemans has its seasons: in winter, secluded lowlands – muffled in smoky fog and misting rains – wait silently for visitors who like the quieter season. Resilient river-smart youngsters in their small boat thoughtfully slow their engine; wave and shout, then overtake the solitary houseboat, leaving a white rolling wake.
School holidays and spring arrive – flowering trees and early green foliage spread the length of the river. The river springs to life with boaters and skiers, delicious aromas of barbecues, busy cafés and houseboats moving slowly downriver. And around the seasonal corner – a colourful collection of swimmers, skiers and boats arrive, awash in summer.

St Albans:  A parallel universe … a still-life canvas of an earlier century.

St Albans on the Hawkesbury River Map

From Webb Creek Ferry, 20 miles of a remote landscape, isolated poplar forests, and grazing ranch lands lead to St Albans. Over creeks and old bridges, watery meadowlands are beautifully bleak in winter and lusciously green in spring. Crooks and turns around high walls of sandstone hanging over the narrow road and wallabies and kangaroos sighted at dusk. Cows with big brown eyes and inquisitive faces stare, the click of a digital camera catching the humorous turn of their heads. Properties – some close to the pitted road, and others far in the distance overlook rising sandstone.

Suddenly, or so it seems, around a sharp bend in the road the little village of St Albans sits, divided by the river, with its heritage buildings and historic bridge. A church, a pub, an art gallery, a guesthouse, a restaurant and tea-house serve a village of no more than 400 – including the weekenders. These and two beautifully restored B&Bs overlooking the river and the remarkable hills surrounding St Albans capture the essence of Macdonald Valley. St Albans is a leisurely escape like no other and a universe we did not know existed.