Penrith - Nepean River Walk

This walk started on the western side of the Nepean River at River Road Reserve Emu Plains, crossed over the Nepean Valley Bridge to Tench Reserve, a popular picnic spot on the eastern side of the river.

About half way along River Road Emu Plains, is the Penrith Regional Gallery (below). This was once a small rural property that became the home of artists Margo and Gerald Lewers. Their daughters donated the site, buildings and gardens along with an art collection to Penrith City Council. We stopped here for refreshments at ‘Café at Lewers’, which has a pleasant outlook of the cottage garden.

Lewers Gallery Emu Plains

The front door of Lewers Gallery and a sculpture by Sonia Farley, made from Banksia wood from the collection at Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest

Eastern Water Dragon

Rail bridge over Nepean River, Penrith

                                 Walk location map                                                                   


We turned away from Tench Reserve at Jamison Road and walked on to Panthers Leagues Club.
There is a limited bus service from here, see Blue Mountains bus services.

There is also another walk along the river, under the Victoria Bridge (road) and the adjacent 1907 Rail Bridge (see above photo) past the weir reserve. This walk is a short distance from Penrith shopping centre.

Nepean Belle have boat cruises that extend into the Nepean Gorge.

Lavender Bay

We started this walk at Waverton Station following Balls Head Road, past HMAS Waterhen to Balls Head Reserve.

 

I had heard this park mentioned from time to time, but this was my first visit to the nine hectare reserve,1.5Km across the water from Sydney’s CBD.  Before reaching the reserve we walked through one of the tunnels (above) of what was a coal loading facility until 1992.

On the eastern side of Balls Head, on Berrys Bay, is the former BP oil storage depot (tank cutting, right).  

In January 2003, the NSW Government rezoned the BP site for open space and placed it under the care and management of North Sydney Council. Thirty one storage tanks were removed from the site in 1996. The parkland, now known as Carradah Park, were opened in March 2005.

Along the Lavender Bay foreshore, between Luna Park and Quiberie Park is a series of miniature sculptures: 'Hidden Treasures' by the artist Peter Kingston. They are based on iconic Australian comic characters such as The Magic Pudding (below left), from Norman Lindsay's classic children's book.

Beyond Quiberie Park is a pathway that leads past Luna Park (above right). I finished the foreshore walk at this point and caught a train from the nearby Milsons Point Station.

        

                                 
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