There is something surreal about sitting on a mooring in the midst of native bushland just a few kilometres away from the centre of Sydney's bustling CBD. Bantry Bay, the sole remaining undeveloped cove in Sydney Harbour, is the centrepiece of the 2202 hectare Garigal National Park. Estimated to have been occupied for tens of thousands of years before European settlement, the park is home to over 100 recorded sites of the Guringai people including shelters, cave art, rock engravings, an abundance of middens and several tool sharpening grinding grooves. The traditional owners were coastal dwellers; the most famous being Bungaree, the first Aboriginal to be recorded in print as Australian. Bungaree accompanied Matthew Flinders onboard HMS Norfolk in 1798 acting as interpreter, guide and negotiator whilst Flinders completed a coastal survey of the NSW coast. He rejoined Flinders for the 1801-1803 HMS Investigator coastal exploration, providing diplomatic, interpretive and survival skill services as the expedition completed a full circumnavigation of Australia. Flinders was very much a fan of Bungaree, and his memoirs note his "good disposition and open and manly conduct", his bravery and his ability to defuse potential conflict situations with other Aboriginal peoples as they made their way around the continent.

Garigal forms part of a very important wildlife corridor spanning from Sydney Harbour out to the Blue Mountains. It's home to an amazing array of native animals, including the tiger quoll, the southern brown bandicoot and the eastern water dragon. There are stunning sandstone cliffs heavily forested with scribbly and red gum, grass trees, banksia, Australian tea tree and even the occasional stand of cycads. It's not old growth - the area was extensively logged in the 1800's - but it does provide a snapshot of how this whole area would have looked prior to colonial settlement. Today, you can follow the Timber Getters track from the National Park wharf to Seaforth Oval, a steep if short hike which provides amazing views of Bantry Bay below.

Gazetted as a public recreation area in 1879, Bantry Bay quickly became a popular daytrip and weekend destination known locally as "The Pleasure Gardens". By the start of the 20th Century it boasted a dance hall, picnic ground, a dining area and several summer gazebos and was serviced by the Balmain New Ferry. The seclusion led to the resumption of the land in 1906 for a government run explosives battery - despite an enormous public outcry - and the complex remained operational until 1974. The battery was mostly run as a commercial operation and stored explosives used for such projects as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the cities underground tunnels and railway system and the Newcastle Highway as well as servicing the NSW mining industry. During WW2, it was commandeered by the Allied Forces and used as a munition's depot for the war in the Pacific. Following its closure, the land was incorporated into the Davidson State Recreation Area. The NSW Government agreed to repair the complex however with contamination from lead and zinc, to date only one building has received any attention. There are eight public moorings in the bay provided through the very impressive NSW Road and Marine Services courtesy mooring scheme however other than a small public toilet block at the Timber Getters picnic spot on the eastern side of the bay, there are no other facilities.

We'd been informed by some local cruisers that Bantry Bay is a bull shark breeding site and that a number of attacks, including two fatalities, had occurred over the years. No swimming here then! Luckily the very pretty, clear water Flat Rock Beach is just a dinghy ride away should we need to cool off.

We are loving the serenity of the bay and each morning we are woken by the raucous laughter of the resident kookaburra choir. As we enjoy our first morning cuppa, the air explodes with the whip-crack duet calls of the eastern whip bird, a small, slim and black crested avian. As we consider breakfast options, the air reverberates with the cacophonous shrieks of cheeky sulphur crested cockatoos. Throughout the day assorted fish break the surface from time to time, silver gulls wheeling overhead endeavouring to share in whatever delicacies the fish are attracted to. On one very still, very hot Sydney afternoon we were amazed to see a metre long dragon swimming across the bay; we later spied a lone little penguin bobbing happily along the surface. As dusk arrives, we once again become the audience for the native birds, the kookaburras always being the last to sing the sun behind the western clifftop. It's a glorious reminder of the stunning natural beauty of our Lucky Country.

All well onboard.