A Leisurely And Fascinating Way To Wander Around The Beautiful [+ Historic] Village Of Bundanoon
Bundanoon is a bustling little village and while most people know it for its wonderful village markets, another big attraction is the Bundanoon Heritage Trail.
Put together by the Bundanoon History Group [a VERY passionate bunch of locals!], the trail incorporates significant and heritage listed buildings around the town centre and is designed to celebrate the rich history of the village.
The History Group also hosts their own guided tours from time to time. You can head to their website to find out when the next one is happening and how to snag your spot!
Whether you’re a history buff or not, this little walk is definitely a great way to explore Bundanoon and a good excuse to check out a few of the lovely local businesses around town at the same time!
The Facts
Family friendly:: Absolutely – bring the whole fam!
Easily Accessible:: Couldn’t be easier! You start in the middle of the village and there is a great audio guide and brochure that will take you on your way.
Dog friendly:: Of course – Bundanoon is a very doggo friendly little village. Just make sure they’re on a leash.
Stairs:: None at all – FINALLY, my glutes get a day off!!
Length:: Just under 1km walking distance
Time:: Took us about 30 minutes, but just depends on your speed and how much history you want to get into.
Cost:: Completely FREE if you don’t count all the shopping and eating we did along the way!
Start Here
The walk starts in the centre of the village at the “Old Goods Shed” c1885. This is the base for the History Group and is open from 10am – 12:30 on the first Saturday and the third Sunday of each month, or by appointment.
You can do this walk any day of the week and outside The Old Goods Shed is where you’ll find the first sign on the trail.
Here you can download the free audio guide by scanning the QR code on your smart phone.
Or if you prefer to go old school, the Bundanoon History Group has a downloadable brochure that is jam packed full of extra historical info!
The Bundanoon Emporium
Our second stop is the Bundanoon Emporium originally a weatherboard house on a 2-acre property, which later became the village supermarket servicing the Bundanoon community and now trades as The Primula Café.
We found the best way to view this first stretch of the trail was from across the street staying on the railway side.
This gave us the best vantage point to view the buildings in all their heritage glory.
If you’re worried that you’ll miss popping into any of the shops, don’t stress – we’ll cross over in a moment to double back towards the other end the village. Plenty of time for some retail therapy.
The Paragon Café
Third on the trail list is The Paragon Café c1929 which is more recognisable these days as the Bundanoon Chinese Restaurant. Standing back across the street gave me a new appreciation for a building that as a Bundy local, I never really paid all that much attention to.
I had never actually noticed the Chinese symbols on the top of the building before! Amazing what a different perspective and taking the time to look up can actually reveal, right?
The Old Post Office
Originally the old post master’s residence and the third post office in Bundanoon, it closed in 1958 and has since been home to many cafes, shops and nurseries over the years. It’s currently a lovely cafe, Potter’s Pantry and the perfect excuse for us to stop in for a quick coffee.
Simply known as Potter’s to Bundy locals, this little café joins a lovely group of cafes on the main street, all serving up their own special brand of deliciousness.
We also definitely recommend exploring their sweets cabinet while you’re there or even take home a few of their pre-packaged goodies.
The First Police Station
Now that we’ve crossed the road and got our caffeine fix the next stop is one you definitely need to get up close to see.
The first Police Station is now a beautiful heritage listed private residence and worth peering through the lavender and picket fence for a little gander on your way to the next stop.
The Double Fronted Shops
These two little shops have been home to many different businesses including a bike shop, billiard and gaming rooms, hairdressers and now it’s the home of Bundanoon Botanicals where you can stop in and shop for all things delightfully fragrant and floral – think soaps, candles and more!
Willamurra and The French Inn
The sandstone building on the corner c1906 is now a pottery while the double story building c1926 was once the town’s nightclub – just imagine that! We bet it was jumpin!!
It’s now a lovely little restaurant called Bottega B, serving up home style Italian cuisine.
Ye Olde Bicycle Shoppe
Now’s your chance to head back through the village and do some window shopping or get some retail therapy happening as you head down the main street of shops to the other end of town.
Here our next stop is at Ye Old Bicycle Shoppe – a Southern Highlands institution in its heyday!
Built in the early 1900’s and probably most famous for its mural added in 2002, it was also the headquarters of the Highland Fling, a very popular bike race that until recently was hosted by the village [and drew thousand of visitors!].
While the old bike shop is no longer, this is now home to a fantastic little Thai restaurant Little Jack’s Style.
Uniting & Holy Trinity Churches
Continuing on along Church Rd, wouldn’t you know but our next two stops are at Bundanoon’s beautiful churches.
The first is the Uniting Church where you can find some of the oldest grave sites in Bundanoon.
The original Methodist Church that stood here was replaced by this little hall in 1885.
Across the street you can’t miss the stunning sandstone building of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church that replaced the original building after it was destroyed by bushfires in 1904.
Bundanoon School
Right next to the church you’ll find Bundanoon School. The school was originally built on this site in 1880, starting as a wooden building before getting a brick upgrade in 1909. Now, it has a few extra buildings and some demountable classrooms too. Back in 1884, there were just 82 students enrolled.
The Pill Factory
From here, we head around the corner and past a few more heritage buildings on our way to see The Pill Factory.
Now a guesthouse, this building erected in 1898 was indeed a factory and laboratory that made medications under the company name Golden Cross Homeopathic Remedies and produced over 22 different lines of pills and ointments.
Nancy Kingsbury Park
Across the street and back towards the main village, you’ll find Nancy Kingsbury Memorial Park.
This is a lovely little green space that was donated by the Kingsbury family in 1959 after the death of their daughter Nancy and is now maintained by the Bundanoon Garden Club.
Soldiers Memorial Hall
Having made our way back to the main street, the next stop on the trail is the Soldier’s Memorial Hall.
Built in 1934 in the art deco style, it was used for a long period by the local RSL and is now the cornerstone of Bundanoon social events where concerts, trivia nights, movie nights, classes, performances, dinners and meetings of the various Bundanoon clubs and societies all happen – it’s quite the local hub!
Bundanoon Railway Station
Opening on 6 August 1868 the station was originally named Jordan’s Crossing before being renamed Bundanoon in 1881.
The current buildings are from around 1910-1915 and the station also features a footpath across the train tracks where we continue our little trail to our final destination.
The Bundanoon Hotel
Recently included in the Heritage Trail, you can’t deny the significance and grandeur of the Bundanoon Hotel [and it has its own historic ghost story too!].
We made our way to the hotel that has been lovingly restored and features some great local bevvies and fantastic pub grub which we enjoyed for lunch in their wonderful pet friendly beer garden.
Our doggo, Hamish is a big fan as you can see – happy fella!
Bundanoon Tennis Club
This land originally belonged to Walter Grice, but in the 1940s, his descendants sold it to the Wingecarribee Shire Council for a sports ground. Plans to build tennis courts here likely kicked off around 1946. The clubhouse we see here today was built in the 80s. If you were really crafty you could book ahead here and finish your walk with a game of tennis. What a racquet!
Many of us don’t really think about the history we’re surrounded by on a daily basis, do we?
And walking the Bundanoon Heritage Trail was a fantastic and completely eye-opening experience.
We actually live here and are always so busy getting somewhere, that we have never really got to drink in the history [and not just at the pub!].
We had a ball exploring Bundy from a whole new perspective and enjoyed stopping into some of our favourite local haunts along the way.
Such a great way to learn about a lovely, local village and support some fantastic local businesses – win win!
***
This blog features friends and advertisers of The Fold Southern Highlands and is fully endorsed by The Fold Southern Highlands. We strongly believe in the businesses and all the information we share with you on The Fold and we’re excited to share the amazing stories and adventures of our local businesses. We want to say a BIG thank you to you for supporting our sponsors who help make The Fold possible.