Castlereagh is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Castlereagh is north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the

City of Penrith The City of Penrith is a local government area in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The seat of the city is located in Penrith, located about west of Sydney's central business district. It occupies part of the traditional lands of the ...

and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.

History

The suburb is one of the most historic sites in Australia's colonial history, being one of the five

Macquarie towns Macquarie Towns or the Five Macquarie Towns is the collective term for the towns of Castlereagh, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor, all located on and around the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. All five towns were esta ...

officially proclaimed on 6 December 1810. Governor Lachlan Macquarie recorded the following in his journal "the Township for the Evan or Nepean District I have named Castlereagh in honor (sic) of Lord

Viscount Castlereagh A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judici ...

", Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1805–1806. He, in turn, was named after Castlereagh in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The official Government and General Order issued from Government House, Sydney was dated 15 December 1810. The earliest known European development was the building of '' Hadley Park'', between what is now Castlereagh Road and the

Nepean River Nepean River (Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region of ...

. Charles Hadley was given a

grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

in 1803, and his house, ''Hadley Park'', was built . It still stands, largely intact. It has been said that it is difficult to overestimate the significance of this building. It was one of the earliest buildings in the colony and is "probably unique in its condition and setting". The property is listed on the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

. ''Nepean Park'', , is also situated on Castlereagh Road, and was built by convict labour for John Single. A notable two-storey farmhouse in the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

style, it was acquired by the Dixon family in 1934. It is listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate and the NSW State Heritage Register. Castlereagh Post Office opened on 1 April 1857 and closed in 1967. After two hundred years, the rich river flats still provide for a thriving agricultural industry along the

. Many of Penrith district's pioneering families had originated from Castlereagh. The suburb's historical importance is reflected in its many surviving farmhouses, outbuildings, churches and cemeteries.

Heritage listings

Castlereagh has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Castlereagh Road: Upper Castlereagh Public School * 14-278 Old Castlereagh Road: Hadley Park

Demographics

According to the 2016 census, there were 1,171 residents in Castlereagh. 78.8% of people were born in Australia and 82.6% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 39.4%, Anglican 21.3% and No Religion 13.7%.

Transport

Castlereagh Road is one of the important transport links in Sydney connecting the Hawkesbury and Penrith regions.

Schools

The area has historic public school buildings, the Upper Castlereagh Public School and residence. Situated on Castlereagh Road, superseding a Wesleyan schoolhouse on the opposite side of the road, this was designed by G. A. Mansfield and constructed by James Evans, 1878-1879. There is also a K-12 parent-controlled Christian school, The Lakes Christian College. There is also a K-6 Principal controlled Primary school, Lower Castlereagh Public School, now known as Castlereagh Public School.

References

External links

Penrith Local Suburb Profiles

The Lakes Christian College
{{Sydney Penrith suburbs Suburbs of Sydney 1810 establishments in Australia