Nobody keeps statistics for these things, but in the 30 years that Eschol Park House was run by the Masina family more than a thousand weddings would have been celebrated at this historic Campbelltown mansion.
Seeing what it looks like now, you might think that’s a fanciful claim.
But the fact is this jewel in Campbelltown’s history that’s been allowed to fall into heart-breaking disrepair in the past few years hosted thousands of us at weddings and other celebrations.
My own family had a wedding there in 2004, and a 60th birthday party in 2013, as well as countless delicious meals in the restaurant at Eschol Park House.
From 1991 to 2019 this gem was owned by a Croatian migrant family, the Masinas: Joe, Maria and the two boys, John and Paul, and they made up a brilliant hospitality team for all occasions.
The other “member’’ of the team was Eschol Park House itself, a beautiful Georgian building dating back to 1816, and magnificent gardens all around the built structures.
Joe and the family were respectful of the building’s historic significance, ensuring any improvements and additions were compatible with the integrity of the original architecture – and various changes over almost 200 years.
By 2019 Joe and Maria were getting a bit long in the tooth and decided to retire and return to the old country, Croatia, to spend the remaining years of their life.
Eschol Park House was sold to hospitality company Navarra Venues Group, and pictured above is what it looked like at the time.
It’s a fact that the Covid years that followed, with harsh restrictions imposed on large gatherings, would not have been kind to the new owners.
But that doesn’t account for the lack of security around the property, which has enabled intruders to vandalise a place Campbelltown Council includes in its heritage register.
Nor does it account for the lack of maintenance of the gardens around the building.
No wonder the community is outraged at both the vandalism of such a historical gem as well as the failure to try to stop it.
Eschol Park is not on the State Heritage Register, but it’s never too late to act on that.
Hopefully some action will happen before it’s too late and there’s nothing to save at Eschol Park House.
