Emu Plains, New South Wales
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Emu Plains 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 ...
. It is 58 kilometres west of the
Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...
, in the
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
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. Emu Plains is on the western side of 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 ...
, located at the foot of the Blue Mountains.


History


Aboriginal culture

Prior to European settlement, what is now Emu Plains was on the border of the Western Sydney-based
Darug people The Dharug or Darug people, formerly known as the Broken Bay tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people, who share strong ties of kinship and, in pre-colonial times, lived as skilled hunters in family groups or clans, scattered throughout much ...
and the Southern Highlands-based
Gandangara people The Gundungurra people, also spelt Gundungara, Gandangarra, Gandangara and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn, Wollondilly Shir ...
, whose land extended into the Blue Mountains. The local Darug people were known as the Mulgoa who lived a
hunter-gatherer A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fungi, ...
lifestyle governed by traditional laws, which had their origins in the
Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology, Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Ja ...
. They lived in huts made of bark called 'gunyahs', hunted
kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...
s and
emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...
s for meat, and gathered yams, berries and other native plants.


European settlement

The first British explorers to visit the area surveyed Emu Plains in August 1790 led by
Watkin Tench Lieutenant General Watkin Tench (6 October 1758 – 7 May 1833) was a British marine officer who is best known for publishing two books describing his experiences in the First Fleet, which established the first European settlement in Australia in ...
, and named it Emu Island after emus they sighted on the land and in the mistaken belief that the land was actually on an island in 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 ...
. It was first referred to by its current name by Governor
Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie se ...
on 15 April 1814, when he toured the island also realising that it was not an island but a plain that occasionally flooded giving the appearance of an island. When William Cox started building his road over the Blue Mountains from there, The Cox's Road started work at Emu Plains on 18 July 1814. A government farm with convict labour was established in 1813 with 1,326 convicts working on growing local agriculture. It closed in 1833 and the land was Gazetted and sold to establish the village of Emu Plains. ''Emu Ferry'' Post Office opened on 1 April 1863 and was renamed ''Emu Plains'' in 1882. The removal of river-stones from the Nepean River for concrete and road-base was begun by the Emu and Prospect Gravel and Road Metal Company in the 1880s. A railway siding, which was to be ultimately expanded into a short branch, was first laid in from the Main Western Line at Emu Plains in 1884. Railway operations, which included their own locomotives, continued until 1967, after when only a siding, shunted by Government trains, remained. All railway operations ceased in 1993. Emu Plains has a number of landmark buildings: * The railway station is a notable building of brick and sandstone, with Tudor chimneys, built in 1883. It is unusual for railway stations because it has two storeys; it has a Local Government Heritage Listing.State Heritage Website:Retrieved 26 November 2009
/ref> *
Emu Hall Emu Hall is a historic house in the Sydney suburb of Emu Plains in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater We ...
is a substantial home by the Nepean River. It was built in 1851 by Toby Ryan (1818–1899), who occupied the house until 1875. The house has a Local Government Heritage Listing. * St Paul's Anglican Church was built in 1848 and has a cemetery. * The former Arms of Australia Inn was built in 1833 to service the roads through the area. It has been restored by the Nepean District Historical Society with government funding and is used as a historical museum. It has a Local Government Heritage Listing. * At the corner of Russell Street and the Great Western Highway is the original Emu Plains post office, a sandstone Gothic cottage.


Commercial area

The main commercial centre is Lennox Village (formerly Centro Lennox), named after
David Lennox David Lennox (1788 – 12 November 1873) was a Scottish-Australian bridge builder and master stonemason born in Ayr, Scotland. Personal details Trained as a stonemason, Lennox worked on Telford's Menai Suspension Bridge at Anglesey in Wales ...
.The shopping centre features
Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...
and Woolworths. There is a concrete plant located in town in the industrial area, this plant is owned and operated by
Holcim Holcim is a Swiss-based global building materials and aggregates flagship division of the Holcim Group. The original company was merged on 10 July 2015 with Lafarge to form LafargeHolcim as the new company and renamed to Holcim Group in 202 ...
Australia, the plant was formerly owned by PF Concrete and currently services the western suburbs region including Penrith six days a week.


Transport

Emu Plains railway station Emu Plains railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western line in the western Sydney suburb of Emu Plains in the City of Penrith local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New ...
is situated on the T1 (
North Shore & Western Line The North Shore & Western Line (numbered T1, coloured orange) is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves the North Shore, parts of the Inner West and Western Suburbs. It was previousl ...
) of the
Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban- suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...
network. It is the last station on the suburban line with
Lapstone Lapstone is a township on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. Elevation 160 m (525 ft). Lapstone is located 62 kilometres west of the Sydney CBD in the local government area of the City of Blu ...
, the next station to the west, considered part of the Intercity network. While a long distance from Sydney city, there are many express services from Emu Plains to the city. Emu Plains is also serviced by
Blue Mountains Transit
Emu Plains can easily be accessed from Penrith via the
Great Western Highway Great Western Highway (also known as Broadway from to , Parramatta Road from Chippendale to , and Church Street through Parramatta) is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurs ...
. Access from further east is best obtained by the
M4 Western Motorway The M4 Motorway is a dual carriageway partially tolled motorway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is designated as the M4 route. The M4 designation is part of the wider A4 and M4 route designation, the M4 runs parallel/below grou ...
. If travelling east from the Blue Mountains, access is best obtained by the Great Western Highway.


Education

The local government primary school is Emu Plains Public School and the high school is
Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School The Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School (formerly Nepean High School) is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school with speciality in performing arts, located in Emu Plains, a suburb in wes ...
. There is also a Catholic primary school, Our Lady of the Way, and high school, Penola Catholic College.


Cultural attractions

Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest is an art gallery established at the former property of artists Gerald and
Margo Lewers Margo Lewers (19081978) was an Australian interdisciplinary abstract artist who worked across the media of painting, sculpture, tapestry, ceramics and the domestic arts. She was renowned for a number of major public commissions and for her lan ...
. It is at 86 River Road Emu Plains. The property was bought by the Lewers in the 1940s and in 1950 it became their permanent home and studio. Gerald died in 1962 and Margo continued to live and work there until her death in 1978. In 1980 the Lewers' daughters donated the site, buildings, gardens and a substantial collection of art to Penrith City Council. The Gallery was opened in August 1981 by the New South Wales Premier,
Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman ...
. Every year tens of thousands of visitors inspect the gallery's exhibitions and use the gardens and café.


Heritage listings

Emu Plains has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Main Western railway:
Emu Plains railway station Emu Plains railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western line in the western Sydney suburb of Emu Plains in the City of Penrith local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New ...
* Arms of Australia Inn (1826) * St Paul's Anglican Church (1848) * Police Cottage (1908)


Churches


Anglican

The Parish of St Paul's Emu Plains was formed and the Church School licensed on 8 November 1848. The first resident rector was appointed in 1856 and the church building consecrated on 16 August 1872. The chancel was added to the original building about 1887. The original rectory and most of the church records were lost on 4 January 1929 in a bushfire. At the time of the centenary of the church in 1948, the parish was responsible also for branch churches Christ Church Castlereagh and St Thomas' Cranebrook, and later also included St David's Llandilo. In more recent times these branch churches have become linked with the parish of Cambridge Park, and Emu Plains has become a single-church parish. Apart from the original church building, the property currently consists of the Parish Centre (with hall, offices, resource centre, kitchen) built in 1991, two timber two-room Classrooms, a staff residence built in 1969 and a second worker's home located in Beach Street. They have a traditional Anglican service at 8am followed at 9.30am with a contemporary service for all ages that is particularly popular with younger families. Then at night they have a 6:30 Church is a casual and contemporary meeting popular with young and old, students and workers, singles and families.


Catholic

Our Lady of the Way is a part of the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta in Western Sydney. Rev Robert Anderson served between 2004 and 2014. As of 2015 and onwards, Rev Mick O'Callaghan is the current priest however has not been confirmed due to the absence of a Bishop in the diocese. They have mass at 8am & 9.30am every Sunday
church website


Baptist

* Emu Plains Community Baptist Church has been ministering to the people of Emu Plains and the surrounding suburbs since August 2001. The first minister was Rev. John Giles, who came out of retirement to serve the new and growing church in a part-time capacity. By 2004, the church had grown to the extent that they were able to call its first full-time Pastor. Rev. Steve Turnbull commenced his ministry with Emu Plains Community Baptist Church in February of that year and concluded at the end of October 2010. The services were initially held in the Emu Plains Community Centre, which served the congregation well until the growing numbers meant that the space was no longer sufficient. On 23 October 2005, the services were moved just down the road to Melrose Hall which meets at 9.35am on Sundays


Population


Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 8,421 residents in Emu Plains. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.6% of the population. 79.8% of residents were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 5.1%, New Zealand 1.4%, Scotland 0.7%, Netherlands 0.6% and Philippines 0.5%. The top responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 29.1%, Anglican 23.4% and No Religion 21.0%. The top ancestries were Australian 29.1%, English 28.8%, Irish 10.2%, Scottish 6.9% and German 2.4%. 87.3% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Greek 0.9%, Arabic 0.5%, Croatian 0.4%, Macedonian 0.3% and Italian 0.3%.


Notable residents

* Edwin Evans (1849–1921), Australian cricketer * William Carter (1902–1952), Australian silent film actor, lived a
Westbank House
a substantial estate and orchard now subdivided and facing Nepean Street
Sir Francis Forbes
(1784–1841), chief justice of New South Wales, who built the house Edinglassie at Emu Plains
Gerald Lewers
(1905–1962) an
Margo Lewers
(1908–1978), artists who donated their house as the Penrith Regional Art Gallery * Toby Ryan (1818–1899), early landholder, sportsman and politician


Governance

Until 1963, Emu Plains was part of
Blue Mountains City Council The City of Blue Mountains is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains range west of Sydney. The Mayor of Blue Mountains City Council is coun ...
but was then transferred to
Penrith City Council 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 ...
, where it is currently split between the North and South Wards. At the state level, it is part of the
Electoral district of Penrith Penrith is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales since 1973. It has been represented by Stuart Ayres of the Liberal Party since the 2010 by-election. It was a safe seat for most of its ...
, represented by
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
Stuart Ayres. Federally, it is part of the
Division of Lindsay The Division of Lindsay is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Ever since Lindsay was first contested at the 1984 federal election the seat had always elected a member of the government of the day − a pattern ...
, represented by
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
Melissa McIntosh. Electorate Lindsay
Federal Election 2019


See also

* Emu Plains Correctional Centre * Emu Plains JRLFC *


References

* Emu Plains and Thereabouts, Joan Steege, 1980


External links


Penrith Local Suburb Profiles


{{authority control Towns in New South Wales