Bella Vista Farm is an early part of the Macarthur family pastoral empire and an important site in the history of colonial NSW.
Category: Belonging
Showtime in Camden 2014
The annual festival of farming returns to the Camden Showground at the end of March again. The show has been the most crucial country festival in the district for over 100 years. In 2019 the show attracted over 40,000 visitors and was a huge success.
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Goulburn’s Belmore Park, a space of memories and monuments
In central Goulburn is an urban park with formal paths and gardens that dates back Victorian times. The park has evolved to become a landscape of monuments and memorials.
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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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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.
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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.
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John Hawdon of Elderslie in a settler society
John Hawdon of Elderslie was part of the story of settler colonialism in New South Wales in the early 19th century.
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The seaside holiday
Seaside holidays on the NSW South Coast has been a popular holiday spot for Camden families. This is the story of seaside holidays in the Wollongong area.
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Viewing the Cowpastures landscape
The early colonists of the Sydney area viewed the landscape from a number of different perspectives according to historian Grace Karskins in her book The Colony a History of Early Sydney (2009) and this also applied to the Cowpastures.
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Sydney’s urban fringe: a transition zone of hope and loss
Sydney’s rural-urban fringe is a site of winners and losers. It is a landscape where dreams are fulfilled and memories are lost. The promises of land developers in master-planned suburban utopias meet the hope and expectations of newcomers.
