Tidal Mills and Colonial Food
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About this event
Our expert heritage guide, reveals the stories of the 1820s Singleton's tidal mill at Mill Creek, Gunderman on the Hawkesbury River. Hear about cabbage tree huts, wheat and maize production and the early barter systems of the river from the diaries of Mrs Sarah Felton Mathews. Visit the route hacked out by the No 3 iron gang in 1827-1832 - one of Gov. Darling's 'Great Roads', Finch's Line is now part of a joint World Heritage listing.
Join Max Burns-McRuvie historyteller and interpretation expert on a half day tour of Spencer, Mill Creek and Finch's Line. Our tour starts at the Hawkesbury Duck where we hear about the convict and colonial menu - wonga pigeon pie, hominy porridge, wallaby tail soup anyone? We travel to Mill Creek to the site of Singleton’s tidal mill where in the 1830s wheat and maize were ground for the convict stores.
At Trollop Reach gain insights into the butcher and bread boats - the floating stores delivering food to the communities of the lower Hawkesbury when the river was the highway.
Our explorations continue to Finch’s line one of Governor Darling’s great routes from Sydney to the Hunter, abandoned in 1829. Hear about the rigours and rations of the no 3 chain iron gang hacking out the route north amidst an abundance of native yams, tubers, figs, grapes and berries regularly eaten by the local Aboriginal people.