The Camden district was historically significant, serving as a social and economic center for over a century. It integrated farming, mining, and community life, shaped by Aboriginal heritage and European settlement. However, modern developments and infrastructural changes led to its decline, transitioning to a regional identity tied to Macarthur area governance and branding.
Category: Urbanism
Narellan Community Mosaic Project: art in the park
The Narellan Community Mosaic Project was commissioned in 2005 by Camden Council with funding from the NSW Department of Planning. This artwork is one of number in Elyard Reserve in Narellan.
Share this:
Share this:
 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
Share this:
Share this:
St Mark’s Church Elderslie, the little church on the hill
St Mark's Church Elderslie tells the story of a small farming community that has disappeared through the mists of time. The history of St Mark’s church is the history of Elderslie, and the church was a special place of community celebrations and commemorations along with family celebrations, traditions, and events. The church has been a gathering place, a sacred site.
Share this:
Share this:
Camden, a Macarthur family venture
The establishment of Camden, New South Wales, the town in 1840, was a private venture of James and William Macarthur, sons of colonial patriarch John Macarthur, at the Nepean River crossing on the northern edge of the family’s pastoral property of Camden Park. The town’s site was enclosed on three sides by a sweeping bend in the Nepean River and has regularly flooded the surrounding farmland and lower parts of the town.
Share this:
Share this:
Oran Park Library: public art celebrates the ghosts of motor racing
The Oran Park library has a number of public artworks that commemorate the former Oran Park motorway that was on the site. These wonderful public art installations celebrate the memories of the  Oran Park Raceway which closed in 2010.
Share this:
Share this:
Making Camden History
Making Camden History tells the story of how the history of the Camden District has been written from the 19th century. It is the history of the history of the local area.
Share this:
Share this:
Ferguson’s Nursery, the post-war years
During the post-war years, Ferguson's Nurseries continued to be located on Sydney’s urban fringe as the metropolitan area expanded into the rural surrounds.
Share this:
Share this:
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.
Share this:
Share this:
Mundane objects tell an interesting story
Utility covers are mundane objects that tell interesting stories about the past in an area. Others consider then to be a form of street art and street aesthetic.
