Iandra Castle – A Castle To Visit In The NSW Central West

A real castle in the NSW Central West district that you can visit? Yes! Iandra Castle is a real castle (or it seems so to us) that’s located at Greenethorpe between Young and Cowra/Grenfell. We went for drive to have a look.

Amanda had been wanting to visit Iandra Castle for a couple of years ever since we saw a sign to it while out on the backroads around Young looking at some prospective free camping sites. We saw the sign pointing to Iandra Castle and figured hell yeah we’ve got to have a look at that! So we followed a few more signs and then we saw it in the distance – a massive castle. There’s really nothing else you could call it. We had a look at it from the road and wondered if you go inside for a look.

When we got home we looked it up and found out that they have open days throughout the year. It’s taken us a while to line up a free day on a weekend with an Iandra Castle open day but eventually things lined up so we bought our tickets. They were only $20 each.

On Sunday the 17th of March 2024 we headed out. It’s only an hours drive from our home in Cootamundra via some country back roads. Really a very nice drive. When we got there we were surprised to see just how many people were there. I counted 120+ cars in the parking area (there’s loads of parking available).

Out The Front Of Iandra Castle

The castle itself was enormous. We lost count of how many rooms there were. It’s fully furnished with items back in the day. The level of craftsmanship that has gone into the castle’s creation is fantastic. There’s wood panelling everywhere, the trim and mouldings around the doors are incredible. The bay windows are absolute works of art. A lot of the stonework is carved from locally quarried granite. I’m no expert on architecture but I know when I’m looking at something extraordinary and that’s what I was looking at.

We spent a couple of hours looking through the main house as well as the stables. we could have spent more time but we had to get back to Young to do a few things on our way home. I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area when an open day is on.

Looking At Iandra Castle Through The Entry Archway To The Stables

About Iandra Castle

Located just south of Greenethorpe within the Weddin Shire Iandra Castle is a large heritage listed castle. As arguably Australia’s largest and most innovative wheat farming enterprise from 1878-1911, the Iandra Homestead Pastoral Estate of 32,000 acres was originally established by George Henry Greene on 32,000 acres. In 1893, its owner, George Henry Greene, pioneered share-farming at Iandra, revolutionizing wheat growing in Australia.

You can tour the castle by appointment or by tour, however you can see glimpses of it from the road.

A complete feudal estate closely modelled on the English Manor system was established at Iandra in Australia, making it one of the rare examples of the type to be established in the country. The entire estate was constructed for the Iandra homestead owner, centred on the homestead and wheat production, including the adjacent Greenethorpe village that Greene built for his tenants during the Federation period. It consists of the magnificent Federation homestead, park-like gardens, original workers cottages, manager residence, blacksmith, chapel, cemetery, wool and hay sheds, silos, other outbuildings, associated buildings, and farmland surrounding the estate, which has reduced in size to approximately 3,000 acres (1215 ha).

Incredible Craftsmanship In This Bay Window

Iandra Castle Restoration

Listed on the NSW Heritage Database, Iandra is currently privately owned. Since its listing in 2004, only proceeds from the Open Days and other events have been used to fund the restoration. It has not received a grant from Heritage grants since its listing.

The late David and Margaret Morris bought Mt Oriel homestead in 1975. The majority of the restoration work that has been carried out can be attributed directly to them.

Dining Room Fit For A King

Getting To Iandra Castle

You can find Iandra Castle 11km south of Greenethorpe on Iandra Road. It’s roughly in the centre of a triangle formed by the towns of Grenfell, Cowra and Young in Central West NSW.