Scones and Roses at Camden Park.

A perfect spring day in Camden for the annual Camden Park House Open Day.  John and Elizabeth Macarthur’s descendants still own the property and have lived there since 1835. It is still very much a family home with plenty of hustle and bustle during such a popular day. The queues were fairly long and probably constant all day but there were large trees providing welcome shade for the half an hour or so we waited. My favourites were the ingenious folding shutters on the downstairs windows and the book lined hallway.

The family and friends provided a delectable, man-sized Devonshire tea for a princely $5, which we ate by the Rose Garden. The gardens are extensive and contain many heritage varieties including a Camden Park Camelia still growing after 185 years!

Took some time to just sit in the sunshine and simply enjoy the gardens, before heading off to nearby Mt Annan.  Camden Park House is in Elizabeth Macarthur Drive and can be hard to find so here’s a map, see No. 6 on page 32.

Unfortunately, the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living appeared to be closed so we continued up to Mt Annan Botanic Gardens where I knew there was a cafe for a late lunch. Not today though, 2.30pm & the chairs were already stacked on the tables. Too bad, so I decided to head on home after taking a quick look at the gardens opposite. It’s been a long time since I last visited Mt Annan Botanical Gardens and I was amazed at how it’s all grown and changed. It was so sparse then and today it’s such a blaze of colour. Didn’t manage to stay long then either as my son ended up in the pond and soaking wet in the middle of winter.  Today, the sun was glorious and everyone was out and about having a good time, especially if they’d thought ahead and brought a picnic lunch!