THE SUN IS JUST CRESTING the curves of the Blue Mountains when the Nepean Belle chugs into view from my vantage point on the grassy banks of the Nepean River. Pink streaks of light and cloud are stretching across the sky and back towards the city. Tench Reserve in Penrith is the boarding port for Nepean Belle and I watch the old-world-style paddle steamer, designed to replicate a Mississippi stern wheeler, push upstream, its huge red paddle wheel making a mockery of the flat water.
Tench Reserve is a common gathering place for locals, close to neighbourhood gems such as East Bank’s vibrant restaurant scene and rural-rustic The Orchard. On any given afternoon, the
