Windsor in the Hawkesbury Welcome

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As Windsor approaches its bicentennial celebration (2010), many changes to the surrounding areas have occurred. The twenty-first century has seen housing estates and malls encroach upon the Hawkesbury from all directions bringing “suburban life” closer and closer. Areas that were once rural are now the centre of a population explosion with its customary difficulties.

But Windsor and the Hawkesbury remain distinctive – perhaps even rare – capturing much of the past with its unspoilt landscape – a dark river, an old church and graveyard, gently rolling green hills and the Blue Mountains starkly rising in the distance.

The age-old scent of fresh fertile soil, newly cut grass or gentle summer rain sets our senses in motion, a reminder that Windsor, tucked away in the Hawkesbury, played an important role in 1800 – delivering produce to a starving Sydney. 

Contemporary Windsor is a fusion – of the present, the recent past and long long ago, with the ancient river below. A bustling retail centre, a regional gallery and library complex and a new regional historical museum – all contemporary designs – are situated amidst heritage buildings from Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s day. Yet, the river dominates life – streets lead down to the river, a new bypass is built to escape a flooding river and much of the farming land is designated as a flood area. 
You’ll escape the seemingly pervasiveness of neighbouring modern life – traffic jams and high rises – when you visit Windsor for a day or more. You’ll find life slows, perhaps a contagious effect of the river. This is the tempo you long for throughout your busy week.

Meander through the many speciality shops on historic George Street, take in a collection of nineteenth-century relics, photograph the country’s oldest courthouse, or simply fish along the riverbank  Suddenly you find the time for cafés and contemplation, picnics and pubs, or walks with the lingering ghosts of hanged convicts. Windsor is an irreplaceable connection to our past.

Windsor in the Hawkesbury

Directions, Maps and Orientation

We’ll refer to some exciting and not-to-be-missed attractions beyond the town limits of Windsor, and we’ll give you approximate driving times to the Hawkesbury attractions. Please note that the Hawkesbury maps in this guide are not to scale. Check a road map before setting off.

Many roads lead to Windsor from Sydney’s inner and outer limits. From Bass Hill, Camden and Parramatta, the trip is, a little over an hour. From Blacktown and Penrith, depending upon traffic is less than an hour. From the Central Coast, the new M7 — a lightly travelled stretch of engineering innovation — shortens the trip. Windsor is also positioned strategically for lunch or dinner between the Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains, but fair warning! Windsor’s long history, as found in Tebbutt’s Observatory, Macquarie Arms Hotel, the old courthouse or the renovated hospital is a magnet for a longer stay in the Hawkesbury.

Parking and public toilet facilities are indicated on the map of Historic Windsor. Along the river (The Terrace) parking hours are unlimited, but on many side streets, parking is limited to one hour. Otherwise, refer to the Windsor / Hawkesbury map for carparks that allow two- and four-hour parking. Caution: a diligent council ranger executes her job well.

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