Werrington County is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, 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 50 kilometres (31 mi) 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 Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, and far western sub-regions within Sydney's metropoli ...

region. The suburb is entirely residential with a high proportion of individual separate dwellings. Werrington County is part of the

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

Darug 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 ...

nation and is located in the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council Area

History

Aboriginal culture

Prior to European settlement, what is now Werrington County was home to the Mulgoa people who spoke the

language, as part of the

Nation. They lived a hunter-gatherer 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 ...

. Their homes were bark huts called 'gunyahs'. They hunted kangaroos and emus for meat, and gathered yams, berries and other native plants. Shortly after the arrival of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

in Australia in 1788, an outbreak of smallpox decimated the local indigenous communities and made it easier for settlers to dispossess them of their land.

Post European arrival

In 1806, Werrington County was established as part of a land grant to Mary King, the youngest daughter of Governor

Philip Gidley King Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a British politician who was the third Governor of New South Wales. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detailed to colonise Norfolk Island for defence an ...

. Werrington County was then farm land until the early 1980s when land lots were sold for the residential and commercial buildings in the present day suburb.

Geography

Werrington County is geographically at a higher altitude than most other suburbs in the Penrith area. Werrington Creek runs on the eastern border of the suburb. Werrington Lakes lies on the southwestern corner of the suburb. Werrington_County_Southern_Border

Commercial area

Werrington County is home to a Child Care centre, Werrington County Shopping Village, Caltex and 7- Eleven Petrol stations, The Henry Sports Club, Namatjira Neighbourhood Centre, Tennis, Golf, Squash and other sporting facilities. The suburb is also within a few minutes drive to St Marys Shopping Centre located in

St Marys, New South Wales St Marys is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith. St Marys sits between South Creek which ...

which hosts over 40 retailers including Woolworths and Target.

Demographics

As per the 2016 Census there were 3,645 residents in Werrington County with an average weekly household income of $1,605 compared to the national average of $1,234. 50.2% were males and 49.8% were females. The median age was 36 years. 81.2% of people were born in Australia. The top other countries of birth were England 4.1%, New Zealand 1.4%, Scotland 1.2%, Ireland 0.7% and Philippines 0.6%. The most common ancestries were Australian 32.3%, English 28.2%, Irish 8.4%, Scottish 6.1%, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 4.7% and German 2.5%. The top responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 35.8%, Anglican 27.1%, No Religion 16.0%, Presbyterian and Reformed 3.2% and Uniting Church 2.7%. The majority of people (89.2%) only spoke English at home with the other languages spoken being Spanish 0.8%, Greek 0.6%, Arabic 0.6%, Hindi 0.5% and Italian 0.5%.

Schools

Werrington County Public School is located in John Batman Avenue. The primary school was established in 1982. The school was officially opened in 1993 and enjoys a fine reputation within the Penrith District. The nearest High School is Cambridge Park High School in

Cambridge Park, New South Wales Cambridge Park is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 53 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney ...

Parks and reserves

Werrington lake reserve - 2022 Sydney - 4w

Werrington County has 5 parks covering nearly 29% of the total area which include Shaw Park, Ellison Reserve and Werrington Lakes Flora & Fauna Reserve.

Hospital

The nearest Hospital is

Nepean Hospital Nepean Hospital is a 520-bed teaching hospital and regional trauma centre, providing tertiary referral services for the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. Nepean Hospital is located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Kingswood, New So ...

in Penrith which provides multi-speciality Medical services. Werrington County also has a Medical centre at the Werrington County Shopping Village.

Transport

Werrington County has quick and easy access to Penrith by travelling west on Dunheved Road or along

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 Bathurst, ...

. The suburb is serviced by the

and is also in close proximity to 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 ...

which can be accessed via Kent Road for residents travelling towards the

Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main 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 city centre is often refer ...

. The nearest railway station is

Werrington railway station Werrington railway station is located on the Main Western line, serving the Sydney suburb of Werrington. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western line services. History Werrington station opened on 2 May 1868 as a private platform on the ...

on the T1 Western Line which provides direct train services to the

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis ...

provides 3 bus services around the Werrington County area. * Route 780 travels along Dunheved Road past the Werrington County Shopping Village before travelling to either Penrith or

Mount Druitt Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney reg ...

via Ropes Crossing * Route 782 travels around Greenbank Drive and Henry Lawson Avenue before travelling to either Penrith or St Marys. * Route 785 travels via Cambridge Park to

covering parts of Werrington County.

Governance

At a local government level, Werrington County is part of the north ward of

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, New South Wales, Penrith, located about west of Sydney's Sydney central business district, central business ...

, represented by Ross Fowler (Mayor of Penrith). At the state level, it is part of the

Electoral district of Londonderry Londonderry is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Prue Car of the Labor Party. It includes the suburbs of Berkshire Park, Caddens, Cambridge Park, Castlereag ...

, represented by Labor Party member Prue Car. Federally, it is part of the

Division of Lindsay The Division of Lindsay is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. Ever since Lindsay was first contested at the 1984 Australian federal election, 1984 federal ele ...

, represented by

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Melissa McIntosh. Werrington County is located in the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council Area.

Notes and references

{{Sydney Penrith suburbs Suburbs of Sydney City of Penrith