Explore the country charms of the Macarthur region

The Macarthur region in Sydney’s south-west is known as the place where the city meets the country.

Stretching over 3000 square kilometres at the foothills of the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands, the region boasts the kinds of attractions that have spurred record numbers of tree-changers in the past few years.

For those looking to connect with nature, there’s the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, which spans 416 hectares and is home to more than 4000 plant species. If historic homesteads are more your thing, there’s Camden Park House – a heritage-listed estate built in 1835 for the Macarthur family, pioneers of Australia’s wool industry and the region’s namesake.

Cellar doors Gledswood Homestead and Winery in Gledswood Hills and Razorback Ridge Wines in Menangle are ideal spots to spend an afternoon with a wine in hand, while the Camden Fresh Produce Markets is the perfect place to pick up some locally grown fruit and veggies.

“I love our little community here,” says Renee Sillato, who opened Epicure, a specialty cheese store and providore in a heritage cottage in Camden’s town centre, in 2013.

Sillato, who has lived in Camden all her life, sources cheeses and artisan goods from local producers and around the world.

“We have a small cheesemaker who makes beautiful cheeses here in Camden with milk from his own cows on a little farm on Camden Valley Way,” she says. “Then we’ve got another local lady who makes us this gorgeous caramel fudge.”

While Camden’s historic centre has remained largely untouched, Sillato has seen the surrounding areas change significantly in recent years.

Earmarked as a priority growth area by the NSW government, the Macarthur region is one of the fastest growing in Australia, with burgeoning new communities springing to life around its historic towns.

The region, which takes in the local government areas of Camden, Campbelltown and Wollondilly, is predicted to house more than 600,000 people by 2041 according to forecasts by demographic consultants .id, almost doubling its population of around 350,000 recorded at the last census.

This growth is driven in part by its proximity to the future Western Sydney International Airport, currently under construction, which is expected to support almost 28,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2031.

One of the region’s newest communities is Lakeside in Gledswood Hills. Overlooking the Lakeside Golf Club Camden*, the development by Stockland will consist of more than 400 homes when complete, along with open spaces and a playground.

Close to Leppington Train Station, Emerald Hills Shopping Village and the new Gledswood Hills Primary School, the Lakeside community offers the perfect combination of tranquillity and convenience says Stockland project director Sommer Thompson.

“The vast open spaces and tree-lined streets at Lakeside allow the community to escape from the hustle and bustle, while still being close to transport links into the city and the amenities and attractions of Gledswood Hills and Leppington,” she says. 

Initial demand has been strong, with 80 per cent of current land releases already snapped up and a new release scheduled for late July. Both land-only and house and land packages are available, with lots ranging from 250 to 750-plus square metres.

“We are finding that Lakeside is where residents are building their ‘forever homes’,” says Thompson.

While its country charms remain, the Macarthur region will continue to evolve in the decades ahead.

“It’s nice to see those new pockets of restaurants and bars and things like that opening up around the new development areas,” says Sillato.

“There are many more people wandering around and exploring, which is nice.”