Leumeah, New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leumeah
Sydney, New South Wales
Population: 8661 (2006)
Established: 1887
Postcode: 2560
Location: 52 km (32 mi) south-west of Sydney
LGA: City of Campbelltown
State District: Campbelltown
Federal Division: Macarthur
Suburbs around Leumeah:
Woodbine Minto Minto Heights
Woodbine Leumeah Kentlyn
Campbelltown Campbelltown Ruse

Leumeah is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Leumeah is located 52 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown. It lies directly north of the suburb of Campbelltown.

Contents

[edit] History

The name Leumeah recognises both early settler John Warby, who called his farm Leumeah, and the Tharawal people who originally inhabited the area. It means "Here I rest" and comes from the Tharawal language. Clans of the Tharawal roamed over a wide area from Botany Bay to the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown. They lived a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle, eating local foods (bush tucker) such as kangaroo, fish, yams and berries. They made primitive tools out of stones, bones and shells to help them build bark shelters, canoes and possum-skin clothing.[1][2]

John Warby was a convict explorer transported to Sydney on the Pitt in February 1792. In 1802, he was given the job of protecting the cattle roaming free in the Cowpastures area, as the area south west of Sydney was then known. He befriended the Tharawals and learnt some of their language. In 1816, he was granted 260 acres (1.1 km²) at what is now Leumeah where he built his house, a barn and stables. The barn still stands as part of the Colonial Motor Inn.[3]

In 1887, a railway station was built in the area. Originally, it was named Holly Lea after the property of a local politician but local opposition swiftly got the name changed to Leumeah. In 1926, a substantial amount of land was released as a sub-division although the Great Depression deferred substantial growth in the area until after World War II. Subdivision continued throughout the 1950s and 1960s and in 1969, the suburb was formally named Leumeah.[4]

The streets of Leumeah are named after famous dams, lakes of NSW, explorers and pioneer farmers. Continuing the theme from the suburb's own naming, Campbelltown Stadium, home of the Wests Tigers rugby league team, was originally called Orana Park after an aboriginal word for "welcome".[5]

[edit] Commercial Area

Leumeah shopping centre has an IGA supermarket, Australia Post and many local shops within walking distance of Leumeah Train Station which is located on O'Sullivan Road.

[edit] Transport

Leumeah railway station is serviced by the South, Cumberland and East Hills lines of the City Rail network.

[edit] Schools

[edit] Population

In the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics census, Leumeah had a population of 8,661 people which could almost be described as a microcosm of Australian society with most key statistics such as plasce of birth, average age and income similar to the national averages. The suburb was more religious than the country as a whole with greater numbers of Roman Catholics (29%), Anglicans (26%) and Muslims (4%) and fewer non-religious people (11%) than the national figures. There were a number of small groups of people from non-English speaking backgrounds including Arabic (3%), Filipino (1%), Hindi (1%), Samoan (1%) and Spanish (1%). Most families were couples with children (46%) although there was a slightly higher than average number of single families (22%).[6]

[edit] Sport

Campbelltown Stadium (formerly known as Orana Park) in Leumeah is one of the three home grounds of the Wests Tigers NRL team.

[edit] Television

Leumeah receives both analogue and digital TV signals from the Sydney TV towers on Sydney's North Shore. Regional TV designated for broadcast for Wollongong can also be received.

[edit] References

  1. ^ History of Leumeah. Campbelltown City Council. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ Liston, C: Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History, Allen & Unwin, 1988: p.1-2.
  3. ^ History of Leumeah. Campbelltown City Council. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  4. ^ History of Leumeah. Campbelltown City Council. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  5. ^ History of Leumeah. Campbelltown City Council. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  6. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). Leumeah (State Suburb). 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Suburbs of the City of Campbelltown · South-western Sydney · Sydney
List of Sydney suburbs
Sydney Opera House This article related to the geography of Sydney is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.