More about John Mystery

John Mystery was an author (his real name was Lester Sinclair) who created over 300 well-loved children's books in the 1930s-1940s. He built a castle in Illawong, which unfortunately does not exist anymore. The castle was known as Adventure Castle, and stood around where Cranbrook Place is today (at the tip of the Illawong peninsula). Apparently kids used to visit the castle via boat. There's still a little bit of evidence of the castle's existence around Cranbrook Place, and apparently, some of the sculptures from the castle's gardens can also be found. Here's a photo of a castle section that can easily be seen from the street. For more information on John Mystery's publications, click here. For more information on John Mystery's connection with Illawong, click here. When John Mystery wasn't writing children's books, he was composer Lester Sinclair, who apparently wrote many songs during the Second World War. For more info on the composer Sinclair, click here.

Some more weblinks about Illawong and photos of Illawong

Beautiful photo of Lugarno Seafood Restaurant (yum by the way, best seafood platters) by Jessie Leong - the restaurant is opposite Illawong and is where the old punt/ferry from Illawong to Lugarno used to travel.
Old photo of Mystery Castle - wow! However....it's not there anymore. More to come on John Mystery who built Mystery/Adventure Castle on the end of the Illawong peninsular.