Agriculture · Attachment to place · Belonging · Camden · Churches · Colonialism · Community identity · Cowpastures · Cultural Heritage · Elderslie · Farming · Hawkesbury-Nepean river · Heritage · Horticulture · John Oxley · Landscape · Local History · Local Studies · Pioneers · Place making · Railway · Sense of place · Settler colonialism · Settler Society · St Mark's Church Elderslie · Storytelling · Sydney's rural-urban fringe · Urban development · Urban growth · Urban Planning · urban sprawl · Urbanism · Village

Elderslie, a suburb on Sydney’s fringe

A history of continuity and change Elderslie is a suburb of Camden, the traditional land of the Dharawal people.  It lies on the southern end of the Camden Municipality, 62 km southwest of Sydney, on the rural-urban fringe. Elderslie borders the Nepean River to the west, Narellan Creek to the north, Camden By-Pass to the… Continue reading Elderslie, a suburb on Sydney’s fringe

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2015 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Here's an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,400 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people. Click here to… Continue reading 2015 in review

Attachment to place · Belonging · Business History · Camden · Camden Story · Campbelltown · Campbelltown Story · Community identity · Cultural Heritage · Cultural icon · Heritage · Historical consciousness · Local History · Local newspapers · Local Studies · Macarthur · Macarthur region · Myths · Narellan Story · Newspapers · Picton · Place · Place making · Placemaking · Sense of place · Stereotypes · Stories · Storytelling · Sydney's rural-urban fringe · Tourism · Urban development · Urban growth · Urban history · urban sprawl · Urbanism · Village

Westies, Bogans and Yobbos. What’s in a name?

The article explores regional identity in Sydney's Macarthur district, focusing on the communities of Campbelltown, Camden, and Picton. It discusses the strong local attachment to identity, which is challenged by perceptions of western Sydney as a cultural wasteland. Jeff McGill’s criticism of regional labeling sparked significant community response, revealing a conflict over identification and stereotypes. While Macarthur's regionalism reflects urban expansion, it struggles for acceptance amidst historical, cultural, and emotional ties that residents hold with their distinct localities.

1920s · 1930s · Aesthetics · Architecture · Argyle Street · Belonging · Cafes · Camden · Camden Hospital · Camden Modern · Camden Modernism · Camden Story · Camden Town Centre · Country town · Country town idyll · Cultural Heritage · Heritage · House history · Housing · Housing styles · Interwar · Local History · Local Studies · Modernism · Narellan · Place making · Placemaking · Sense of place · Small town · Storytelling · Urban growth · Urban history

Interwar Camden, the heritage of a country town

During the interwar period, Camden experienced economic growth driven by dairy and coal industries. The town's population grew by over 35%, making it a vital commercial and administrative center. The Hume Highway and railway brought modern influences, leading to developments such as motor industry, cinemas, and the airfield. Camden has maintained its bucolic charm, but has also experienced urbanization pressure. The town centre has many buildings from the interwar period.

Architecture · Cafes · Camden · Community identity · Cultural Heritage · Cultural icon · Entertainment · Food · Heritage · Historical consciousness · Historical Research · History · Holidays · Interwar · Leisure · Local History · Macarthur · Memory · Modernism · Place making · Retailing · Sense of place

Camden Cafes and Milk Bars

Cafes and Milk Bars were a vibrant part of the retail precinct of any country town in Australia

Cobbitty · Heritage · Local History · Narellan · Narellan Military Camp · Second World War

Life, horses and the Army at Narellan in WW2

Narellan Military Camp occupies an important place in Narellan Military Heritage although in the overall picture of the Second World War the Camp was not of great military importance.  In the national story it does not appear in Gavin Long’s Official History of the Second World War and there are very few references to the… Continue reading Life, horses and the Army at Narellan in WW2

Anzac · Attachment to place · Australia · Community identity · Heritage · Historical consciousness · Historical Research · Historical thinking · History · Local History · Myths · Narellan · Narellan Military Camp · Place making · Second World War · Sense of place · Technology · War

The army in camp at Narellan in WW2

The Narellan Military Camp was an important part of the story of wartime Camden during the Second World War.

Anzac · Attachment to place · Australia · Historical consciousness · Historical Research · Historical thinking · History · Local History · Narellan · Narellan Military Camp · Second World War · Sense of place · War

The army arrives at Narellan

The Second World War arrived at Narellan with the establishment of the military camp on Cobbitty Road.

Appin · Colonialism · Governor Macquarie

Was Governor Lachlan Macquarie a terrorist?

In The Guardian Australia online this week there has appeared an article that asks the question: 'Was Governor Lachlan Macquarie a terrorist?' Paul Daley writes: Macquarie is the Australian leader who used terrorism and slaughter to quell hostile Indigenous resistance to invasion and dispossession. The colonial frontier was a violent location and many people suffered… Continue reading Was Governor Lachlan Macquarie a terrorist?

Appin · Campbelltown · Cawdor · Colonial Camden · Cowpastures · Governor Macquarie

Governor Macquarie tours Cow Pastures and Illawarra 1822

Governor Macquarie (SLNSW) Lachlan Macquarie on tour Governor Lachlan Macquarie, accompanied by Mrs Macquarie,  made his final visit to the Cowpastures and the Campbelltown area in January 1822. He inspected the area around Cawdor, Camden Park, Brownlow Hill, and Macquarie Grove. Macquarie also descended into the Illawarra and travelled through the area around Tom Thumb… Continue reading Governor Macquarie tours Cow Pastures and Illawarra 1822