Thorndon Park

My family came here on a beautiful Saturday morning for a birthday party in the rotunda. I didn’t realise until then that it can be hired through the Campbelltown City Council for exclusive use. Signage was well placed which stated the days bookings, and details as to how to book.
The rotunda is a short stroll from the playground which was frequented on the day by the many two year olds and their parent/​carer.

A huge park in the lovely Eastern suburb of Athelstone, almost bordering on the hills, Thorndon Park is a bunch of parks altogether around a large reservoir.
There are playgrounds on site, walking trails, ducks and fish in the water, a kiosk and even a heritage museum open on weekends.
I used to go here as a kid with family friends and spend hours playing and having picnics.
There’s plenty of shade, grass, bbqs, benches etc.

Some parks are for exercising, some parks are for playing, some parks are for wiling hours away in the high-​tech toilets. Then some parks are for strolling. These are the best parks, I think, since we often run, we often jog, we often rush, hurry, or walk briskly, but one activity that’s lost its commonality is that of strolling.
Being an old reservoir, there’s a nice body of water with a quaint structure sticking up from out of it. Strolling past this landscape does well to help transport one back to their ‘golden age’.
The playground’s sufficient enough to keep the children busy, and the barbecue facilities are very nice, but I never pay too much attention to those things while I’m around. I’m too busy strolling.

Thorndon Park Reservoir used to provide the water for the whole area, although is no longer used as a water source these days. The surrounding recreation reserve is really well set out, with a long walk through carefully tended gardens going all round the reservoir set so picturesquely into the hillside. The grounds are huge, with excellent walking trails, and tons of space for family picnics and gatherings. Plenty of bbq’s are available to support those gatherings, and there’s a kiosk on weekends if you forget your picnic basket.
There is a huge playground, all under shade cloth, with a steadily growing collection of equipment for the kids — including the Liberty Swing, a special swing for children in wheelchairs to ride, a nice touch although I’m yet to see it in use. There’s a big spiders web on a stick for climbing, a number of swinging things that spin around (one with rather comfy chairs dangling from a frame shaped like two big bat wings — not that I’m a big kid at heart or anything), swings, see saws — there’s hours of screaming and running around like a mad thing here, and then the kids can have fun on the playground too. :)
There’s fish in the water — mostly small minnows of some sort, but bigger fish can be spotted at times if you’re feeding the ducks. Lots of trees provide shady areas for the picnic and bbq crowd — there’s a few big structures and pavilions, too, if it’s wet. BBQ’s are electric and plentiful.
Thorndon Park is used for a number of gatherings for the local community, including Campbelltown Proud Day, a celebration of all that there is in the local area, a big Christmas celebration starting with a parade and ending in fireworks and carols.
This is one of my favourite spots for a stroll — many a time I stopped in on the way home from a hectic day in the office and had a wander right round the lake. Calm, peaceful and serene — a world apart from the kids playground on a busy weekend. Recommended.