Mount Druitt, New South Wales

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Mount Druitt is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 40 km west of the City of Sydney city centre. It is serviced by rail and freeway links to the city.

Major George Druitt (1775 - 1842) was granted 2,000 acres (8 km²) in the area by Governor Macquarie. He named his grant Mount Druitt. There are numerous encompassing, smaller suburbs nearby including Bidwill, Blackett, Whalan, Tregear, Willmot,and Emerton. Despite stereotyped beliefs, the majority of housing in the Mount Druitt area is under private ownership or mortage arrangement.^[1]

Its major commercial facility is located on Carlisle Avenue in the form of the single level Westfield Mount Druitt. There is another shopping precinct called Mount Druitt Village, and other services such as a hospital, council-operated swimming pool and library, all located close to the railway station.

The 2001 City of Blacktown Social Plan identified that a high portion of Mount Druitt residents are migrants from non-English speaking nations, and that they tend to work in Blue collar jobs.^[1]

1 Government Services
2 Transport
3 History and Events
4 References

[edit] Government Services

Mount Druitt is serviced by the following agencies:

New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority
New South Wales Police
New South Wales Health - see Mount Druitt Hospital
New South Wales Attorney General's Agency - a AUD 12,000,000 courthouse was opened on 26 April 2006 [1]
Centrelink
TAFE

[edit] Transport

Mount Druitt railway station is located on the Western Line of the CityRail network. It is a busy interchange between bus routes operated by the private Busways and Westbus transport companies, and the CityRail network.

The 2001 City of Blacktown Social Plan noted that Mount Druitt residents are significantly more likely than the average Blacktown resident to not have access to a private car.

Mount Druitt is close by to the M4 and Westlink M7 motorways providing ready access to all areas of the Sydney.

[edit] History and Events

Rail services to Mount Druitt commenced on 19 August 1881. The railway station operated as the post office between 1885 and 1918. Electric train services to Mount Druitt commenced in 1955, at a service presided by then Premier of New South Wales, Joseph Cahill. In 1996, Year 12 students at Mt Druitt High School were deemed by the Daily Telegraph to have failed the HSC. Subsequent to this story being published, The Australian Press Council upheld a number of complaints regarding the article [2], based on there not being a system of awarding pass and fail marks for students undertaking the HSC, and a class action for defamation was won against the publishers .^[2] . As a result of this courtcase the publishers issued a retraction and apology [3]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b WESTIR Ltd (2003). The 2001 City of Blacktown Social Plan (PDF). City of Blacktown. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
^ Lesley Branagan (2005-10-02). Class Act - No Longer Failures (readio transcript (html)). ABC Radio National. Retrieved on 2006-12-04.