Close to Sydney, with a lot of variety
Story and photos: The Bear
Ebenezer – “Rock of Hope” -- lies on the west bank of the Hawkesbury River, only about 75km from Sydney. That’s pretty close for even a morning’s run on your bike but stay with me. I have favourite ways to get to Ebenezer from all four compass directions, and then some. The church for which Ebenezer is best known is well worth checking out, and as you’ll see below there are other attractions.
From the west, assuming you’re on the Great Western Highway, turn left into Comleroy Road at Kurrajong. Follow that to where East Kurrajong Road splits off to the right through East Kurrajong to the Putty Road. Turn left and then a quick right into Bull Ridge Road which will take you past Bull Ridge Estate Winery to West Portland Road. A right turn here into West Portland Road and another right into Sackville Road, and continue as above.
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If you’re coming from the southern suburbs, make your way to Elizabeth Drive and follow that past the site of the new airport to Wilmington Road and then Park Road. That gets you to Wallacia where you’ll pick up Mulgoa Road north to Penrith. Continue along Castlereagh Road to Richmond, then to Windsor and finally across the new bridge on Wilberforce Road. In Wilberforce, take a right into King Road which becomes Sackville Road. Five kilometres later you’ll come to the sign to Ebenezer Church on the right.
Finally, if you’re coming direct from the east there’s a simple run out along Old Windsor Road to Windsor and then Wilberforce, as above. A more interesting and prettier run is to Dural on New Line Road before picking up Old Northern Road at the big roundabout. Follow that north to the Cattai Ridge Road turnoff to the left. Go straight ahead where the road splits, into Halcrows Road, and turn right when you reach the T intersection with Wisemans Ferry Road. Turn left when you reach Sackville Ferry Road, and you’re on the same approach as your mates from the north.
Unlike the Macquarie Towns which surround it, Ebenezer was not laid out by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. By December of 1810 when he got around to touring the already rich agricultural region along the river and naming Windsor and the four other towns, Ebenezer was already on the map.
Macquarie was impressed. In his notebook, he wrote: ”The farms on both banks, especially those on the left bank, are rich and well cultivated, and make a pretty appearance from the water, being generally interspersed with extensive orchards of peaches and other fruits.” He doesn’t seem to have mentioned Ebenezer’s church, which had been built the year before. That’s a surprise, considering that the church commands a wonderful view of Swallow Rock Reach and should be easily visible from the river.
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It's worth just quickly tracing the early history of the church as an object lesson to infrastructure projects today. In 1808 at a special meeting each local family “pledged itself to the building of a church and school. The total cost of £400 was to be obtained from voluntary subscriptions. There was no assistance by way of finance or labour from the government,” according to the church website.
One settler donated four acres of land, another designed the church and supervised its construction while yet another swam his bullocks across the river to haul the stone to the site. Built of local sandstone, cedar wood and hardwood, the church was completed in 1809. That’s a year for unskilled labour to complete such a major project. The beautifully built church stands to this day, and I leave you to draw your own conclusion.
The church and its associated school are now the oldest buildings of their kind still in use in Australia. The Devonshire Teas prepared and served by lady volunteers Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 3pm can only be described as outstanding. A large open picnic area stretches from the church down to the river, and there are clean toilets at the little group of buildings. There is plentiful, albeit gravel or grass, parking out front.