Nov 09 – Camping in Colo

Seeing as we had such gorgeous weather for the weekend we decided to camp overnight. We looked through our camping guidebook but couldn’t find anywhere rustic enough close to Sydney for one night. Plus we knew it would be dark by the time we got there, so Graeme suggested the Colo River near the historical town of Windsor which is North West of Sydney. So we packed up our stuff and set off to Colo which took around 1.5 hours. By the time we got there is was after dark and we had to find a fire trail in a quiet place away from the road. After checking a few possibilities which ended up with us on someone’s driveway, we found the perfect spot in Colo Heights.

Colo is in the middle of Wollomi National Park, which even in the dark was a very special place. We were on the edge of a cliff overlooking a valley which in the moonlight looked pretty spectacular. Setting up the tent and getting organised took no time at all. At one time I would have been totally spooked camping freestyle in the middle of the bush, but after doing it a few times now I am becoming a pro! We cooked a tasty chorizo sausage pasta and enjoyed some red wine. With mosquitoes enjoying us as an even bigger feast (we still haven’t bought any mozzie spray!) we decided to call it a night early. We fell asleep to the sound of crickets and mosquitoes buzzing outside the tent.

Waking up in the morning overlooking the Colo River Valley was an absolute delight. Eager to get on the road and get to Windsor we admired the view before heading off on our journey which was around 25km. There was plenty of river flat farmland which stretched for several miles on the way and it was an enjoyable drive.

Arriving in Windsor I was impressed with this old Macquarie town. I can describe it as having a quaint village atmosphere with delightful Colonial architecture. With narrow streets it has a colourful Sunday market with local produce and arts & crafts on display. With plenty of buskers to keep the visitors entertained whilst enjoying breakfast or taking a stroll, it was a warm and friendly place. Enjoying breakfast in an old converted bank, we enjoyed listening to the Hawkesbury District Band.

Next stop was a kayak on the Colo River which is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River. We parked up under the Putty Road Bridge and unloaded to kayaks before carrying them down a bank to the water. There were already a few locals enjoying a swim in the water as we kayaked upstream. The river was flowing about half a metre deep and the sides of the banks were rich with vegetation and birdlife. We saw a Golden Whistler which had the most beautiful melodic call, several White Faced Herons and an Azure Kingfisher. Enjoying the tranquillity of the Aussie Bush, we found a little creek to the side and just listened in awe. Once we turned around, we went downstream to where we started from and pulled the kayaks up on a little beach which was empty. Enjoying a dip in the shallow river we watched a group of teenagers swinging into the river from a rope swing. This really is an amazing spot, and one we will be visiting again!

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