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Castle Hill Heritage Park

Castle Hill Heritage Park, located off Banks Road in Castle Hill, is a nationally significant site being one of the earliest and potentially least known Government Farms dating back to 1801. The farm was the staging point for the first-ever convict rebellion on Australian soil in 1804.

The park has been refurbished at a cost of more than $3.4 million. The new-look park was officially opened by Her Excellency Prof Marie Bashir, Governor of New South Wales, in March 2004 and features excellent interpretative signage on the colourful history of this park.

A stroll around the park will bring to life the story of the convicts and their fateful quest for freedom as well as the early settlers of the district.

The park’s features include concrete walking tracks, picnic areas, playground and public toilets in a heritage-listed site within a bushland setting. The majority of the reserve is accessible for people with disabilities.

With its 20 hectares of rolling landscaped hills and remnant Blue Gum forest, Heritage Park is a great location for family picnicking, walking and learning about nature. It is the birthplace of Castle Hill.

The main walking track has educational signs that follow a timeline history of the land from the use by the Dharug people, through establishment of the convict farm, church glebe, lunatic asylum, orchards and small farm holdings.

Home to the critically endangered ecological community Blue Gum High Forest, Castle Hill Heritage Park is one of the largest remaining stands of Blue Gum High Forest reserved in the world. The threatened species Powerful Owl is known to use Castle Hill Heritage Park for hunting.

There are a number of issues affecting the bushland of Castle Hill Heritage Park, including fragmentation, invasion by weeds and feral animals and bell minor associated dieback. Council, in partnership with bushcare groups and volunteers, is working towards restoring this endangered ecological community using a number of techniques including bush regeneration activities and ecological burns.