In the 1890s, Camden Municipal Council started beautifying the town area by planting various trees, including peppercorns. These cultural plantings defined the local urban landscape for decades, yet only a handful remain today.
Category: 1920s
The former Foresters’ Hall, a marvellous Edwardian building
In Camden NSW the former Foresters’ Hall occupies one of the most prominent sites in the Town Centre on Oxley Street and Argyle Street at 147 Argyle Street. On its opening in 1908, the hall was considered the best in New South Wales by the Order of Royal Foresters.
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 The former Bank of New South Wales building in the country town of Camden
In central Camden is an empty bank building of understated significance at the intersection of John and Argyle Streets. This building was the premises of Westpac, formerly the Bank of New South Wales, and was the second banking chamber on that site. Constructed in the 1930s by a prominent firm of local builders and designed by one of Sydney’s top award-winning architects. It is a building of much architectural merit, and few know its history.Â
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Waley Convalescent Home at Mowbray Park
In 1919 Mowbray Park, five kilometres west of Picton, was handed over to the Commonwealth Government to be converted to a convalescent home for invalided soldiers from the First World War. The home was called Waley after its philanthropic benefactors.Â
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Ferguson’s Australian Nurseries on the urban fringe
The 20th-century story of Ferguson’s Australian Nurseries is about their location within Sydney’s rural-urban fringe.
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Mileposts captured the distance of the past
The white concrete mileposts in Camden, remnants of the Hume Highway, mark distances to destinations like Sydney and Mittagong. Originating from Roman times, these posts were part of a 1934 initiative to standardize road markers in NSW, aiding both travelers and road maintenance. They reflect Camden's cultural and engineering heritage.
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Sunday sport banned in Camden
Camden has a fine tradition of sport and sporting events back into the 19th century. But one day in 1925 Camden’s civic leaders banned Sunday sport at Onslow Park.
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Traditional trades, the legacy of Camden’s carpenters
Carpentry, vital in Camden for centuries, began with Aboriginal bush carpentry using local materials for survival. European settlers adopted this craft, creating simple structures and relying on ingenuity. Formal carpentry evolved with guilds and apprenticeships, maintaining traditional techniques and tools, shaping Camden's architectural landscape with lasting quality.
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Camden’s heritage inventory
The Camden Heritage Inventory has a list of Camden properties of local and state significant to the district. The formation of the Camden Council Heritage Advisory Committee has assisted the promotion of heritage in the Camden LGA.
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Motherhood and nation-building in the early 20th century
Around the turn of the century a direct link was made between infant welfare, motherhood, patriotism and nationalism. Motherhood and mothering were expressed in terms of patriotism and a national priority. All driven by European exceptionalism.
