South Penrith, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
South Penrith is a suburb
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. South Penrith is located 55 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Penrith
and is part of the Greater Western Sydney
region.
South Penrith is bounded by Jamison Road to the north, York Road to the west, the M4 Motorway to the south and the Northern Road to the east. Penrith
is a separate suburb to the north.
lifestyle governed by traditional laws, which had their origins in the Dreamtime
. Their homes were bark huts called 'gunyahs'. They hunted kangaroo
s and emu
s for meat, and gathered yam
s, berries and other native plants.
s, dairy farms and vineyard
s. In the 1970s the area began to be subdivided although the former racecourse wasn't turned into housing becoming instead Jamison Park. The park is named after the Penrith region's most famous early settler, Sir John Jamison
(1776-1844), of Regentville House.
which in turns provides quick connection to greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The nearest railway station is at Penrith
on the Western Line of the Cityrail
network. Westbus provides two bus services in the area with the 791 connecting the majority of South Penrith with Penrith, while Route 793 connects Southlands Shopping Centre and Racecourse Road with Penrith
was 11,562. The median age of people in the suburb was 35, slightly younger than the national average of 37. The majority of houses in the area are detached (94%) and most of them were being paid off (41%) rather than owned outright (35%) or rented (21%). The median income ($520 per week) was slightly higher than the national average ($466).
, represented by Liberal MP
Stuart Ayres
. Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay
, represented by Labor's
David Bradbury
.
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...
of 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...
. South Penrith is located 55 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...
, in the local government area of the City of Penrith
City of Penrith
The City of Penrith is a Local Government Area in Sydney, located about west of Sydney's central business district.- History :The Municipality of Penrith was incorporated on 12 May 1871 under the Municipalities Act 1858. On 3 March 1890, St Marys was separately incorporated, and on 26 July 1893...
and is part of the Greater Western Sydney
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...
region.
South Penrith is bounded by Jamison Road to the north, York Road to the west, the M4 Motorway to the south and the Northern Road to the east. Penrith
Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Penrith is located west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith...
is a separate suburb to the north.
Aboriginal culture
Prior to European settlement, what is now South Penrith was home to the Mulgoa people who spoke the Darug language. They lived a hunter-gathererHunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
lifestyle governed by traditional laws, which had their origins in the Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
. Their homes were bark huts called 'gunyahs'. They hunted kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s and emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s for meat, and gathered yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s, berries and other native plants.
European settlement
Simeon Lord received the first land grant in the area, 1000 acres (4 km²) in 1816. In the latter part of the 19th century, it became known as York's Estate after then landowners Charles and James York. In 1888, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of the estate were purchased by the Penrith and Nepean Jockey Club for a racecourse. The rest of the area was orchardOrchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s, dairy farms and vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s. In the 1970s the area began to be subdivided although the former racecourse wasn't turned into housing becoming instead Jamison Park. The park is named after the Penrith region's most famous early settler, Sir John Jamison
John Jamison
Sir John Jamison was an important Australian physician, pastoralist, banker, politician, constitutional reformer and public figure....
(1776-1844), of Regentville House.
Transport
The Northern Road is the main road in the suburb, connecting with both Penrith and the M4 Western MotorwayM4 Western Motorway
The M4 Western Motorway,, is a motorway in central Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
which in turns provides quick connection to greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The nearest railway station is at Penrith
Penrith railway station, Sydney
Penrith railway station is a railway station on the CityRail network in New South Wales, Australia. Located in the Sydney suburb of Penrith, the station serves as a major interchange between Western line, Blue Mountains line trains. Western-bound CountryLink XPT and Xplorer services also stop here...
on the Western Line 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. Westbus provides two bus services in the area with the 791 connecting the majority of South Penrith with Penrith, while Route 793 connects Southlands Shopping Centre and Racecourse Road with Penrith
Education
There are two primary schools in the area: the government-run York Public School and the Catholic-run Mary Mackillop Primary School. The local high school is the government-run Jamison High School, home of the Jamison Highlanders. Winners of the Panther Trophy 2005.Demographics
The recorded population of South Penrith in 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...
was 11,562. The median age of people in the suburb was 35, slightly younger than the national average of 37. The majority of houses in the area are detached (94%) and most of them were being paid off (41%) rather than owned outright (35%) or rented (21%). The median income ($520 per week) was slightly higher than the national average ($466).
Governance
At a local government level, South Penrith is part of the south ward of Penrith City Council, represented by Jim Aitken, Mark Davies, Karen McKeown, Susan Page and Gary Rumble. The current mayor is Kevin Crameri. At the state level, it is part of the Electoral district of PenrithElectoral district of Penrith
Penrith is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Stuart Ayres of the Liberal Party of Australia since the 2010 by-election...
, represented by Liberal MP
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
Stuart Ayres
Stuart Ayres
Stuart Ayres MP is an Australian politician. He is a Liberal Party of Australia Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 19 June 2010, representing the electorate of Penrith.-Private life:...
. Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay
Division of Lindsay
The Division of Lindsay is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the outer western suburbs of Sydney, and is centred around Penrith. It also includes the suburbs of Castlereagh, Mulgoa and Werrington....
, represented by Labor's
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
David Bradbury
David Bradbury
David John Bradbury is an Australian politician. He is an Australian Labor Party Member of the House of Representatives representing the Division of Lindsay, New South Wales. Bradbury was elected at the 2007 federal election.Bradbury has lived in Western Sydney all his life, and was educated at...
.