Once upon a time, there were many posties delivering mail by river in Australia. Andrew Davey, who connects the remote and carless communities on the Hawkesbury, is the last one. His family bought the mail run (which started in 1910) in 1979 and he's been skipper of the Hawkesbury Explorer for more than a decade. These days he'll deliver practically anything that will fit on a ferry – including you, if you want to to contemplate the vastness of the mighty river.

You can hitch a ride on the mail run from Monday to Friday at the very civilised time of 9.30am. The chug up the river brings new meaning to the term snail mail, with the 45km roundtrip taking about four hours. The starting point is the ferry wharf, Dangar Road, Brooklyn. Adult price is $45, which includes lunch. For more information, call 9985 7566.