30/05/2026
Look at this step back in time photo of the Aquavan.
to Cowan Creek circa 1966, when the quirky Aquavan was a familiar sight on the Hawkesbury River 🚤
For the last Thursday in May, we’re taking a look at this compact and curious craft. De Havilland’s ‘Aquavan’ was a 2–4 berth mini houseboat that reached its peak popularity in the 1960s and 70s, offering a unique way to holiday on the water. A few can still be spotted cruising the Hawkesbury today, a nostalgic nod to a bygone era of river adventures.
The Hawkesbury River has long been a favourite recreational destination, with its waterside towns, parks and reserves, and countless spots to swim, fish and boat. Since as early as the 1800s, boatsheds along the river – including Windybank’s, Woodnutt’s, Barney’s, and Jones & Son – have hired out houseboats, launches and motorboats to locals and visitors alike.
Edward Windybank was among the early pioneers, building houseboats as holiday homes for hire, while by the 1980s Halvorsens operated around 60 vessels from its Bobbin Head marina.
Set against this long tradition, the Aquavan stands out as one of the more unusual and much-loved vessels to grace the river. Small, practical and a little bit quirky, it captured the spirit of mid-century leisure on the Hawkesbury.
Image: 'Aquavan' luxury riverboat on Cowan Creek c.1966, Douglass Baglin
Discover more local stories from Hornsby Shire’s past at https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/
