Things To Do in the Hawkesbury - Attractions
Powerhouse Discovery Centre
Address: 172 Showground Road, Castle Hill
Phone: 02 9762 1300
Bookings Required (Fee)
This is a permanent exhibition of BIG. Big Trains, Big Buses, Big Cars. . . Big Carriages.
Often referred to as "mighty, magnificent and mysterious machines", the exhibition is open (bookings required) for school groups and other guided tour group - the Mouse Trip Invention is not to be missed. Special events, classes or concerts are planned for school holidays - some wild and wacky, but always entertaining. Catered tea or lunch available.
Featherdale Wildlife Park
Address: 217 Kildare Road, Doonside
Phone: 02 9622 1644
Hours: 9am-5pm everday
Half-day or full-day packages
It's an unusually windy and warm October day, but weather doesn't get in the way of the pint-size audience filling the wildlife park.
"Where are the flying foxes?" From within the reptile enclosure comes a high-pitched squeal, "Ooh, look at his nose", referring to the pig-snout turtle. School holidays and the volume level soars as laughing kids make their way through the displays of the furry, the scaly and the feathered.
Under a leafy umbrella, we observe a black-beak buzzard, its patterned wings a stunning display of brown, black and white high fashion. At Easter, the keepers bring out coloured eggs and these buzzards cleverly use handy rocks as the tool for breaking the eggshells.
Surprises are often just around the corner: enter a darkened enclosure where ghost bats hang upside down - an occasional flap of the wing gives away their spot, pleasing and petite little creatures. Of course, the photogenic darlings of everyone are the koalas, but don't overlook the handsome swamp wallabies - sweet humoured and charming.
Feedings are scheduled routinely throughout the day - and certainly when the park opens at 9 am, everyone is hungry! You can bring your own picnic, for shaded tables are plentiful throughout the park. Still, the park's sausage sizzle smells marvellous.
Muru Mittigar
Aboriginal Cultural & Educational Centre
Address: 89-151 Old Castlereagh Road, Castlereagh (Penrith Lakes)
Phone: 02 4729 2377
Monday-Friday 9am-4pm; Saturday 10am-2pm; Sunday by appointment only
Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural Centre, somewhat incongruously, sits amidst a striking modern sport centre - Sydney International Regatta Centre on Old Castlereagh Road. This site, some 5000 years ago, was home to the Mulgoa clan, who called the Castlereagh area the "special meeting place".
On a delightful spring day at the Centre, we tagged along with a group of happy hyperactive Year Two students as they learned about Aboriginal games, painting, storytelling and dancing. These laughing, squealing children learned unconsciously. "We're here to have fun", one little guy shouted as he ran down the trail to the field where, after a bit of instruction, he would try to throw a beautifully painted boomerang.
Meanwhile, in the art room, another group heard about designs and styles meaningful to Aboriginal people. Paint readied and brushes in hand, a momentary calm settled over these children as they painted in teams.
After lunch, storytelling and a performance by a talented musician on the didgeridoo filled out their day. Fatigued by the excitement, the outdoors and activities, they headed toward their bus, but not before a great show of affection for the instructors.
Muru Mittigar is an authentic cultural and artistic experience - interactive and enriching. We discover the significance of Australia's ancient past and realise why local Aboriginal communities are reviving their traditions. "Do it for real..." is a fitting tag.
Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Exhibition Centre
Address: Bells Line of Road
Phone: 02 4567 2154
Wheelchair access
Entry Fee
Today was one of those spectacular days - a sparkling spring morning which holds the promise of a great sunny day. We began with a drive up to Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens to see the recently opened Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Exhibition Centre.
The exhibition is all that it promises and more. Displays of geological forces, of rare flora and the importance of the eucalypts in our culture are beautifully designed. The hands-on model makes for a fun, as well as an educational, experience. We are talking about a million hectares of wilderness! On the rooftop, a beautiful small garden with a view through a slot canyon and finally a stunning audiovisual presentation describe the uniqueness of our World Heritage Greater Blue Mountains. Remote sites within the Park are breathtakingly beautiful and inspirational, sites that most of us will never visit. After tea in Restaurant Tomah, we were drawn back to see the presentation again - it truly is "A window to wilderness".
Surrounding Mount Tomah are beautiful vistas and on a day like today, you could see forever. We walked into the Garden fully aware this area is precious, pristine and protected yet so close to encroaching suburbia.
Rouse Hill House And Farm
Address: 356 Annangrove Road, Rouse Hill, NSW 2155
Phone: 02 9627 6777; Entrance fee applies - bookings advisable
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 9.30 am-4.30 pm; last tour departs 3.30pm; open every day during school holidays
Using convict labour, construction of the Georgian-style stone house began in 1813 and was completed in 1818. The owner, Richard Rouse, kept thoroughbred horses, so he hired a leading architect of the day to design the stables, and its beautiful wooden designs are unique. Stablehands were provided accommodation and, most likely unusual for the day, the large stone tack room was heated in the 1800s by a massive fireplace. Six generations of the Rouse/Terry families owned the property and lived in the house continuously for 180 years. For those who love history, 19th-century buildings, furnishings and rambling gardens, this house is filled with interesting relics and memories belonging to generations.
Now owned by the Historic Houses Trust, guided tours through the furnished Rouse home are offered to the public several times through the week. A range of fun classes for kids is held in the visitor centre and on the farm - check the school holiday offerings. Call or check the website for specifics (and ask about the family entrance fee).
Hawkesbury Regional Museum
Address: 8 Baker Street, Windsor
Phone: 02 4560 4655
Closed Monday and Tuesday to general public
With each visit, we thoroughly enjoy this amazing museum. The layout, including a small film space, has been so well planned that the size of the building is misleading. From exhibition to exhibition, the flow is seamless. Each piece of the permanent exhibition is artistically and beautifully displayed - and the collection of superior artefacts is equal to that of a major historical museum. A chair, a stool, the hull of an old boat, a musical instrument - items from our past often resemble objects of art. Exhibitions related to the Hawkesbury's history with Governor Lachlan Macquarie, will be on display throughout 2010. Make time in your visit to Windsor to spend an hour or so at the Regional Museum.
A four-star recommendation for the young and young at heart.
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery
Address: Deerubbin Centre (1st Floor), 300 George Street, off Christie Street
Phone: 02 4560 4441
Mon, Wed-Fri, 10am-4pm;
Sat-Sun, 10am-3pm
The Deerubbin Centre which houses the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery and the Regional Library has become the home of cultural Windsor and is situated adjacent to the old convict barracks (converted later to a hospital). The prominent steel exterior of Deerubbin stands in marked contrast to the ornate balustrade verandah of the old barracks, a juxtaposition of old and new Windsor. Yet when seen from Macquarie Street, the two adjoining buildings share an architectural strength of straightforward simple lines. Located between the two buildings is a surprising display of public art, "The Hospital Beds". A wonderful find - children will love the amazing water show.
We attend many of the exhibitions at the Gallery which change throughout the year. The lectures, usually led by a contributing artist, add an educational component to the exhibition. Our appreciation continually expands.
Hawkesbury Uncorked: Water & Wine
With the Hawkesbury River, just metres away, you can satisfy your taste for the grape at three cellar doors in the Hawkesbury: Jubilee Vineyard Estate, Kasarina Vineyard and Tizzana Wineries. On-site hot or cold luncheons or dinner functions can be arranged at Tizzana, weather permitting, out under the arboretum. At Jubilee, wine-appropriate tasters are available and definitely enhance the tasting experience. Finally, we suggest that prior to your tasting at Kasarina in North Richmond, you detour to a charming café, Wild essence (in North Richmond's shopping centre). Combine your lunch with wines from these cellar doors at a beautiful park along the river for a lovely and relaxing picnic.
5 Star Bed & Breakfast
Address: 518 Tizzana Road, Ebenezer
Phone: 02 4579 1150
Hours: Sat-Sun & public holidays Noon-6 pm
On the road to Tizzana Winery, a soft November rain falls, covering vineyards, waterlily lagoons and surrounding farmlands with a delicate mist. Some 20 minutes from historic Windsor, the country road bends and weaves. Without warning, on the damp hillside above the road, an imposing sandstone structure comes into view; you have been inexplicably transported into the Tuscan region of Italy.
In 1882 the vineyards at Tizzana were planted with imported French and Italian vine cuttings by Italian immigrant Thomas Fiaschi. A physician, Fiaschi had a practice on Thompson Square. The Fiaschi family continued the wine business after Dr Fiaschi's death in 1927, until 1955. Today, wine-tasting continues in this beautiful building. For group tastings, the Aulds have an historic lecture and tasting with cheeses for a very reasonable fee. On-site group luncheons or dinner functions can be arranged.
Kasarina Vineyard
Address: 76 Terrace Road, North Richmond
Phone: 02 4571 1252
By appointment only
A few kilometres from the busy centre of North Richmond, the rolling hills of rural Hawkesbury are home to Kasarina Vineyard. In paddocks that years ago were dairy farms, the Symons family in 2000 established a long-planned vineyard. Dedicated to the environment, an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) system is in place whereby no insecticides are used in the grape growing process - relying fully on the natural environment of birds, spiders, frogs, skinks, ants and lizards to control any invasion of insects. Nature as it is meant to be.
The Red Throat brand is inspired by the recovery of the Eastern Water Dragon family of lizards, the much-loved water dragon that nests on the revegetated riverbank near the vineyard. Flavour wise, the wine sits between a Cab Sav and Merlot both in taste and style - fruitiness as a young wine. We tasted a mature sample - 2005 - which was dry and robust, with a sharp burst to the palate.
The Cellar Door is a modern shiny example of the new technological advances in wine production. Yet harvest is very much a family, friends and community day, culminating in a barbecue and celebratory tasting of the previous years' vintage - an age-old tradition of the small vintners of Hawkesbury.
Jubilee Vineyard Estate
Address: 519 Tizzana Road, Ebenezer
Phone: 02 4579 0740
Hours: Tastings, Sat and Sun 12-5pm
Call for alternate times and bookings
A few steps from Tizzana Winery across Tizzana Road, Vintners Ray and Alison Hayek have lovingly restored the vineyards, buildings and grounds of a five-acre paddock that Dr Thomas Fiaschi (1887) called his Jubilee Vineyard.
Located next to a languid lagoon and the Jubilee Vineyard Creek, the cellar is in a marvellous rural setting. On a beautiful November morning we again visited the newly renovated 1960s buildings and toured the beautiful vineyards, Jubilee Vineyard Estate bottles a Chambourcin Rose, Chambourcin Red and Sauvignon Blanc.
In recent months, Alison has begun a series of "hands-on" interactive tastings for corporate conferences and other corporate social events at off-site settings. Today, I take notes as she talks about the process and effects of soil, weather and choice of timber upon the wine - Wine Appreciation 101. Later, we walk through the vineyards, holding a glass of Rose or the Red. The sun's warmth upon the wine, the light breeze and the "aha" moment as I lightly inhale first one, then the second. The senses are in full control. Without tasting either wine, I discern the aroma of each.
Voila! Now I fully grasp the meaning of her earlier lecture. Call Alison to bring this experience to your setting.
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