Blacktown, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in the City of Blacktown
City of Blacktown
The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area...
, in Western
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney is a term used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. The University of Western Sydney defines Greater Western Sydney as comprising 14 local government areas...
Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Blacktown is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
and is the administrative centre of the local government area of City of Blacktown
City of Blacktown
The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area...
.
Blacktown is the largest of any suburb or township in New South Wales and is one of the most multicultural places in Sydney.
History
Prior to the arrival of the First FleetFirst Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
in 1788, Blacktown was inhabited by different groups of the Darug people
Darug people
The Darug people are a language group of Indigenous Australians, who are traditional custodians of much of what is modern day Sydney. There is some dispute about the extent of the Darug nation. Some historians believe the coastal Eora people were a separate tribe to the Darug...
including the Warmuli, based around what is now Prospect
Prospect, New South Wales
Prospect is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Prospect is located 32 kilometres 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 region....
, and their neighbours the Gomerigal from the South Creek area and the Wawarawarry from the Eastern Creek
Eastern Creek, New South Wales
Eastern Creek is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Creek is located 35 kilometres 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 region.Eastern Creek is west of the...
area. It is estimated that fifty to ninety percent of the Darug died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and other introduced diseases within a few years of the British arrival. Governor Arthur Phillip
Arthur Phillip
Admiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...
began granting land in the area to white settlers in 1791, a process that was reversed slightly in 1819 when Governor Lachlan Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
granted land to two indigenous men, Colebee and Nurragingy.
A few years later in 1823, the Native Institution (a school for Aboriginal children) was moved from Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
to the site where Richmond Road meets Rooty Hill Road North (this intersection is now in the suburbs of Oakhurst
Oakhurst, New South Wales
Oakhurst is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Oakhurst is located 46 kilometres 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 region....
and Dean Park
Dean Park, New South Wales
Dean Park is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dean Park is located 43 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Western Sydney region....
). Although the institution closed in 1833, the road heading out to it became known as the Black Town Road
Blacktown Road, Sydney
Blacktown Road is a secondary road which links the City of Blacktown to the M4 motorway in Sydney, Australia adjacent to the Great Western Highway....
. In 1860 the Railway Department gave the name of Black Town Road Station to the railway station at the junction of the railway and the Black Town Road, with the name shortening to Blacktown by 1862.
The arrival of the railway led to the formation of a town around the station. A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was opened in 1862 and a school in 1877. In 1906, the Shire of Blacktown was formed and in 1930, electricity was introduced to the town. The population in 1933 was then around 13,000. In the 1950s and 60s, there was a large amount of suburban development both in the current suburb of Blacktown and the new suburbs that sprung up around it. This led to civic development in the town centre with the hospital opening in 1965, the courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
and police station in 1966, the library in 1967 and the TAFE college in 1969. In 1973, the Westpoint shopping centre opened which was soon followed by the cinema complex.
Blacktown is notoriously known as the site of the vicious murder of Anita Cobby. A park in Blacktown is named after her, nearby the site in which she was last seen alive.
Commercial area
The Blacktown Commercial Business District is located close to Blacktown railway station. Westpoint BlacktownWestpoint Blacktown
Westpoint Blacktown is a large shopping centre situated in Blacktown that is owned by QIC. It was recently renovated and expanded, making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Western Sydney. Boasting a contemporary shopping experience, and state of the art facilities, the centre serves as a...
is a major shopping centre
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
and there are a number of small shops, restaurants and hotels in the surrounding area. Westpoint also houses a western suburb television studio of the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. The Blacktown CBD features the following landmarks:
- Blacktown City Council corporate head office
- Blacktown Courthouse
- Max Webber Library - Blacktown City Council's newly completed central library
- Blacktown HospitalBlacktown HospitalBlacktown Hospital is an acute care hospital in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. Together with Mount Druitt Hospital and associated community health centres, it forms Blacktown-Mt Druitt Health, which is a unit within the Sydney West Area Health Service .Blacktown hospital has approximately...
- Patrician Brothers' College BlacktownPatrician Brothers' College BlacktownPatrician Brothers' College, Blacktown is a Roman Catholic, independent secondary, day school for boys, located in Blacktown, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.-History:...
A notable Blacktown retailer in the 1950s was Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy
Frank Lowy, AC is an Australian-Israeli businessman. He is a co-founder of the Westfield Group, operator of over 100 shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Great Britain...
who conducted a delicatessen and small goods shop in Main Street.
Transport
According to the 2006 census, the most common way of getting to work from Blacktown was by carČar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
(74%) with public transport used by just under twenty percent. Most public transport was done by train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
(17%) with five percent catching bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es for all or part of their journey. Blacktown railway station is on the Western Line
Western railway line, Sydney
The Western Line is part of the CityRail metropolitan rail network in Sydney, and is the suburban section of the Main West line which connects Sydney with the west of New South Wales. It connects the Sydney CBD to the employment centre of Parramatta and the outer western suburbs, terminating at Emu...
of the CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
network. A major bus interchange is located next to the station and an underground bus station is at the entrance to Westpoint
Westpoint Blacktown
Westpoint Blacktown is a large shopping centre situated in Blacktown that is owned by QIC. It was recently renovated and expanded, making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Western Sydney. Boasting a contemporary shopping experience, and state of the art facilities, the centre serves as a...
. Blacktown is a terminus of the North-West T-way
North-West T-way
The North-West T-way is a bus rapid transit line in the north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. T-way is short for rapid bus transitway.The T-way consists of two sections, one linking Parramatta railway station and Rouse Hill, the other linking Blacktown and Parklea. The lines intersect at...
.
Busways provides services North (Rouse Hill, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Glenwood and Stanhope Gardens), west (Plumpton, Oakhurst, Quakers Hill, Dean Park, Woodcroft) and south (Prospect, Arndell Park, Huntingwood, Tallawong, Doonside, Blacktown Hospital), whilst Hillsbus provides services east (Macquarie Park, Seven Hills, Parramatta, Kings Langley) of Blacktown.
Schools
There are two Catholic primary schools, St Michaels Primary School and St Patricks Primary School, and two Catholic high schools, Nagle College for girls and Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown
Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown
Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown is a Roman Catholic, independent secondary, day school for boys, located in Blacktown, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.-History:...
for boys. Tyndale Christian School is a private school covering children from kindergarten to year 12.
Sport and recreation
- Blacktown Stadium in Blacktown Olympic parkBlacktown Olympic ParkBlacktown International Sportspark is a multi-sports venue in Doonside, a suburb in western Sydney, Australia. It includes three baseball diamonds, four softball diamonds, an athletics track and a Australian Rules Football/Cricket ground....
- capacity 10,000 - Fairfax Community StadiumFairfax Community StadiumGabbie Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney suburb of Seven Hills, New South Wales, Australia...
(Used by NSWPL team Blacktown City DemonsBlacktown City DemonsBlacktown City FC, formerly The Demons, are an Australian football club based in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. The club was formed in 1953 as Toongabbie Soccer Club and changed their name to Blacktown City in 1979...
) - 7,500 capacity (1,200 seated) - Blacktown Baseball Stadium (Baseball) 5,000 capacity (1,200 seated)
- Blacktown Softball Stadium (Softball) 5,000 capacity (1,100 seated)
- Blacktown Showground (fesitvals and cultural events/activities)
- Francis Park (Rugby League, Soccer and Athletics)
- Blacktown Aquatic Center
- Alpha Park
- Blacktown Olympic Park
Demographics
According to the 2006 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
, Blacktown had a population of 38,914 making it one of the largest suburbs in the country. Most families were couples with children (48%). Most dwelling were freestanding homes (75%). The median family income of $1080 per week was a little lower than average. The median housing loan repayment of $1588 per month was a bit higher than average. The number of people born overseas (40%) was a statistic substantially higher than the national average (22%) with the greatest numbers of people born in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(4.0%), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(3.6%), Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
(2.4%) and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(2.3%).
Notable residents
- Kurtley BealeKurtley BealeKurtley Beale is an Australian representative rugby union player. His primary position is fullback.- Youth :Beale signed to the Waratahs while a 16 year old at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill. Before leaving school Beale captained the Australian Schoolboys and regularly attended training...
, rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player for the Melbourne RebelsMelbourne RebelsThe Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
was born here. - Actress Toni ColletteToni ColletteAntonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
was raised here - Ben CreaghBen CreaghBen Creagh is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the St George Illawarra Dragons of the National Rugby League...
, rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, player for the St. George Illawarra Dragons was born and raised here. - Brett DelaneyBrett DelaneyBrett Delaney is an Australian Rugby League player for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. He previously played for the Parramatta Eels & the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL.-NRL career:...
, rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player for the Gold Coast TitansGold Coast TitansGold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
was born and raised here. - Senator Bob BrownBob BrownRobert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
was raised here. - Danny GaleaDanny GaleaDanny Galea is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League competition.-Biography:...
, lived and went to school here. - Matt GeyerMatt GeyerMatt Geyer is an Australian rugby league footballer for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup. A New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football primarily with the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League competition, winning premierships with them in 1999...
, rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player for the Melbourne StormMelbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, was born here. - Wade Graham, rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player for the Penrith PanthersPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
was born and still lives here. - Mal Granturco, a contestant on the second season of The MoleThe Mole (Australia season 2)The second season of the Australian version of The Mole originally aired from 21 February 2001 to 25 April 2001. It took place in Victoria and was hosted by Grant Bowler.-Show Details:...
, was born here. - Actress Bec HewittBec HewittRebecca June "Bec" Hewitt is an Australian actress and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera Home and Away. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music album in 2002...
(then Bec Cartwright) was raised here. - Michael JenningsMichael Jennings (rugby league)Michael Joseph "Jenko" Jennings is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers of the National Rugby League...
, professional rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Penrith PanthersPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
was born and raised here. - Feleti MateoFeleti MateoFeleti Sosefo Mateo is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition. Mateo plays a variety of positions from centre to five-eighth to second row and is renowned for his versatility and extravagant style of play...
, rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player for Parramatta EelsParramatta EelsThe Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
,was born and raised here. - Joseph Paulo, professional rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for the Penrith PanthersPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
was trained here and went to school nearby. - Emily Scarcella
- Actress Kym ValentineKym ValentineKym Valentine is a Maltese Australian actress best known for her portrayal of Libby Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours.-Early and personal life:...
was raised here - Professional Motorcycle Racer Damian CudlinDamian CudlinDamian Shane Cudlin is a professional motorcycle racer. He competes in the Endurance FIM World Championship and the IDM German Superbike championship...
was born here