Macarthur, New South Wales
Macarthur New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Macarthur is a region in the south-west part of the Greater Sydney area, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region includes the local government areas of the City of Campbelltown, Camden Council, and Wollondilly Shire. It covers an area of 3,067 square kilometres and has a population of close to 310,000 residents.[1] The region geographically forms the foothills between the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands regions.
The region is bounded at the north by
.Most of the area is taken up by the semi-
The region is one of the fastest-growing regions in the
Etymology
The region is named after John Macarthur and Elizabeth Macarthur who were founders and pioneers of the Australian wool industry. Founded on land owned by the Macarthurs and surveyed by Sir Thomas Mitchell, the town of Camden was named for Lord Camden, who, during his brief tenure as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies had secured the initial land grant for John Macarthur who was then in England. The original Macarthur family property covered the three local councils (Camden Council, Campbelltown City Council and Wollondilly Shire) that are within the region.
Geography
The region is generally regarded as the area where the city of Sydney meets rural countryside of regional New South Wales, and is considered to be part of the south west part of the Greater Sydney area. Campbelltown and Camden were once rural towns which formed the nucleus of new urban communities created following the Three Cities Structure Plan 1973.
The Wollondilly Shire which makes up the largest Southern part of the region is a mostly rural region with small scale industry and commerce. Notably, the Wollondilly supplies much of Sydney Metropolitan and surrounding areas with water from Warragamba Dam, Cataract Dam in Appin, Cordeaux Dam in Wilton and Avon and Nepean Dams even though located in the Wingecarribee Shire is accessed via road through Wollondilly's Bargo.
The region has thus far recorded two
Councils
The administrative towns of the Macarthur Region are:
- Campbelltown where the seat of chambers of the Campbelltown City Council is based.
- Oran Park where the seat of chambers of the Camden Council is based.
- Wollondilly Shire Councilis based.
Camden Council announced in May 2012 that it will transfer its administrative headquarters to Oran Park.[5]
History
The history of the region begins over 40,000 years ago and is contained in the continuing culture of the
European history began in 1788 shortly after settlement at Sydney Cove, when the colony's entire herd of cattle (four cows and two bulls) strayed from their enclosure and were lost. In 1795 a greatly enlarged herd of 61 cattle were discovered on the grassy land between the Nepean River and Georges River. This area was promptly named the "Cowpastures" – and was deemed a restricted area to provide ongoing protection for the herd; this restriction was short-lived as the herd, deemed too aggressive to be tamed, was destroyed. The early settlement of the area was described by Lachlan Macquarie in his journals, whose accounts include the description of Elizabeth Macarthur being met in a 'miserable' bark hut, the only accommodation then existing at Camden Park. In 1803, John Macarthur had been granted 5,000 acres (20 km2) at the Cowpastures and began grazing Merino sheep. His sons William and James introduced viticulture and a commercial nursery, and a successful dairy was founded by Emily Stone, James' wife.
The region is steeped in history with statesmen, adventurers, larrikins and villains all having an association with the Macarthur region which makes it a tourist destination.
Local attractions
Major attractions of Camden are:
- Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan, Mount Annan
Mount Annan Botanic Gardens is a 416-acre (1.68 km2)
- Camden Park Estate, Camden
Adjacent to Camden Park, though once within its extent, is Belgenny Farm, which is popularly called the "Birthplace of Australia's Agriculture". Designed by architect Henry Kitchen, Belgenny Cottage was built c1821 and was mentioned in Kitchen's submission to
- Camden Valley Golf Resort, Catherine Field
Camden Valley Golf Resort, opened in 1964 by architect Prosper Ellis, is a popular 27 hole golf course.[6] Facilities include a clubhouse and brasserie.
Wollondilly Shire
Major attractions of Wollondilly are:
- Sydney Skydivers at Picton
Sydney Skydivers is Australia's largest multi-state skydive operator in Australia and operates a Skydiving Centre off the
The Centre is located 55min from the Sydney CBD and operates 7 days a week. The head office of Sydney Skydivers is located at 677 Tower Road Bankstown Airport. Skydiving is only from the centre at Picton.
- Antill Park Country Golf Club, Picton
Antill Park Country Golf Club is the largest
Wirrimbirra Sanctuary is a small 95 hectare reserve and property that is under the authority of the National Trust of Australia that was given by
The sanctuary is open to the public where it promotes Australian environmental and wildlife issues, propagates Australian native plants and showcase native Australian animals. Currently, a dingo sanctuary is being constructed.[9]
- Mushroom Tunnel, Picton
Mushroom Tunnel is located just off the Remembrance Driveway (Old Hume Highway) heading towards Tahmoor and was built in 1867.[10] It is considered one of the earliest pre-Federation railway tunnels in New South Wales. In 1919 the 65-metre-long tunnel fell into disuse when a new railway deviation was built. The tunnel then served as a mushroom farm and ammunition storage facility during the war years.[10] Currently the tunnel is empty although it is popular with ghost-hunters due to many local folk tales claiming that it is haunted. Subsequently, it has been featured by both print and television media.
- NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere
- Thirlmere Lakes National Park, Couridjah
Thirlmere Lakes National Park is part of the Blue Mountains Heritage Area in which the park consists of 5 important freshwaters lakes that are abundant in waterbirds and native reeds. The lakes are among the last undisturbed lakes within the proximity of Sydney and are believed to have high ecosystem-related and environmental scientific value.[11] (For more information, see Thirlmere Lakes National Park.)
Campbelltown City
Major attractions of Campbelltown are:
Macarthur Square is the biggest shopping centre in the Macarthur region and caters for the entire region. It contains over 300 shops and includes the
- Eschol Park House, Eschol Park
- Campbelltown City Arts Centre, Campbelltown
Campbelltown City Arts Centre is one of the largest art galleries and exhibitions centres in the Macarthur Region. It is home to Campbelltown Bicentennial Art Gallery, which contains both permanent contemporary art collections and temporary exhibitions. The centre also does art workshops and performing arts.[13]
The centre is well known for promoting
The Japanese Tea Garden is also found within the arts centre. It was a gift from the Japanese city of Koshigaya, the sister city of Campbelltown.
- Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Leumeah
The Campbelltown Sports Stadium caters for 21,000 and has grandstand seating for 9,000. It is one of the home stadiums for the
- Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown
Campbelltown Catholic Club is the largest club in the Macarthur Region. The club notably owns and has shares in The Cube (Campbelltown Convention Centre), Aquafit Gym and the Rydges Hotel located adjacent to the club.[15]
Organisations and media
- Macarthur Tourism – The official tourism organisation of the Macarthur Region. It looks after the tourism of three 3 councils of the Region; Wollondilly, Camden and Campbelltown.
- Macarthur Credit Union – The official local credit union bank that caters exclusively for the residents of the Wollondilly, Camden and Campbelltown.
- Macarthur Chronicle – A News Limited owned organisation that manage the three local edition newspapers to the specific LGAs that make up the region: Macarthur Chronicle Wollondilly, Macarthur Chronicle Campbelltown and Macarthur Chronicle Camden. The organisation is based in Campbelltown.
- C91.3 – A commercial radio station broadcasting on 91.3 FM.
- Vintage FM – A commercial radio station broadcasting on 88.7 FM.
- 2MCR – A community radio station broadcasting on 100.3 FM.
Astronomy
The
References
- ^ "MACROC - Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils - Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly - About MACROC". Macroc.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ McGookin, Daniel (31 March 2017). "Camden is the fastest growing area in NSW". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "AEES Newsletter" (PDF). aees.org.au. February 2000. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ "Picton, NSW: Earthquake". EMA Disasters Database. Emergency Management Australia. 13 September 2006. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ "Council site raises red flag | Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser". Macarthuradvertiser.com.au. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Camden Valley Golf Resort » Golf". www.camdenvalley.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012.
- ^ "Sydney Skydivers". Sydney Skydivers. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Antill Park Country Golf Club". Antillpark.com.au. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ a b "wirrimbirra Sanctuary". Wirrimbirra.com.au. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Saving For a Better Future". Macarthurtourism.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Thirlmere Lakes National Park | NSW National Parks". Environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Lend Lease - Error404". Macarthursquare.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Campbelltown Arts Centre - Campbelltown City Council". Campbelltown.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "Macarthur | NewsLocal Newspapers Macarthur | Local Community News NSW | Macarthur Chronicle Camden | Macarthur Chronicle Campbelltown | Macarthur Chronicle Wollondilly | Daily Telegraph".
- ^ "Campbelltown Catholic Club". King of Clubs. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
Sources
- The State Planning Authority of NSW, 1973, The New Cities of Campbelltown, Camden and Appin: Structure Plan.