Werrington Downs, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Werrington Downs is a suburb
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Werrington Downs is located 52 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.
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. Shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet
in Australia in 1788, an outbreak of smallpox
decimated the local indigenous communities and made it easier for settlers to disposses them of their land.
began building in the area. The suburb's name was gazetted in 1976.
, represented by Labor's
Allan Shearan
. Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay
, represented by Labor Party Member
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...
. Werrington Downs is located 52 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.
Aboriginal culture
Prior to European settlement, what is now Werrington Downs 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. Shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet
First 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 Australia in 1788, an outbreak 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"...
decimated the local indigenous communities and made it easier for settlers to disposses them of their land.
European settlement
The first land grant in the area was made in 1831 to Phillip Parker King, son of the Governor Phillip Gidley King. It became part of the Werrington estate belonging to his sister Mary Lethbridge and was run as a farm until the 1880s when subdivision began. Widespread residential development didn't begin until the 1970s when LandcomLandcom
Landcom, previously known as the Land Commission of New South Wales, is a corporation in Australia owned by the Government of New South Wales under Lloyd Warwick....
began building in the area. The suburb's name was gazetted in 1976.
Transport
Werrington Downs is only serviced by one bus, provided by Westbus. Route 782 provides a link between Penrith and Werrington Railway Stations, with the bus travelling along Trinity Drive and Pasturegate Avenue before heading into Werrington County or Kingswood Park.Facilities
The suburb has a neighbourhood centre and a preschool. The suburb is also known for its wide reserve areas which gives a lot of room for recreational activities.Governance
At a local government level, Werrington Downs is part of the north ward of Penrith City Council, represented by Kevin Crameri (currently mayor of Penrith), Ross Fowler, Ben Goldfinch, Kath Presdee and John Thain. At the state level, it is part of the Electoral district of LondonderryElectoral district of Londonderry
Londonderry is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Bart Bassett of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Londonderry:-Election results:...
, 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...
Allan Shearan
Allan Shearan
Allan Francis Shearan is a former Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Shearan represented Londonderry for the Australian Labor Party from 2003 to 2011.-Notes:...
. 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 Party Member
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...
.