AdBlock Detected

It looks like you're using an ad-blocker!

Our team work realy hard to produce quality content on this website and we noticed you have ad-blocking enabled.

Oatley Park and Castle Australia

Oatley Castle

Oatley Park, Sydney Australia

Overlooking the Georges River, Oatley Park is a sprawling 112-acre reserve offering activities from swimming and walking to picnics and a children’s playground.

Dating back to the early European settlement of Australia the land was granted to Thomas Oatley in 1831, who established an extensive vineyard and orchard. However, it wasn’t until 1887 that the area was dedicated for public recreation, and transformed into a park.

The Great Depression, from 1929 to 1939, left a significant mark on Oatley Park. To provide relief and employment during this challenging period, the NSW Government undertook several projects, including the construction of the sandstone kiosk and lookout now known as the “Castle.” This iconic landmark, with its crenellations and towers, has become a defining feature of the park and a symbol of resilience.

Getting There

Located throughout the park, dedicated parking bays make it easy to access the reserve. We were interested in the kiosk “castle”, so parked near it. Be careful when driving through the park as most roadways are shared with pedestrians.

The Castle

Built during the Great Depression, the Castle kiosk is an interesting structure, with crenellations making it look like a real castle. It not only provides great views over the river, but provides shelter from the weather with a barbeque area and seating underneath.

Swimming Baths

Not far from the castle is a small sandy beach on the river bank. this is one of the few suspended netted baths in Sydney. The 320m net keeps the sharks out and the swimmers safe. Changeroom and showers are conveniently located next to the baths.

Picnic and Barbeque Areas

Scattered throughout the park, barbecue and picnic areas offered great places to relax. The area we saw near the castle looked like a great place to relax near the river.

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Liechtenstein

Vaduz Castle Liechtenstein


Liechtenstein

The tiny Principality of Liechtenstein was on our agenda as part of a four-day bus trip through southern Switzerland. Our time was very limited as we had to stick to the bus trip’s timetable. The reasons for the stop seemed to be so that people could say they had been to the tiny country. With only an hour of free time, we walked down the Main Street, looked at the Cathedral, parliament building and took pictures of some sculptures.

Parliament of Liechtenstein
Parliament of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein National Archives
Liechtenstein National Archives
Cathedral of St. Florin Liechtenstein
Cathedral of St. Florin

There was an opportunity to get your passport stamped, but we gave this a miss as once within the Shengen Zone, there was no need for border checks, so no stamps from most countries we went to.

Vaduz Castle Liechtenstein
Vaduz Castle

We did see Vaduz castle from the town centre and took some photos, but it is not open to the public, even if we could have visited it.

Loire Valley Châteaux Day Trip

Château de Chambord

A great day trip south of Paris, takes you to the Loire Valley and some of its amazing châteaux.  We booked a small group tour in a mini-van.  There were six of us and the driver/guide.  The itinerary took us to three châteaux, including lunch at the second.

Château Royal d’Amboise

The drive from Paris took two and a half hours.  When we arrived in Ambroise, our first stop was a little patisserie for coffee and croissants for breakfast.  A short walk from here was Château Royal d’Amboise.  This is a 15th century castle, built overlooking the rest of the town and river.   The overall structure is quite impressive, with towers and fortifications all around the high ground.  Once you enter and are inside the walls, it looks more like a manor house, as the top is flat, so you do not see the walls.

Château Royal d'Amboise
Château Royal d’Amboise

The interior of the main building contains much of the original decor and is quite interesting to walk through.  Outside, there is a small chapel.  This contains what is presumed to be the body of Leonardo da Vinci.  Also worth a quick look.

Leonardo Da Vinci's Tomb
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Tomb

The grounds contain some recreations of Leonardo’s inventions and some medieval siege weapons.

Was it worth seeing?  We though so, if only to see Leonardo’s resting place and the exterior battlements.

Château de Chenonceau

The second stop on our trip was Château de Chenonceau, a sixteenth century building.  This one is interesting as it is built on and into the Cher River, using it as a moat.

Compared to the first stop, parking and tourist facilities are more extensive, as is the security check to enter.

Externally, it looks more impressive than Château Royal d’Amboise, with its bridge into the river and beautiful gardens.  If you intend visiting here, do it before Versailles, the garden will seem more impressive then.  Everything is overshadowed by Versailles.

Château de Chenonceau
Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chenonceau
Château de Chenonceau

The guide gave an excellent history lesson on the château and then left us to explore for an hour.  We looked at all the rooms, which contain many original artifacts.  The kitchens are set up as they would have been when the chateau was in use.

The gardens and surrounding moat are very nice and we spent a while walking around them. 

Château de Chenonceau Surrounds
Château de Chenonceau Surrounds

Château de Chenonceau Gardens
Château de Chenonceau Gardens

Château de Chenonceau Gardens
Château de Chenonceau Gardens

Château de Chenonceau Moat
Château de Chenonceau Moat

Château de Chenonceau
Château de Chenonceau

Lunch was at L’Orangerie on the château grounds.  A set menu, which was OK and a bottle of wine which was quite nice.

Was it worth seeing?  Again, we though so, a more impressive castle in a unique river setting, with nice gardens.

Château de Chambord

Our last stop for the day was Château de Chambord, a large Renaissance Palace an hour’s drive away.  This is a very impressive building with many fairy tale type towers.  The car park is even bigger than Chenonceau and you pass a row of gift, tourist and food shops as you enter.

The château is surrounded by a wooded park, but the gardens themselves are not as nice as we had just seen.  However, the building was the largest we saw on the day and very impressive with its many towers.

Château de Chambord
Château de Chambord

Château de Chambord
Château de Chambord

Inside however, is very disappointing.  Only a few of the rooms are furnished, most are empty.  There were some areas displaying modern art, but they clashed with the setting, and really didn’t belong there.

Château de Chambord Gardens
Château de Chambord Gardens

We spent time walking around the interior, the spiral staircases are very nice and then walked across the outside upper area for a close-up of the towers.

Despite its impressive exterior this was our least favorite stop of the day.  Apart from the dual spiral staircase, everything of interest can be seen from outside.  We though the interior was a waste of time.

Drive time back to Paris was two hours.[ctct form=”41″]