Windsor, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Windsor is a town 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...

. Windsor is located in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury
City of Hawkesbury
The City of Hawkesbury is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia, part of which is at the fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, about 50 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district...

. It sits on the Hawkesbury River
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...

, on the north-western outskirts of the 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...

 metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...

. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Windsor had a population of 1,670.

History

Windsor is the third-oldest place of British settlement on the Australian continent. Settlement at the location was first established about 1791, near the head of navigation on the Hawkesbury River (known as Deerubbin in Dharuk) and taking advantage of the fertile river flats for agriculture. The area was originally called Green Hills, but renamed Windsor (after Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....

 in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

). The town was officially proclaimed in a Government and General Order issued from Government House, Sydney
Government House, Sydney
Government House is located in Sydney, Australia alongside the Royal Botanic Gardens, overlooking Sydney Harbour, just south of the Sydney Opera House...

, dated 15 December 1810, 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...

 having "marked out the district of Green Hills", which he "... called Windsor", after Windsor-on-the-Thames.

While in Windsor, Macquarie ordered the main institutions of organised settlement to be erected, such as a church, school-house, gaol and "commodious inn" (The Macquarie Arms). Of these new buildings, the most outstanding was Francis Greenway
Francis Greenway
-References:* *...

's Saint Matthew's Anglican Church, for which Macquarie himself chose the site. Samuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden was an English born Anglican cleric and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand...

, principal chaplain of the colony, consecrated the church on December 8, 1822.

In 1813 a report was given to Governor Macquarie from Earl Bathurst detailing a proposed invasion of the Hawkesbury River by France. This planned invasion that did not eventuate, targeted the Windsor granary in order to cut off supply to Sydney, showing the relative importance of this new settlement on a global scale.

Windsor is approximately 60 kilometres north-west 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...

, and the location was chosen because of the agricultural potential of the area and the location was accessible by coastal shipping from Sydney. It was known as the "bread basket", ensuring the survival of the starving colony. The extensive agriculture caused major silting in the Hawkesbury River, by the 1890s the river had become so blocked with silt, ships could not travel up to Windsor from the coast. By then the railway, in 1864, and the road, in 1814, had been built.

On January 1, 1803 Daniel Egan
Daniel Egan
Daniel Egan was an Australian politician. Egan served as Mayor of Sydney in 1853 and was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....

 was born in Windsor. He went on to become Mayor of Sydney in 1853. Many of the oldest surviving European buildings in 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...

 are located at Windsor.

Heritage

The following buildings are listed on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...

.
  • St Matthew's Anglican Church, Cemetery and Rectory, 1817–20
  • Toll House, Bridge Street, circa 1835
  • Claremont Cottage, Claremont Crescent, circa 1822
  • Court House, Court Street, 1821
  • Fairfield House, Fairfield Avenue, circa 1831
  • Sunnybrae, Kable Street, 1875
  • Cope House Group, George Street, circa 1835-1880
  • George Street Inn Group, George Street, circa 1830-41
  • Public School, George and Dight Streets, 1869
  • Loder House, George Street, 1834
  • Johnston Street Group, 21-27 Johnston Street, circa 1840
  • Former Bell Inn, Little Church Street, circa 1841
  • Two Terraced Houses, 2-4 Catherine Street, circa 1840
  • Two Terraced Houses, 5-7 Catherine Street, circa 1840
  • Two Terraced Houses, 1-3 Little Church Street, circa 1840
  • Tebbutt's Observatory and House, Palmer Street, 1844–79
  • Group of Houses, 23-39 North Street, 28 North Street, circa 1840-75
  • Thompson Square Precinct and Bridge Street Buildings, including Hawkesbury Museum, circa 1830-61
  • Macquarie Arms Hotel, Thompson Square, built 1815
  • Crescentville, 80 The Terrace, 1851
  • The Doctors House, 1-3 Thompson Square, 1830

Geography

Floods are a major concern in Windsor. Its proximity to the Hawkesbury River has resulted in numerous disastrous floods. A horseshoe on the outside wall of the Macquarie Arms pub marks the level the flood peaked at in 1867, when beaches along the Hawkesbury to Barrenjoey were littered with the debris from the town.

Transport

The spread of the suburbs of metropolitan Sydney has almost reached Windsor, and the town is now regarded as an outer suburb, though still retaining its appeal as a small country town. Windsor railway station
Windsor railway station, Sydney
-Transport links:Westbus:*608 - to Castle Hill*668 - to Glossodia*669 - to Sackville*673 - to Penrith.*674 - to Berkshire Park*675 - to Bligh Park*676 - to South WindsorThere are many other bus routes....

 (opened 1 December 1864), is on the Richmond branch of 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.

Media

The studios of local community radio station Hawkesbury Radio
Hawkesbury Radio
Hawkesbury Radio is a fully licensed community radio station. Its primary purpose is to serve the residents of the City of Hawkesbury. Hawkesbury Radio broadcasts on the frequency 89.9 FM. The station is staffed by volunteers and broadcasts live non-stop...

 are located in Windsor. Windsor was also the outdoor filming location for the television series A Country Practice
A Country Practice
A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...

.

See also

  • Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre
    Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre
    Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre is an Australian women's prison located in Berkshire Park, New South Wales, Australia.Dillwynia Women's Correctional Centre is not maximum security jail however some inmates have been found guilty of serious crimes, including murder. Prisoners wear green...

  • John Morony Correctional Centre
    John Morony Correctional Centre
    John Morony Correctional Centre is an Australian male prison located in Berkshire Park, New South Wales, Australia.The John Morony Correctional Complex is located 5 km south of Windsor,...

  • Windsor Wolves
    Windsor Wolves
    The Windsor Wolves are a Rugby league team based in the town of Windsor, NSW. The club fields both junior and senior teams in the Penrith district competitions and, since 2003, the semi-professional NSWRL Jim Beam Cup competition in NSW, Australia...

  • Richmond, New South Wales
    Richmond, New South Wales
    Richmond is a town in New South Wales, north-west of Sydney, in the Local Government Area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located at a latitude of 33° 35' 54" South and a longitude of 150°45' 04" east, 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue...


External links

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