Holsworthy, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Holsworthy
city = Sydney
state = nsw


caption = Holsworthy High School
lga = City Of Liverpool
lga2 = Sutherland Shire
postcode = 2173
pop = 4,400 (2006)
area =
propval =
est = 1835
stategov = Menai
fedgov = Hughes
near-nw = Moorebank
near-n = Wattle Grove
near-ne = Hammondville
near-w = Glenfield
near-e = Menai
near-sw = Macquarie Fields
near-s = Wedderburn
near-se = Heathcote
dist1 = 31
dir1 = south-west
location1= Sydney CBD

Holsworthy is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Holsworthy is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and partly in the Sutherland Shire.

Holsworthy is most notable for a large Australian Army reserve, Holsworthy Barracks, where training exercises are frequently carried out. The reserve is adjacent to Heathcote Road, which connects to Bankstown, Liverpool, Lucas Heights, Engadine and Heathcote. Signs on the perimeter warn potential trespassers of the use of laser guided and conventional gunfire.

The residential area is located north of the railway station. Anzac Village is a locality in the northern part of the suburb and the adjacent suburb of Wattle Grove. A new development called 'Mornington' has been built in the fields between Wattle Grove and Holsworthy railway station. Development stage one has been completed, with stage two under construction. A shopping centre will also be built in this area.

History

The area was named after Holsworthy, Devon, England, where Governor Lachlan Macquarie married Elizabeth Campbell, on 3rd November 1807. It was originally spelt as Holdsworthy until after World War II, when the 'd' was dropped. ["The Book of Sydney Suburbs", Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 123]

Originally the land belonged to the Tharawal people but following the arrival of the First Fleet, indigenous people were pushed back from their traditional lands in the area surrounding Sydney. In 1795, explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders explored the Georges River and in 1798, grants of land for farming were made in the area. The soil was good and crops of corn, wheat and vegetables were soon being harvested. [cite web | url= http://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/LCC/INTERNET/trimDownloadDocument.aspx?number=056395.2007 | title=History of our suburbs: Holsworthy's European Heritage | publisher=Liverpool City Council | accessdate=2007-12-31 ]

However, tensions developed with the Tharawal. In 1801, Governor King ordered soldiers to fire on the aborigines to keep them from settler's properties. By 1815, Governor Macquarie declared a state of open warfare against aborigines in the Georges River area and forbade them carrying weapons within a mile of any British settlement. Ultimately, the British prevailed. [cite web | url= http://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/LCC/INTERNET/trimDownloadDocument.aspx?number=056397.2007 | title=History of our suburbs: Holsworthy's Aboriginal Heritage | publisher=Liverpool City Council | accessdate=2007-12-31 ]

A settlement named Eckersley was established in 1835 on what is now military land. By the 1880s a number of vineyards were established in the area. The land was acquired by the army in 1913. The modern village of Holsworthy evolved after World War II to the north, with the barracks to the south. The streets are named with a military theme, such as Tarakan, Bardia, Wewak, Lae, Brunei, Finschhafen, Madang, Gona, Anzac, Light Horse, Infantry, Cavalry, Sabre, Gunners Row and Trooper Row. In Anzac Village, Australian Generals are remembered with Birdwood, Monash, Bridges and Blamey.

The Holsworthy bushland retains many indigenous sites and has been referred to as "Sydney's Kakadu". There are more than 500 significant Tharawal sites in the area including campsites, tool making sites and rock art. The art is mostly engravings of hands, boomerangs, animals, birds and fish. [cite web | url= http://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/LCC/INTERNET/trimDownloadDocument.aspx?number=056397.2007 | title=History of our suburbs: Holsworthy's Aboriginal Heritage | publisher=Liverpool City Council | accessdate=2007-12-31 ]

Population

According to the 2006 census undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Holsworthy had a population of 4361. There were a high number of families with children (65%) and the average age of Holsworthy residents (27) was ten years younger than the national average. Not surprisingly, defence was the major industry of employment, covering 21% of the suburb's residents. The average family income ($1522 per week) was substantially higher than the national average ($1171). The majority of residents were Australian-born (74.1%), with the highest proportion of residents born overseas from India 4.7%, Philippines 2.8%, New Zealand 2.2%, England 1.9% and Fiji 1.9%. Census 2006 AUS|id=SSC11473|name=Holsworthy (State Suburb)|accessdate=2007-12-31|quick=on]

Transport

*Holsworthy railway station is on the City Rail East Hills line. The railway station was opened in 1987 when the East Hills line was extended to Glenfield and Campbelltown.

Pop culture

* The Black Balloon, a movie starring Toni Collette, Gemma Ward, Erik Thomson and Luke Ford was filmed in Holsworthy.

References

External links