EXPERIENCE GUIDE 1 Welcome We acknowledge and respect the Dharawal people, as traditional custodians of this region and extend these respects to all Aboriginal Elders past and present and people from all Aboriginal nations. The vibrant and creative capital of the Macarthur region, Campbelltown is a cosmopolitan city embraced by relaxed natural surrounds, that welcomes you to explore, discover and create memorable experiences. Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Australian bush, be delighted by the city’s charming heritage properties, savour the flavours from the local chefs and enjoy one of our many exciting festivals and events. More than you imagine and closer than you think, Campbelltown offers something for everyone. The combination of relaxing lifestyle, diverse blend of culture and unique attractions is what makes Campbelltown City an ideal destination to visit, live and play. 22 3 PRODUCED BY Campbelltown City Council PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS Andrew Mevissen Contents Adam Williamson - AWOL Productions Brett Atkins Getting to Campbelltown 06 Bryan Marden What’s On 08 Brian Shirtliff Campbelltown City Council Top Experiences 10 Campbelltown Arts Centre Nature Discovery Trail 12 Chloe Lanni Adrenaline Adventure Trail 32 Ian Hollis Jack Beeby Art and Cultural Trail 40 Jay Patel Live Music and Entertainment 54 John Keogh Jack Beeby Experience Trail 64 Seana Smith Dining Experiences 80 Lizette Pomering Our Accommodation 92 Lucas Wilson Murray Wilson City Map 98 Nikki To NSW National Parks Pam Geaney Roger Powell Stephanie Tabone 44 5 Come Visit Us Campbelltown is located less than an hour from Sydney CBD and airport, 50 minutes from Wollongong and less than 40 minutes from the Southern Highlands. We are two hours north of Canberra and less than two hours from the Blue Mountains. By road, take the M7 or M5 Motorway CAMPBELLTOWN south, or the Hume Highway north to the Campbelltown exit. By rail, NSW TrainLink services stop at Campbelltown regularly and Sydney Trains link Campbelltown on a direct line with the Sydney CBD and Sydney Airport. 66 7 What’s On SUMMER Campbelltown Christmas Carols New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks Australia Day celebrations Carnival of Miracles at Club Menangle AnnanROMA Food and Wine Festival AUTUMN Campbelltown Doll, Bear and Creative Fair Campbelltown City Challenge Walk Ingleburn Alive Steam and Machinery Museum Field Days AnnanROMA Food and Wine Festival WINTER Festival NAIDOC Week Vintage 50’s Collectable Fair Winterland AnnanROMA Food and Wine Festival SPRING FEAST - Food and Culture Festival Campbelltown Festival of Fisher’s Ghost Steam and Machinery Museum Field Days AnnanROMA Food and Wine Festival REGULAR EVENTS Markets Campbelltown Investigative Ghost Tours Dharawal National Park Guided Indigenous Tours Glenalvon Historic House Open Days The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Tours 88 9 COLLECT MOMENTS Campbelltown is a city that offers an abundance of unexpected delights and opportunities to escape, discover, play and explore. It is a fusion of innovative and cosmopolitan style, embraced by relaxed natural surrounds, treating visitors and locals to meaningful experiences. Discover Campbelltown’s top experiences ◇ Bushwalking in Campbelltown’s natural areas ◇ Star gazing at the Campbelltown Rotary Observatory ◇ Float through the sky on a hot air balloon ride ◇ Explore the paranormal on a ghost tour ◇ Take a horse ride through the countryside ◇ Wander through Campbelltown’s heritage precinct 10 11 11 CAMPBELLTOWN’S NATURE DISCOVERY TRAIL Dharawal National Park Keith Longhurst 1212 The Reserve Australian Botanic Garden 13 FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN Bordered by scenic hills, nature reserves and waterways, Campbelltown’s natural bushland surrounds offer a scenic escape just moments from the city centre, and are the perfect haven for nature lovers. Follow meandering trails through the serene beauty of the Australian bush to reveal scenic lookouts, secluded waterholes and stunning landscapes, where daily life seems to fade away. Discover spectacular flowing streams, dramatic natural rock escarpments, as well as native flora and fauna, including our very own local koala colony. With breathtaking views and stunning horizons, the untamed splendour of the area will leave you in awe. Campbelltown also has a number of beautiful gardens and public parks that are perfect for a relaxed picnic or barbecue. ICONS KEY Parking Lookout Amenity block / toilets Designated walking trail Designated cycling trail BBQ facilities Picnic tables Playground 14 15 DHARAWAL NATIONAL PARK Victoria Rd, Wedderburn Ph. 02 4224 4188 | nationalparks.nsw.gov.au | Open year round Dharawal was proclaimed a national park in 2012. Pristine ecosystems, waterfalls, extensive upland swamps, steep- sided sandstone gorges, swimming holes and rock shelters are just some of the many fascinating landscape features you can explore. Dharawal National Park is the perfect antidote to city living. At 6,500 hectares, the park supports a huge range of birds and animals, superb plant life, and features tracks to walk or ride along with scenic spots to relax. ‘Dharawal’ refers to the language group of the local Aboriginal people who have continued their relationship with the area for more than 15,000 years. Their long occupation of the area is evidenced by many Aboriginal sites, making the area among the richest in Aboriginal heritage in the Sydney region. 16 17 A Walk in the Park WITH DISCOVERY RANGERS, DEIDRE MARTIN & JACINTA RHEINBERGER The Dharawal National Park is “Through guiding these tours, one of Australia’s newest national I hope to increase understanding parks and is an environment rich in about our culture, customs and biodiversity and cultural heritage. identity,” said Deidre. One of the best ways to discover During seasonal school holidays, the national park is to join a guided special Sensory Walks are led Aboriginal walking tour. The tours, by Discovery Ranger Jacinta which are held on the second Rheinberger. These walks are Saturday of each month from accessible to all and specially February to November, give visitors designed to learn about the park a fresh look at the landscape from a using all five of your senses. See, Koori perspective. touch, taste, smell the diverse native vegetation and hear the The tours are led by Aboriginal unique sounds of the bush. Discovery Ranger, Deidre Martin, who shares stories of the local ”I hope that by participating in the Aboriginal tribes and their culture, sensory walk it reminds people to while also showing visitors the use all of their five senses when park’s waterfalls, steep-sided out in nature, take it slow and enjoy sandstone gorges, swimming holes the wonders and beauty that the and rock shelters. natural world holds,” Jacinta said. With more than 500 species of The tours give visitors the native flora and a variety of native opportunity to explore the strong animals including birds, mammals, relationship the Dharawal people reptiles and a koala colony, the have with the land, water, plants Dharawal National Park is an and animals, by showcasing important ecological site that is plants native to the region and open year round for visitors to demonstrating how they were explore and enjoy. used for food and medicine. 18 19 10T MANAGEMENT TRAIL One of the most popular walks in the park is the 10T Management Trail. Despite its rather uninspiring name, this medium grade trail will take Key Experiences of Dharawal walkers to one of the most scenic locations within the park – Minerva Pool. This wide pool with a rock island in the middle is creek-fed by O’HARES CREEK TRACK AND LOOKOUT a small waterfall. The 2.4km return trail will take you to a viewing For some of the best views over the gorge, make tracks to the O’Hares platform or you can follow the fork in the trail down to the water. Creek Lookout. The 2.8km return walk is an easy grade and the scenic location offers views to the picturesque rockpools far below. 10B CYCLE TRAIL If you’re looking to take your mountain bike out for a long ride, the JINGGA WALKING TRACK 10B Cycle Trail offers the perfect day out. At 15km long, it starts from For avid walkers, the Jingga Walking Track offers a challenging 2.8km the Appin Road entrance of Dharawal National Park, and follows an return walk at a hard grade. A scenic reward is on offer for those who unsealed road through open forest and woodlands along a sandstone undertake the walk, with the track leading to a spectacular waterhole ridge. This is a great bike ride for small groups and families with older along O’Hares Creek. children. 2020 21 THE GEORGES RIVER The Georges River and surrounds are a highly significant landscape feature of the Sydney region and the Campbelltown environment. It is home to much of the biodiversity that can be found in the region, including an active koala colony and provides immense scenic value to the area. The Georges River was an important focal point for Aboriginal life and culture in the southern Sydney region, offering food, transport and dreamtime links. Several major language groups existed along the river: Eora to the east, Dharug to the west, north and north-east, Dharawal to the south and Gandangara in the far south-west. The early 1800s saw European settlers migrating to the areas along the Georges River. Much of the catchment was cleared for farmlands and housing, however, the banks stayed relatively untamed due to their rugged slopes. 22 23 Key Experiences of the Georges River FRERE’S CROSSING RESERVE Frere’s Rd, Kentlyn A significant heritage site containing the remnants of an old wooden bridge that formed part of a connection from Campbelltown to Newcastle up to 1917. The Frere’s Crossing Walking Trail is a 2km return walk along an established fire trail and is of a medium grade. INGLEBURN RESERVE Picnic Grove, Ingleburn A bushland reserve containing the historic Ingleburn Weir, which was constructed in the late 1930s to provide a swimming area for the local community.