Macarthur is a region in the

south-west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

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 Mounta ...

, 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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. The region includes the

local government areas 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, province, division, or territory. The phra ...

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. The region geographically forms the foothills between the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands regions. The region is bounded at the north by Glenfield; at the south by Yanderra; at the east by the town of

Appin Appin ( gd, An Apainn) is a coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded to the west by Loch Linnhe, to the south by Loch Creran, to the east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and to the north by Loch Leven. It lies northeast ...

; and at the west by the hamlet Nattai. Most of the area is taken up by the semi-

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are de ...

Wollondilly Shire; most of the population lives within the

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...

of Campbelltown and its surrounding suburbs. The region is one of the fastest-growing regions in the

metropolitan area, with many new modern suburbs sprouting up in recent decades such as

Glen Alpine Glean Alpine may mean: * Glen Alpine, New South Wales, Australia * Glen Alpine, North Carolina, United States * Glen Alpine, Nova Scotia, Canada * Glen Alpine, Toowoomba Glen Alpine is a heritage-listed villa at 32–36 East Street, Redwood, ...

Macquarie Links :''Macquarie Links is not Macquarie Fields or Macquarie Park''. Macquarie Links is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Links is located south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local gove ...

, Harrington Park, Blair Athol, Mount Annan, Currans Hill, Englorie Park, Picton, Oran Park, Gregory Hills,

Spring Farm Spring Farm is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council. It is on the east side of the Nepean River. Until recently, it was mainly farmland with a winery, an electricity substation ...

and

Catherine Field Catherine Field is a suburb of Sydney and part of the Macarthur Region in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Catherine Field is 43 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Cam ...

Etymology

The region is named after

John Macarthur John MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to: *J. Roderick MacArthur (1920–1984), American businessman * John MacArthur (American pastor) (born 1939), American evangelical minister, televangelist, and author * John Macarthur (priest), 20th-century pr ...

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 The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet-level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). The Secretary was supported by an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Hi ...

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

. 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 The Cataract Dam is a heritage-listed dam in Cataract (formerly Appin), New South Wales, Australia, provides water to the Macarthur and Illawarra regions, the Wollondilly Shire, and metropolitan Sydney. It is one of four dams and weirs in the ca ...

, Cordeaux Dam in Wilton and Avon and Nepean Dams even though located in the Wingecarribee Shire is accessed via road through Wollondilly's

Bargo Bargo is a town in the Macarthur Region, New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. It is approximately 100 km south west of Sydney. It is situated between the township of Tahmoor (north) and the village of Yanderra (south) ...

. The region has thus far recorded two

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

s in history – One occurring in

on March 17, 1999, and one in Picton on March 9, 1973. The Picton one had a damage total of $2.8 million, with some minor damage in

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, about ninety minutes southwest of Sydney. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and Highlands. Bowral once served ...

and

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...

. The earthquakes had a magnitude scale of 4.8 and 5.6, respectively.

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. * Picton where the seat of chambers of the Wollondilly Shire Council is based. Camden Council announced in May 2012 that it will transfer its administrative headquarters to Oran Park.

History

The history of the region begins over 40,000 years ago and is contained in the continuing culture of the Tharawal people. The land still contains reminders of their past lives in rock engravings, cave paintings, axe grinding grooves and shell middens. Their culture also remains in the surviving songs, stories and descendants. The lands of the Tharawal language Nation extended from approximately

Botany Bay Botany Bay ( Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses t ...

and to the foothills of the mountain ranges. The principal symbol of the Tharawal nation is the lyrebird. European history began in 1788 shortly after settlement at

Sydney Cove Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...

, 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 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 ...

and

Georges River The Georges River, also known as Tucoerah River, is an intermediate tide-dominated drowned valley estuary, located to the south and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The river travels for approximately in a north and then easterly ...

. 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 Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...

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 Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, r ...

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

botanic garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

opened in 1988. It is currently the largest botanic gardens in Australia and is administered by the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government ar ...

. It is home to a large collection of native plants, and includes facilities such as picnic areas (with

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...

s), walking trails and a restaurant. *Camden Park Estate, Camden

Camden Park Estate The Camden Park Estate incorporating the Belgenny Farm is a heritage-listed large working historical farm located at Elizabeth Macarthur Avenue, in the south-western Sydney suburb of Camden South in the Camden Council local government area of ...

was the country property of Australian Wool Pioneers

and his wife Elizabeth Macarthur, and became the principal residence of their family after John's death. Centrepiece of the original 2023.5 hectares (5000 acres) granted to Macarthur by the Governor of New South Wales, at the request of Lord Camden, is Camden Park House, designed by

John Verge John Verge (1782–1861) was an English architect, builder, pioneer settler in the Colony of New South Wales, who migrated to Australia and pursued his career there. Verge was one of the earliest and the most important architect of the Greek R ...

in the neo-

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style favoured by the colony's wealthy pastoral 'exclusives', and built between 1832 and 1834; Macarthur himself did not live to see the house completed. Currently, the house remains on 388.5 hectares (960 acres) of the original estate. Macarthur's descendants still reside on the house and property. 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 Commissioner John Thomas Bigge's enquiry into the state of the colony under Governor

. This original '

cottage ornée A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

', which was demolished in the early 1900s and replaced with the current weatherboard structure, was used by the family when visiting the property until the construction of Camden Park House on an adjacent hilltop. John Macarthur himself died in the cottage in 1834, and was buried in the family cemetery immediately to the south. Currently, the farm is home to descendants of sheep that were brought by the Macarthurs and has a functioning vineyard that produces wine as well as orchards. A 2010 archaeological survey and dig to the north of Belgenny may have determined the location of the original 'miserable hut'. *Camden Valley Golf Resort,

Camden Valley Golf Resort, opened in 1964 by architect Prosper Ellis, is a popular 27 hole golf course. 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

Hume Highway Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route f ...

junction off Picton. This Skydiving Centre is the closest self-contained Skydiving Centre near

that does

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

and various other forms of

skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachut ...

. 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

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

in the Wollondilly Shire. It has 18 holes. Moreover, the Golf Clubhouse was built in 1863 by John Macquarie Antill Snr., and is historic to the local area. * Wirrimbirra Sanctuary,

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

Thistle Harris Thistle Yolette Harris (29 July 1902 – 5 July 1990), also known as Thistle Stead, was an Australian botanist, educator, author and conservationist. Biography She was one of three daughters born to Charles Thomas Harris and Illma Richardso ...

who opened the park in the 1960s. Thistle opened reserve as a tribute to her late husband and preserve 'Bargo Brush' plants and animals as Bargo is believed to be the first areas where colonial explorers saw the

lyrebird A lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds that compose the genus ''Menura'', and the family Menuridae. They are most notable for their impressive ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environ ...

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

and

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials that are native to Australia. They are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . All three of the extant species are members of the family Vombatidae. They are ad ...

. 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. *Mushroom Tunnel, Picton Mushroom Tunnel is located just off the Remembrance Driveway (

Old Hume Highway The Old Hume Highway, an urban and rural road, may be described as any part of an earlier route of the Hume Highway, which traverses Victoria and New South Wales between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne in Australia. In some places, the high ...

) heading towards Tahmoor and was built in 1867. 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. 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

and are believed to have high ecosystem-related and environmental scientific value. (''For more information, see Thirlmere Lakes National Park''.)

Campbelltown City

Major attractions of Campbelltown are: * Macarthur Square, Campbelltown 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

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

Big W Big W (stylized as BIG W) is an Australian chain of discount department stores, which was founded in regional New South Wales in 1964. The company is a division of Woolworths Group and as at 2019 operated 176 stores, with around 22,000 employ ...

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

and David Jones. Macarthur Square is located in the suburb of

Ambarvale, New South Wales Ambarvale is a suburb of south-western Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ambarvale is located 55 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is pa ...

, which is about 1 km south of Campbelltown's CBD. It is located adjacent to Macarthur railway station and University of Western Sydney, Macarthur. * 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 Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic ...

collections and temporary exhibitions. The centre also does art workshops and performing arts. The centre is well known for promoting

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

-themed art and Indigenous Australian art. The Japanese Tea Garden is also found within the arts centre. It was a gift from the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese city of

Koshigaya is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 345,353 in 158,022 households and a population density of 5700 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is famous for producing daruma dolls. ...

, the sister city of Campbelltown. * Campbelltown Sports Stadium,

Leumeah Leumeah () is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 52 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown. It is north of the suburb of Campbelltown ...

The Campbelltown Sports Stadium caters for 21,000 and has grandstand seating for 9,000. It is one of the home stadiums for the

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a joint-venture ...

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

Team. Moreover, the team's leagues club is located adjacent to the stadium as well as an athletics centre and large tennis court complex. Campbelltown Sports Stadium is also the home of the region's new

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

club

Macarthur FC Macarthur Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in South Western Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in Australia's premier soccer competition, the A-League, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). On 1 ...

. * 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.

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 Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area adjacent to the south-western fringe of Sydney, parts of which fall into the Macarthur, Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands regions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wollondi ...

, Camden and Campbelltown.
Macarthur Credit Union
– The official local

credit union A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provis ...

bank that caters exclusively for the residents of the

, Camden and Campbelltown.
Macarthur Chronicle
– A

News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,00 ...

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 Vintage FM is a low-powered open narrowcast radio station based in Western Sydney. Vintage FM broadcasts on 88.7 MHz in the Camden and Wollondilly regions. The station plays a mix of music from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. The station ...

– A commercial radio station broadcasting on 88.7 FM. * 2MCR – A community radio station broadcasting on 100.3 FM.

Astronomy

The Campbelltown Rotary Observatory is located at the

University of Western Sydney Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia. The university in its current form was founded in 1989 as a federated network ...

(Campbelltown Campus) and

Macarthur Astronomical Society Macarthur Astronomical Society is an organisation of amateur astronomers, based in the Macarthur Region of outer South Western Sydney, NSW, Australia, including the local government areas of the City of Campbelltown, Camden Council, Wollond ...

holds public lectures at the Macarthur Astronomy Forum and public observing nights at selected locations.

References

Sources

* The State Planning Authority of NSW, 1973, The New Cities of Campbelltown, Camden and Appin: Structure Plan.

External links

Macarthur Tourism official website

Picton Chamber of Commerce
{{Sydney Wollondilly suburbs Regions of Sydney South Western Sydney