# Forum Forum Help Desk Introduce Yourself  Hi from the Hawkesbury River

## Flipper

Hi all,  wife and I are in the process of purchasing a fixer upper on the Hawkesbury River.   
Needs a bit of a paint, new ceiling and kitchen and bathroom and we'll be good to go...  Sounds all pretty straightforward until the next bit : *everything* (and everyone) has to go by boat to get there - there is no vehicle access whatsoever.  Should be some interesting times ahead.

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## phild01

You'll be right, welcome.

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## Renopa

Tried to buy a block of land for a new house build a couple of years ago and it was only accessible by ferry with a $7 (each way) cost, although residents had their ferry tickets subsidised by council but they got it back in rates as rates were hellishly high and with no sewerage or town water.  CBD was a stone's throw across the river and much closer to town than we where living at the time.  
Getting builders to quote was a nightmare as they weren't keen on the ferry ride even though I was going to buy several 12 month ferry passes for tradies to use...would have been cheaper doing it that way.  Visitors would have been just about non-existent but they could have left the car on the town side, walked onto the ferry (free for pedestrians) and then we could pick them up at the wharf.   
Good luck on the reno....the serenity sounds perfect, can imagine at times it will be frustrating while doing the work, but at least you won't have to wait 30-45 mins for the ferry.  Once all the work is done you can sit back and wet a line and enjoy life...lol

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## Marc

There are barges that transport materials from Brooklyn, and local tradesman are used to have to carry all their tools on a boat. 
You will probably save some money if you get yourself an old large punt to transport stuff you don't want on your boat.  
Of course you will have to factor in the inevitable additional cost of everything. I hope you are well away from Tim Flannery, he is very unpopular with his neighbours.
Some of those properties accessible only by boat have actually a back road access through the national park. Very rough and perhaps not right to the house but close enough can be sometimes an option if you have a 4wd.

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## SilentButDeadly

Welcome!! 
Been there. Done that.  But skipped the renovation.  Rented on Dangar Island for a couple of years in the mid 90's.  Thought about buying at the time but couldn't get the maths to match the lack of personal priorities at the time. Great times regardless. 
As Mark says...there are ways and means to get large chunks of gear across water.  I personally found the garbage barge very handy! Plus there were quite a few oyster barges at the time that you could get for an hourly charge.  
All you have to take into account is that River Time is much like Island Time...it runs differently to what one might be prepared for...but with less consistency!

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