Werrington Downs, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Werrington Downs
city = Sydney
state = NSW


caption =
lga = City of Penrith
postcode = 2747
est = 1976
pop = 3570 (2001)
area = 1.09
propval =
stategov = Londonderry
fedgov = Lindsay
near-nw = Cambridge Gardens
near-n = Llandilo
near-ne = Llandilo
near-w = Cambridge Gardens
near-e = Werrington County
near-sw = Cambridge Park
near-s = Cambridge Park
near-se = Werrington County
dist1 = 52
dir1 = west
location1= Sydney CBD

Werrington Downs is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Werrington Downs is located 52 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.

History

Aboriginal Culture

Prior to European settlement, what is now Werrington Downs was home to the Mulgoa people who spoke the Darug language. They lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle governed by traditional laws, which had their origins in the Dreamtime. Their homes were bark huts called 'gunyahs'. They hunted kangaroos and emus for meat, and gathered yams, berries and other native plants. Shortly after the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia in 1788, an outbreak of smallpox decimated the local indigenous communities and made it easier for settlers to disposses them of their land. [cite web | url= http://www.mananura.com/aboriginal-history-dharugtx.html | title=Dharug Aboriginal History | publisher=Christopher Tobin | accessdate=2007-07-26 ]

European Settlement

The first land grant in the area was made in 1831 to Phillip Parker King, son of the Governor Phillip Gidley King. It became part of the Werrington estate belonging to his sister Mary Lethbridge and was run as a farm until the 1880s when subdivision began. Widespread residential development didn't begin until the 1970s when Landcom began building in the area. The suburb's name was gazetted in 1976. [cite web | url= http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=418 | title=Penrith Local Suburb profiles - Werrington Downs | publisher=Penrith City Council | accessdate=2007-08-13 ]

Transport

Greenbank Drive is the main road within Werrington Downs while Dunheved Road on the suburb's southern boundary provides access to both Penrith CBD to the west and St Marys CBD to the east.

Facilities

The suburb has a neighbourhood centre and a preschool. The suburb is also known for its wide reserve areas which gives a lot of room for recreational activities.

Politics

Werrington Downs is part of the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council Area.

Governance

At a local government level, Werrington Downs is part of the north ward of Penrith City Council, represented by Lexie Cettolin, Kevin Crameri, Ross Fowler, Pat Sheehy (currently mayor of Penrith) and John Thain. At the state level, it is part of the Electoral district of Londonderry, represented by Labor's Allan Shearan. Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay, represented by Labor Party Member David Bradbury.

References

External links

* [http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=969 Penrith Local Suburb Profiles]