Wedderburn, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Wedderburn is a suburb
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Wedderburn is located 57 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur
region.
Wedderburn is the only Campbelltown suburb on the right bank of the Georges River
. The steep gorge and heavy bush, gives it a small country town atmosphere, rather than a suburb. The causeway on Wedderburn Road, which provides the main link to Campbelltown, is known to flood during heavy rain, increasing Wedderburn's isolation.
and settlers from European backgrounds didn't come to the area until the 1880s. In clearing the land, they established orchard
s which are still used today. The first Wedderburn Bridge was built in 1892 and a school and post office were established in 1896. Electricity didn't reach Wedderburn until 1952. Increasing environmental awareness has seen Campbelltown Council keen to protect the gorges around Wedderburn and O'Hare's Creek Gorge to the east is set to become a national park
.
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...
. Wedderburn is located 57 kilometres south-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 Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur
Macarthur, New South Wales
Macarthur is a region in south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region includes the local government areas 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 240,000 residents...
region.
Wedderburn is the only Campbelltown suburb on the right bank of the Georges River
Georges River
The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...
. The steep gorge and heavy bush, gives it a small country town atmosphere, rather than a suburb. The causeway on Wedderburn Road, which provides the main link to Campbelltown, is known to flood during heavy rain, increasing Wedderburn's isolation.
History
Wedderburn was originally home to the Tharawal peopleTharawal people
The Tharawal people were the Aboriginal inhabitants of southern Sydney and the Illawarra region in 1788, when the first European colonists arrived. The Tharawal people lived in the areas from south side of Botany Bay, around Port Hacking to north of the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown...
and settlers from European backgrounds didn't come to the area until the 1880s. In clearing the land, they established orchard
Orchard
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 which are still used today. The first Wedderburn Bridge was built in 1892 and a school and post office were established in 1896. Electricity didn't reach Wedderburn until 1952. Increasing environmental awareness has seen Campbelltown Council keen to protect the gorges around Wedderburn and O'Hare's Creek Gorge to the east is set to become a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
.
Notable residents
- Gracius Joseph BroinowskiGracius Joseph BroinowskiGracius Joseph Broinowski was an Australian artist and ornithologist. He was born at the village of Walichnowy in central Poland, the son of a landowner and military officer. He studied languages, classics and art at Munich University...
(1837-1913), a Polish-born artist and ornithologist who published a six-volume book on the birds of Australia.
- David Fairbairn (1949 - ), artist and winner of the Dobell Drawing prize 1999 and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2002.