Windsor, New South Wales: Travel guide and things to do

Retreat and relax ... boating on the Hawkesbury.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie was a great builder and dreamer. He established the five Macquarie towns in the Hawkesbury Valley - Windsor, Richmond, Castlereagh, Wilberforce and Pitt Town. Of all these towns it is Windsor which stands as a monument to Macquarie. There is a current school of thought which claims that what modern development has done to Windsor is disgraceful. Certainly the modern bridge, the wide road which mixes historic houses with service stations, the modern malls and the refusal to keep this old town in some kind of pristine condition is shameful. However, what is left, particularly St Matthews Church, the Court House, Tebbut's observatories, the graveyard at the church, and the numerous buildings dating back to the early nineteenth century are all of interest to anyone who wants to grasp what life was like in the colony's third settlement.

Of course Windsor pre-dates Macquarie. As early as 1789 Governor Phillip had explored the district and, although it was considered isolated, the colony's need for food and the richness of the alluvial Hawkesbury river flats, ensured that settlement occurred.

Windsor can claim to be the third European settlement in Australia after Sydney Cove and Parramatta. Named after the famous royal town on the Thames, and originally called Green Hills, it was settled in 1794 when 22 settlers took up land and a road from Sydney was constructed.

Five years later the area was providing Sydney with half its grain requirements. The problem was that the river flooded regularly. Thus, when Macquarie had plans drawn up for the town in 1810 he specifically located it on a ridge above the Hawkesbury River which had flooded in 1809 causing considerable devastation to the whole area.

Today Windsor, located only 57 kilometres northwest of Sydney, is the commercial and administrative centre of the Macquarie Towns. Yet, its street patterns and its numerous historic buildings (combined inevitably with lots of shops for tourists) make it a marvellous town to explore.

Things to see

Hawkesbury Museum and Tourist Centre
A suitable starting place for any visit to Windsor and Richmond is the Hawkesbury Museum and Tourist Centre located at 7 Thompson Square (enter the town on the Windsor Road which becomes Bridge Street, turn left at George Street - Thompson Square in one block along). It is open from 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. and has an excellent range of material about all the Macquarie towns as well as maps and descriptive walks around Windsor and Richmond.

Before you explore the town have a careful look at the Museum's displays which include Aboriginal artefacts as well as chronicling the European settlement of the area from earliest times (including a plan for some farms which dates back to 1794) through the development of the town after 1810 to the river economy of the nineteenth century and the development of the RAAF base at Richmond.

There is a remarkable photograph of the Hawkesbury Museum Building in 1879 which shows an uninterrupted view of the river and no development at all. The museum was built in the 1820s and used as an inn before becoming the office of 'The Australian' newspaper from 1871-1899. For more details [phone]

Historic Windsor
Thompson Square
Thompson Square is a good place to start any visit of Windsor. Apart from being an excellent example of an early nineteenth century town square it is also a symbol of the changes which occurred in the colony during the time of Lachlan Macquarie.

Macquarie Arms Hotel
If you return to George Street and walk west you will pass the Macquarie Arms Hotel, built in 1815 and, apart from the period between 1840-1874, used continuously as a hotel. If its use had not been interrupted by this 34 year period when it became a private residence it would be the oldest continuously run inn in Australia. In his journal on 12 January 1812 Governor Macquarie recorded 'I gave Mr Fitzgerald a large allotment in the Square on the express condition of his building immediately thereon a handsome commodious Inn of brick or stone, and to be at least two stories high.'

Over the years the building has undergone many alterations which have obscured the original structure. However, on the museum side there is a mark on the wall indicating the level reached by the 1867 floods.

Loder House and other buildings
On the other side of the road, near Kable Street, is Loder House which was built in 1834 by George Loder, a large and successful landowner in the district. Loder never actually lived in the house which has now been converted into the Governor¹s Choice Restaurant.

Further on are the old CBC Bank (corner of Kable and George Streets), the Windsor Post Office (corner of Fitzgerald and George Streets) and Mrs Copes Cottage. Details about these buildings, and many more, are available on the walking tour brochure available from the Museum.

St Matthews Anglican Church
Eventually you will reach one of the highlights of the town, the superb St Matthews Anglican Church, known affectionately as the 'Cathedral of the Hawkesbury'. It is widely acknowledged as one of the best works of the great convict architect, Francis Greenway. Built by convicts between 1817-1820, the site was chosen by Governor Macquarie. The huge square tower is an impressive landmark which can be seen for many kilometres.

The church's gravestones offer a fascinating insight into the early life of the town. No gravestone is more interesting than that of Andrew Thompson who died in 1810, had Thompson Square named after him, and had his inscription drafted by no lesser figure than Governor Macquarie.

Macquarie wrote: 'Sacred to the memory of Andrew Thompson Esquire J.P. and Chief Magistrate of the district of Hawkesbury a native of Scotland at the age of 17 was sent to this country at the time of his arrival he distinguished himself by persevering industry and diligent attention to the commands of his Superiors. By these means...to a state of respectability and affluence...enabled him to indulge to the generosity...in assisting his Fellow Creatures in distress...More particularly in the Calamitous Floods of the river Hawkesbury in the years 1806 & 1809 and at the risque to his life...& permanent injury to his health he exerted himself each time...successive Days & Nights in saving the lives...who but for him must have perished. In consequence of Mr Thompson's good conduct Governor Macquarie appointed him J.P. This act which restored him to that rank in Society which he had lost made so deep an impression on his grateful Heart as to make him bequeath to the Governor the 4th of his Fortune. This most useful and valuable man closed his earthly career on 22nd day of October 1810 at his House at Windsor of which he was the principal Founder...37 years of age.'

Macquarie makes no mention of the range of historic firsts achieved by Thompson. He was a convict who arrived in Australia in 1792 after being transported for fourteen years for stealing cloth worth £10. He subsequently became the first emancipist appointed as a magistrate and was the first person buried in the cemetery at St Matthews. A truly remarkable man.

Windsor Court House
If you return towards Sydney on Macquarie Street, just after you turn towards the bridge over South Creek you¹ll notice Court Street on the left. On the corner of Court Street and Pitt Street is the Windsor Court House, another building designed by the great convict architect, Francis Greenway. It was built in 1822 and, after considerable alteration, restored to its original glory in 1960. Its warm sandstock bricks and stone lintels and its excellent portrait of Lachlan Macquarie make it one of Windsor's most appealing historic buildings.

John Tebbutt Observatory
Continue on down Court/North Street and turn right into Palmer Street to visit the John Tebbutt Observatory. It is located on Palmer Street. Tebbutt, a gentleman farmer and talented amateur astronomer, was born in Windsor in 1834. In 1845 his father built the house in Palmer Street which John inherited in 1870.

The 'Australian Dictionary of Biography' entry on Tebbutt explains his lifelong fascination with astronomy and his achievements. 'Tebbutt bought his first instrument, a marine sextant, in 1853 and he had the use of a clock with a seconds pendulum which he regulated by celestial observation...In 1863 at the Peninsula he built with his own hands a small wooden observatory.

'Tebbutt calculated the circumstances of the total eclipse of the sun of 26 March 1857 when conditions proved cloudy and made a series of measurements of the position of the comet Donati for which he calculated the orbit. On 13 May 1861 he observed a faint nebulous object with his marine telescope; a few days of observation showed that it was in motion and he announced the notable discovery of the great comet of 1861, one of the finest comets on record‹at one stage it had a tail which could be traced for over 100 degrees.'

In 1879 he built a substantial brick observatory. Both the wooden and the brick observatory still stand and the house, built in 1845, is still owned by the Tebbutt family. Tebbutt achieved particular fame in 1984 when it was decided to include his portrait on the $100 note. The observatories are open for inspection to groups of ten or more. For more information phone [phone].

Tourist Information

Hawkesbury Museum and Tourist Centre
Hawkesbury Museum of Local History 7 Thompson Square
Windsor NSW 2756
Telephone: [phone]