Boating Guide: Cowan Creek

Cowan Creek offers a safe family boating environment no matter what the weather is doing. Sure, some bays can become rocked by boat wake, and there’s enough fetch for others to cop a wind wave, but there is always protection across the stream, up the creek, in one location or another.

Surrounded by flowering native bush, national park with aboriginal engravings, and towering sandstone escarpments that entrance, the drowned valley of Cowan Creek is Sydney’s ultimate boating playground. You need go no further.

The sense of escape is incredible, as blissful days blurr during holiday time and you unwind and relax. Meanwhile, like-minded boaters raft up, enjoy company and comparing notes.

Really, you could travel to the other side of the world to find such a complete and restorative experience as a week in the creek. Not that it is a secret, mind you, as Bobbin Head in Cowan Creek was the historic and spiritual home of Halvorsen Boats and the now long-gone hire-boat fleet. Today, the waterway remains a pleasure boating mecca for families, friends and fishos.

10 HIGHLIGHTS OF COWAN CREEK
1. An abundance of public moorings at scenic anchorages in quiet bays
2. Weather protection and safe boating in all conditions, especially in adjoining Smiths Creek
3. Abundant native wildlife, birdlife, often flowering native bush, and towering sandstone escarpments
4. Beautiful secluded beaches including Hallets, Fishermans and Whale Rock
5. Vast sandbanks that expose themselves at low tide for family play and nipper pumping
6. Freshwater swimming holes up the back of the feeder creeks
7. Freshwater springs and waterfalls at Refuge Bay and Cottage Rock
8. Marina destinations at Akuna Bay and Bobbin Head
9. Outstanding fishing, crabbing, flat-water cruising, paddling and family frolicking
10. The calmest of all Sydney waterway for sleeping aboard

DECENT BOAT RAMPS
Besides access from the boat ramps in the adjoining Hawkesbury River at, say, busy and rebuilt Apple Tree Bay, just a few kilometres back upstream at Brooklyn, and Pittwater or Brisbane Water via Broken Bay, there are excellent boat ramps within Cowan Creek at Akuna Bay and Bobbin Head.

GETTING THERE BY WATER
It’s a good 45-minute fast cruise from Pittwater or Brisbane Water, via Broken Bay, which gets rough on the run-out tide with a typical opposing summer northeast sea breeze.

You really need to watch the weather and swell to ensure a safe trip around West Head and up past Flint and Steel reef to Cowan Creek.

But the ‘creek’ is easy enough to find, with Challenger Head and Eleanor Bluff guarding the creek entrance, and its size is really more akin to a river.

By far the best option with a trailerboat is to launch straight into the action at Akuna Bay ramp or Apple Tree Bay ramp at Bobbin Head.

GOING ASHORE
There are oodles of anchorages and shore-based locations worthy of exploration. Just about every bay has a raft of public moorings, sand flats at their head where you can anchor along the edge, and there are two welcoming marinas — d’Albora Marinas at Akuna Bay and Empire Marina at Bobbin Head.

The most popular beach is Hallets, but beware the goannas raiding your tucker box. Refuge Bay is a must with a waterfall, but the lesser-known Cottage Rock has a spring-fed waterspout and a nice beach at low tide.

Among the unique anchorages are the natural amphitheatre of Castle Lagoon and amazing Smiths Creek, which you can navigate for some kilometres to the headwaters where there are moorings in the middle of nowhere… and great fishing.

PLACES TO EAT
Akuna Bay has a café and restaurant, Cottage Point has a top kiosk and fancy upmarket restaurant where seaplanes arrive with well-heeled winging it from Rose Bay, and Bobbin Head has a top eatery doing great lunches and dinners in summer. Or cook ashore in the national park using a gas barbecue, except during times of fire bans.

Most boaters, however, make dinner a ritual onboard with smoking barbecues sending out signals from their craft as if to say — “it’s been a big day on the creek, it’s now time to tuck in.”

HIRE BOAT OPTIONS
You can hire tinnies at Akuna Bay, Cottage Point Kiosk and Bobbin Head.

A lot of visitors to Cowan Creek come in houseboats hired from Brooklyn. It’s a popular holiday option and the best waterway to cruise and sleep aboard in calm weather.

But if you see a houseboat carrying a football or cricket team or a buck’s party… take a tip and head for another bay.

FISHING TIPS
Fish, squid and crabs abound in Cowan Creek, but finding them can be a challenge. Fish the edge of the flats around high tide with live nippers, pumped from the same flats earlier in the day, and jig prawn-imitation lures for flathead and whiting.

Pull back into the deep holes when the tide is out with local live squid for jewfish and kingfish. Try Jerusalem Bay, around Cowan Point, Cottage Point moorings and Looking Glass Bay.

Keep an eye out for tailor chopping on the surface when cruising the creek and troll minnow lures. The upper reaches of Smiths Creek are great for bream and flathead.

For crabs, set witches hat nets in about 4-6 metres of water off the beaches. Or around the mangroves for muddies.

But the unique fishery in Cowan Creek revolves around the serpent-like hairtail in winter. Hot spots are Coal and Candle Creek, Waratah and Jerusalem bays, using pilchard baits. Prepare for single-digit freezing temps and bring the pea-and-ham soup.

With a houseboat and mates or family you can have some fun and score off-season hire rates.

CREEK SUMMARY
Cowan Creek offers a just-add-water complete boating escape, great adventure, safe cruising, a family destination and ideal holiday playground only 40 minutes as the crow flies from Sydney.

The flooded valley and high sandstone cliffs ensure weather protection, Ku-ring-gai National Park adds to the scenery, and the water is especially clear and, in summer, delightfully warm for swimming.

The sand flats are great for stretching the legs, the beaches are clean, and there’s a lot to do from fishing to reading a book and relaxing.

In holiday season, pleasure boaters rightfully throng to Cowan Creek and raft-up six boats abreast for weeks’ of boating bliss. In Cowan Creek, you are surrounded by like-minded boating company and one of Australia’s premier boating destinations.

Further reading at Boating Guide: Pittwater has it all and

Boating Guide: The Hawkesbury River.