The Rail Station

St. Mary’s Towers Retreat Centre is located within a few minutes drive of Douglas Park Train Station. The Station is unattneded by CityRail and CountryLink Staff and tickets will need to be purchased elsewhere, either ahead of the journey, or once the train arrives at its destination.

The Station is on the main southern line linking Sydney and Melbourne and carries frieght services as well as interstate passenger trains. On the CityRail network the Station is on the Southern Highlands Line and not being electrified, diesal trains transport passengers between Goulburn, Mossvale and Campbelltown. At Campbelltown passengers may need to alight and tranfer to an electric train for Metropolitan Stations, although some diesal services do run express to Central Station (see CityRail timetables).

The station is conveniently located on the same line as Sydney Airport. Flight arrivals will easily pick up a train service from the Airport Stations located beneath both International (T1) and Domestic (T2 – Virgin & T3 – Qantas) Terminals. If travelling out to Douglas Park travellers from the Airport should board trains on the Airport-East Hills Line or Southern Highlands Line heading to Campbelltown. Note that at Campbelltown you will need to change to Platform 4 for the non-electric train service.

For more information and maps to assist with travelling by vehicle, or for links to train timetables and maps, go to How to get here…

The History

Originally called Hoare Town, Douglas Park was one of two vast land grants approved south of Camden Park. Dr Henry Grattam Douglass, a close friend of Governor Brisbane, owned the Hoare Town land grant. The other grant, owned by Jean Baptiste de Arrietta, was known as Spaniard’s Hill which, in 1860, had a sizeable Catholic community and included one of the first rural Catholic schools.

Dr. Douglass was born in 1790 in Dublin, Ireland to Adam Douglass and Ann Edwards. He arrived in the colony of NSW, as a free settler aboard the convict ship ‘Speke’, on 18 May 1821 in Sydney NSW. He died 1 December1865 in Douglas Park NSW and was buried at St. John’s Church Cemetery Camden NSW. He served as Assistant Surgeon with the 18th Regiment British Army 1809/10 in the Peninsular War and 1811 in the West Indies. Douglass married Hester Murphy in 1812 in Dublin, Ireland, and had three children; Rev. Arthur Douglass (abt 1814 – 1878), Emily Eliza Douglass (abt 1816 – 1887), and Mary Douglass ( – 9 Jun 1868). He worked tirelessly for the poor and ex-convicts, was the doctor in charge of the Parramatta Female Factory (the industrial prison housing female convicts), and was instrumental in helping establish Sydney University. He became a member of the Agricultural Society, a vice-president of the Benevolent Society and first secretary of the Philosophical Society, the first local organization to foster Australian science. He was in his time an eminent man, serving as clerk of the Legislative Council and later as an elected member, but he also gained powerful foes such as Samuel Marsden and the Macarthurs, who subjected him to years of slander and legal assaults, even rape allegations. But the Doctor’s philanthropic efforts won many admirers. Douglass had numbers of convicts working on his farm, as muster rolls in the State Records of NSW show. This farm may have however, belonged to, or been managed by Douglass’ son Arthur.

The name Hoare Town may possibly find it origins in a Mr. John Hoare who on July 30th, 1811 was listed to receive lands in the new Districts of Airds or Appin (Minto, Campbelltown, Appin). John Hoare, originally of Wexford, Ireland, was sentenced to death for Mutiny in a trial at Portsmouth on 8th September 1798. He arrived in Australia as a convict at Sydney on the “Canada” on 14th December 1801. He was also imprisoned on Norfolk Island between 1802 & 1804. He obtained his “Ticket of Leave” on 15th July 1811. By 1828, John, his wife Elizabeth and family were living at Airds. A local tale says the after Douglass arrived in 1821 and received his land grant the name “Hoare Town” stirred up the female residents who lobbied to chaneg it, so Douglass in time gave his name to the town, the final “s” being lost due to a cartographer’s error.

The railway reached Douglas Park in 1863 as a station on the extension of the Main South Line from Campbelltown to Picton.

In 1889, writer Ethel Turner, at the age of 17, visited the area:
6th April: Went to Newington Sports. Took cab to the grounds. The Sports were very poor. I walked with Mr Curlewis a little and after with Mr Curnow. We left Annie, then Lil and I hurried off and caught the 5 o’clock train to Picton to stay with the Daintreys.
10th April: Mr Daintrey took us all in a buggy to Douglas Park for a picnic. It was a fearfully long drive but very pleasant there, we went mushroom hunting. Afternoon we went to the Show. It is the first country show I have been to. We had tea on the grounds with the Abbotsford Antills and a lot more people.

The Grevilles Post Office Directory has an interesting list of residents at Douglas Park in 1872;

SURNAME CHRISTIAN OCCUPATION ADDRESS POST TOWN
ACKROYD John carpenter East Bargo Douglas Park
BADHAM John D. squatter East Bargo Douglas Park
BASCLEN Josepath labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
BEST James farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
BEST John farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
BESTON John teacher Spaniard’s Hill Douglas Park
BLADES John labourer — Douglas Park
BLADES Thomas labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
BLADES Thomas stockman — Douglas Park
BURNE William labourer Clifton Douglas Park
BUTLER Thomas labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
CARROLL James farmer Menangle Rd. Douglas Park
CARROLL John labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
CLEARY Thomas farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
CLEMENTS Thomas farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
CONLIN John farmer Spaniard’s Hill Douglas Park
CUMMINS John farmer — Douglas Park
DEMPSEY Thomas labourer — Douglas Park
EAGAN John gardener Morton Park Douglas Park
FAHY Thomas farmer Nepean Towers Douglas Park
GREEN Charles labourer Nepean Towers Douglas Park
HENNESSY David farmer Morton Park Douglas Park
JENKINS Richard L. squatter Nepean Towers Douglas Park
KENNIFF Patrick teacher East Bargo Douglas Park
KENNY Michael farmer Condell Park Douglas Park
MEREDITH George fencer East Bargo Douglas Park
MULHOLLAND William farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
MCGRATH John labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
MCINNES Donald farmer Menangle Rd. Douglas Park
MCINNES Malcolm farmer Menangle Rd. Douglas Park
MCLEAN John farmer Menangle Rd. Douglas Park
OXENBRIDGE Edward farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
OXENBRIDGE Henry farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
PEEL Richard farmer Morton Park Douglas Park
RICE James labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
ROCHFORD James farmer Morton Park Douglas Park
ROSE James A. labourer — Douglas Park
SHEIL Francis farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
SHEIL James farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
SHEIL Thomas farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
SMITH George labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
SPEARING Benjamin farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
STARR George labourer Morton Park Douglas Park
STARR Stephen fencer Morton Park Douglas Park
STARR William farmer Morton Park Douglas Park
TURNER Allington labourer Menangle Rd. Douglas Park
WONSON Joseph farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
WONSON James farmer East Bargo Douglas Park
WONSON William farmer Broughton Park Douglas Park
WONSON William jun. teacher East Bargo Douglas Park

The Township

Douglas Park is a town of the Macarthur Region in New South Wales, in Wollondilly Shire. It is near the Hume Highway and on the Main Southern railway line. Its station is served by CityRail’s Southern Highlands services. It is about 80 km southwest of Sydney. Locals refer to the area as Douggo or DP. At the 2006 census, Douglas Park had a population of 827 people.

The village of Douglas Park is a fine example of what living in Wollondilly is all about: So close to the city yet far enough away to retain a rural atmosphere. Many residents of Douglas Park enjoy large acreage which support hobby farms and a semi-rural lifestyle. Douglas Park has a General Store which includes a Post Office. Adjacent is a service station. There is no Police Station: Douglas Park is part of the Camden Local Area Command.

Douglas Park Sports Ground is home to The Douglas Park-Wilton Razorbacks Soccer Football Club in the winter and in the summer season Douglas Park Little Athletics Club, and soon-to-be Douglas Park Cricket Club. There are two tennis courts at the sports ground.

The Spaniard’s Hill Catholic community had a Parish School in 1860. Douglas Park Public School opened in 1883, its motto reads; Look to the Future. Buses and trains now carry the town’s secondary students to High Schools in the Wollondilly Shire and beyond. A Long Day Care service is available, a playgroup, and a rural mobile pre-school.

The Progress Hall, built by the Douglas Park Progress Association is located on the north-western corner of the sportsground.

Douglas Park Rural Fire Service Shed is also located at the sportsground.

Douglas Park is surrounded by low hills, pasture, and bush land. To the south of the town, the Nepean River runs through a rocky gorge. The rugged beauty of the district is a feature of the drive between Douglas Park and Appin.

The drive will take you over the Nepean River causeway, a popular local swimming and canoeing spot.

At the causeway you will get an excellent view of the Douglas Park twin bridges carrying northbound and southbound lanes of the F5 Freeway over the Nepean River.

This bridge was opened in 1980, as part of the extension of the Hume Highway from Campbelltown to Yanderra. Downstream from this spot was once a suspension road bridge, of a similar design to the Maldon Suspension Bridge, upstream on the Nepean River.

You’ll also see an innovative ‘fish ladder’ (vertical slot fish-way) to enable fish stocks in the river to migrate upstream against the flow, to reach breeding grounds.

The Church

The Douglas Park Catholic Church began its existence as the town’s community hall. Built in 1937, it was consecrated as a church two years later. By 1971 the parish priest, Father Scanlon, came under increasing demand to provide pastoral care for such a large parish. As a result, the clergy from the local St Mary’s Towers provided assistance to the Catholic townspeople in their spiritual needs.

Consequently, in 1977, the then Bishop William Murray merged the churches of Appin, Wilton, Douglas Park and Menangle into one parish and asked the St Mary’s clergy to administer to these communities.

In 1987 this decision was reversed. Douglas Park now exists within the Parish of St Anthony of Padua.

For more information click here.

As the property is privately owned only persons on retreat are able to use the property for bush walking.

Information regarding walking tracks for retreatants will be available on request during retreat.

St. Mary’s Towers, Douglas Park is a Mass Centre of the Parish of St. Anthony’s, Picton – Tahmoor, in the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong. Founded in 1847.

The main Parish Church is in Tahmoor, located south-west of Sydney in the Wollondilly Region. St Anthony’s Parish also incorporates St Patrick’s Church at Menangle and the Sheil Memorial Church at Picton. The areas covered by St Anthony’s Parish include Bargo, Balmoral, Buxton, Couridjah, Douglas Park, Lakesland, Menangle, Picton, Pheasants Nest, Tahmoor, Thirlmere, Wilton and Yanderra.

The original Douglas Park Village Church in Station Street opposite the rail line, began its existence as the town’s community hall. Built in 1937, it was consecrated as a church two years later. By 1971 the parish priest, Father Scanlon, was under increasing pressure providing pastoral care for such a large parish, so the clergy of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from the local St Mary’s Towers community provided for the spiritual needs of the Catholics of Douglas Park and Wilton. In 1977 Bishop William Murray merged the churches of Appin, Wilton, Douglas Park and Menangle into one parish and asked the M.S.C. to administer these communities. In 1987 this decision was reversed and the Douglas Park Mass Centre returned to St. Anthony’s Picton-Tahmoor.

The M.S.C. still assist the parish clergy by providing for the needs of local Catholics.

For Mass Times and Sacramental enquiries contact:
St. Mary’s Towers
Phone: 02 4630 9232

M.S.C. Cemetery – St. Mary’s Towers (1907 to present)

In the MSC cemetery behind the Retreat Centre, members of the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Australian Province and others are buried. This cemetery is the last resting place for most of the members of the province, just over two hundred, but those buried elsewhere are also remembered here. Many members come to pay their last respects, and visitors remember old friendships as they wander among the graves.

Scattered among the MSC are a few Lay members of the Chevalier Family, as well as one or two other non-MSC who laboured along side MSC priests and brothers.

While the cemetery was in use from an early time during the MSC ownership of the property, it was only consecrated on the 29th March 1944, by Most Reverend Francis Xavier Gsell msc the first bishop of the Diocese of Palmerston (now Darwin, covering the whole Northern Territory). The consecration stone marks the edge of the pathway into the cemetery.

The cemetery is composed of three sections; The older section, slightly raised beds with sandstone borders and white marble lead-embeded headstones, crowned with a cross of marble.

The newer section is a lawn cemetery also of three double-sided rows, begun in the year 2002, it has metal plaques on low concrete supports.

The third section is a memorial house built in the style of a Tongan Fale (meeting house) with a large pink granite memorial stone naming those buried in cemeteries elsewhere than Douglas Park. A waterfall adorns the Fale.

A rose garden punctuates the second and third sections.

The consecration stone, statues and crosses, as well as the field-stone fences (probably the labour of the apostolic school boys) were all set in place during the time of the first section. The cemetery fence encompasses a large area – future predictions perhaps that many MSC would finish their days here.

Of special significance in the older section is the grave of Rev. Father Marie Pierre Treand msc, founder of the MSC Australian Province, and a contemporary of the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Jules Chevalier. Originally from France, Father Treand had been in England to establish an Apostolic School at Glastonbury, Somerset, when called by Father Chevalier to come to Sydney, to help with the new foundations in Australia.

A tragic memorial standing at the base of the central white cross is to three MSC who were killed during the hostilities of the Second World War; Fr. David McCullagh, Fr. Ted Harris, and Br. Clifford Brennan. The original memorial stone marked the entrance to the older section, but had deteriorated and needed replacing.

The present pink basalt memorial in the Fale was made when the 2002 rennovations took place.

Old Public Cemetery
Good Shepherd Hill, St. Mary’s Towers

There is an old public cemetery on the hilltop behind the buildings (now called Good Shepherd Hill due to the statue mounted there) where the grove of gum trees now stands.

It was established in the time of Major Mitchell and Dr. Jenkins, but the headstones are gone from there.

Research is currently being done on this cemetery, and a restored memorial is planned for the site.

Appin Cemetery
St Bede’s Catholic Church & Graveyard, Appin

St. Bede’s Catholic Cemetery at Appin is part of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Rosemeadow. The cemetery is owned and operated by Rosemeadow Parish. Copyright for information here is held by the parish. Kind permission has been granted to include information on this site, for which we are most grateful.

For all enquiries including those regarding burial or interment of ashes, please contact the Parish Office: phone: 02 4628 1385
or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

An Old Colonial Gothic style church, St Bede’s is notable for its intactness and the fact that it still retains much of its original character. The church was designed by Father John Joseph Therry and construction commenced in 1837. Bishop Polding sent Therry to Tasmania in 1838 and altered the original design of the church.

Inspection of the stonework indicates that different tradesmen built the church in stages. It has a slate roof and iron roofed square tower, which once had a timber belfry. St. Bede’s has an inscription carved over the entrance that reads “J.P. EPUS A.D. 1841” indicating that work was completed on the church in 1841. The Cemetery associated with the church has many historic headstones.

St Bede’s Catholic church and graveyard are situated on four acres of ground centrally located within the township, on the corner of Appin Road and King Street.

The graveyard has some fine examples of monumental masonry reflecting the Irish Catholic background of many of the early settlers of the district.

Index of Cemetery Headstone Names & Dates;

Surveyed in August – September, 1978, by Rev. Fr. T. J. Whitty M.S.C. Original Transcripts of Fr. Whitty’s notes held at St. Mary’s Towers.

Click here to download Fr. Whitty’s Cemetery Transcripts.

Wilton Cemetery
St. Luke’s Church of England Graveyard, Wilton

Town lots in the settlement of Wilton were first sold in 1844 and the Church of England received two acres for a church, school and parsonage in 1866. The Church and adjacent cemetery which is of great historical interest is located on Wilton Road (formerly Argyle Street).

Cemetery transcripts were kept at St Mark’s Picton (S.A.G. Reels 0195, 0196). At various times from 1839 this parish included St. Matthews, The Oaks; St. Albans, Douglas Park; St. Luke’s, Wilton; St. Stephen’s, Thirlmere; and Yerranderie C of E. Research material and cemetery transcripts held by the Picton & District Historical and Family History Society are available at Wollondilly Library – Picton Branch, Menangle Street, Picton. (http://www.stonequarry.com.au/padhfhs/)

With the introduction of coal mining in the district, miner’s homes were built in the village and more recent growth has been experienced with young families moving into the town.

Probably the most eccentric character from Wilton was James Tyson, a multimillionaire who made his initial fortune providing meat for goldminers in the Victorian goldfields. He never married, left no will and, after his death, relatives were left to fight over his assets.

2022 Tariffs

Cost per day: $155.00
Prayer weekend: $310.00
6 day retreat: $930.00
8 day retreat: $1240.00
9 day retreat: $1395.00
30 day retreat: $5115.00

Brown corridor rooms: $130.00 per day

Tariffs are all inclusive and negotiable with the Director

Deposit: A non-refundable deposit is required to confirm your booking
$50.00 for 9 days or less
$150.00 for longer retreats

2022 Retreat Day Visits

Option 1: $40 Use of facilities, morning & afternoon tea

Option 2: $50 As above, plus 2 course lunch

Option 3: $100 As above, plus spiritual accompaniment

Option 4: $70 spiritual accompaniment

Option 5: $155 Overnight stay & spiritual accompaniment

Where possible, online payment in advance is appreciated. Please see below. MasterCard, Visa and EFT are accepted

EFT payments

Account: St. Mary’s Towers
ACN: 29783100
BSB: 062 784
Commonwealth Bank

Please notify the Administrator with your details if you have made an EFT payment – click here

Donate

St Mary’s Towers Retreat Centre is a not-for-profit centre. We offer a variety of retreat experiences throughout the year as well as day visits for individuals and groups. Retreats can be tailored to individual circumstances. Our Retreat Team is available during retreats and for ongoing direction. We are associated with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation to our Centre using the EFT account details provided above.

Please note that donations are not tax deductible.

Please contact us if you wish to leave a bequest in your Will.

Special Tariff Arrangements

Tariffs are negotiable with the Director of the Retreat Centre.

Every night
The dark is long
Every heart
The desire is deep
Every one
Hearing within a silent Being
Still and waiting
At the bottom of a dry well.
Water within water
Nothing within nothing
Freedom within freedom
Love within love
Divine within me
And I within Divine
When everything within everything
That’s where God meets me
And I meet Him
And We are one
Everything becomes one
One from within
To one from without.

I see,
There is a night darker than any night
There is a day brighter than any sun
There is a power stronger than any strength
Graced moment! Quenched desire!
God alone is life…

Khoi Nguyen
August 2012

Soft day … light rain,
Breeze soothes, caresses,
Blessed silences seeps
into marrow bone.
Prodigal fecundity –
sweet grass mown,
sheer, steel web,
Silent companionship –
strength on the way,
The Word sears deeply – healing, restoring,
God’s very self – our very own …

Mary, Mother
gentle presence,
softly croons love songs
of a child she once sucked
ad walked with to death,
Enfolding her mantle
around bruised spirits,
she croons the same love songs,
walks the same road …

Marea Roberts RSM
22 January 2012

Victoria’s retreats at Douglas Park led to the following paintings of her experience and are reproduced here with her kind permission.

The Wisdom Tree. © V. Fitzpatrick 2011

From another silent retreat, I received a word from God in the form of an oak that was casting off its leaves. A time of life for casting off in order to experience a fresh beginning.

The View Beyond. © V. Fitzpatrick 2011

After a silent retreat I recorded the memories that were left with me...my daily cup and teapot, reflecting and contemplating a world beyond the present and its impact on my own daily life.

(excerpt)

Now even the rocky cliff face is too far from the river.
The River of Love seeks the river without.
I know deep down what needs to be done.
Will I be faithful?

Through the cool of the Eye (of the Needle) I descend,
In search of the river, in search of my heart.

At the bottom of the gully I come to a cave
Formed by water and wind, water long gone on its way down.
Is this close enough to Love? Fear still lives in me.
I see what the water has done,
Worn down the rockface, propelled trees and boulders in its wake.
Sometimes Love can be tumultuous,
Love can be strong,
It can leave its mark.
The water has shown the way down
And feeling the Divine pull anew,
I now see a new path to descend.

As I begin again a new resolve claims me:
‘If it’s what I really want to do, I’ll do it!’
I feel the force of this resolve, it is real
And I embrace it.

Prayers form my descent:
‘I am a man of courage! Help me not to run from myself, from You.’
‘If I really want it, I promise I will do it!’
Help me to see what I really want. No pushing, no willfulness –
Just uncover what might be hidden.’

The going down takes its physical toll,
And all the while I feel the River’s draw.
On I push engaged in a Holy Quest,
A task of faithful endurance,
One of faithfulness to Love and to myself.

I see it emerging from behind the trees: the river.
I come to its bank.
It is smooth, engaging, graceful.
Light reflects off its surface.
I feel the movement of the River within me.
I lay on its bank, far from the bridge, and I wait
Too exhausted to think.

Time passes.
I feel like a kid again.
Down the river people jump from Tower Rock and into the water.
Playfully I entertain the same idea.
I feel like a kid again.

‘I would’ve done it you know’ I say.
‘I would’ve done it if I really, really, really wanted to.’
Love knows and Love revels in my faithfulness.
I feel peace and joy flowing from my gut.

That night I have a dream.
I wake up knowing that another piece of the wall,
The one I place between me and Love,
Has fallen away.
I lie there in the morning light and let this truth soak in.

A.Mc. – D.P. 2010

Sitting in the dark
Desperately alone.
Where is the hope,
The love I crave?

I ran away today
From all –
Curled up in a ball
I hid

Never one to give up
But now –
Too much to bear
Too much all alone.

Today is Pentecost
Day of Spirit
Time to celebrate
But not me!

Can’t raise a smile
Or be happy –
There is too much
Hurt and anger

Tears of frustration
All I can find
To bring to this
The Spirit’s Day.

No more “happy face”
This is me Lord!
Tears flow again –
Do you hear me?

Let me sleep
To silence the demons
For no more strength
To fight.

Yet through the haze
Mid the confusion
Two gifts I see
Being offered to me …

Courage is one –
Courage to stay
And confront the pain
“Courage, be not afraid”.

And the other?
Right Judgement –
The gift of choice
The gift of trust

I sense a new resolve
‘Mid the pain and dark
The courage to remain
The will to move on.

Trish Coleman
30th May 1993