Despite living in Sydney for well over a decade, I estimate that I’m yet to discover more than a sliver of the hidden wonders my city has waiting to be explored. I seek them out with the kids, convinced that each will add to our Sydney experience. Over the weekend I asked my Sydney with Kids tribe to reveal the spots they’ve found that seem to be largely unknown by others. It was in this thread that I heard about Sawmillers Reserve in McMahons Point and knew what to do. Adventure day!
Back in 1880 the John W. Eaton Ltd timber merchants set up a sawmill on this site. Between 1890 to 1920 it boomed boasting a powerhouse, two sawmills, an engineers shop, a joinery, a blacksmith and its very own hard. A crane was even built to unload and the load logs and timber on and off small vessels. In the early 1980s the site was abandoned but then saved for a public reserve thanks to community action.
Today Sawmillers Reserve is a gorgeous little sanctuary for Sydneysiders and visitors alike. It was completely deserted when we visited which tells me that it isn’t widely known, unlike other harbourside parks. Yet, it is a wonderful spot for a picnic with expansive lawn, gorgeous views out across to Pyrmont and Balmain to the South, and Balls Head Reserve to the west and some relics from the past that you can explore.
What’s that about relics? Right on the foreshore you will quickly spot a wrecked MSB hopper barge that you can walk out to and touch (it is rusty, so climbing it is better avoided) and a few remains from Eaton’s timber yard which look fairly solid so the kids climbed all over them. It makes the spot quite unique and provides a great opportunity to start a conversation about history with the kids.
What we loved about the Sawmillers Reserve was the amazing native vegetation that has been planted along the embankments. When we visited, council workers were busy weeding and maintaining the area which was so wonderful to see. The kids were really keen to explore the treehouse which is actually a wooden stair and deck structure that links the bottom level of Sawmillers Reserve to the top level. For younger kids you’ll need to keep an eye on them as they go up and down as they are quite steep.
So how do you access Sawmillers Reserve? You could probably walk around from Luna Park if you had a few hours to spare or you could drive. To access by car, you can access the reserve via Munro, French and West Crescent Streets but be mindful that parking seems to be restricted to an hour without permit during the week. I didn’t catch the weekend restrictions. You could also catch a train to North Sydney Station and take the 10 minute walk down to the reserve. Did you know about Sawmillers Reserve?