| Rydalmere Sydney, New South Wales |
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The Family Inn, Victoria Road |
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| Population: | 6,458 (2001 census) | ||||||||||||
| Established: | 1856 | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 2116 | ||||||||||||
| Area: | 2.0479 km² (0.8 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 21 km (13 mi) north-west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | City of Parramatta | ||||||||||||
| County: | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Parramatta | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Parramatta | ||||||||||||
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Rydalmere is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rydalmere is approximately 21 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta.
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Rydalmere was named in 1866 by land speculator Thomas O'Neill when he subdivided Hannibal Macarthur's old Vineyard Estate. 'Rydal' comes from Rydal, Cumbria, in the Lake District of England where O'Neill was born, while 'mere' means a lake. The earliest grant in the area was to Phillip Schaeffer who settled in 1791.
The Darug is the clan name for the indigenous people of the area. The Darug fashioned tools and spears for hunting native animals and collected wild berries and flora as a valuable source of vitamins. The Darug had a close relationship with the river, from which they caught fish, eels, and other food. Their stable bark canoes often carried a small fire in the middle — built on a mound of soil to allow them to cook their catch fresh. 'Firebrand farming' was also practised in the region.[1]
Soon after Governor Phillip's arrival with the First Fleet (of convicts from England) in 1788, Parramatta was developed as a farming settlement to feed the new English colony. This led to the immediate and tragic displacement of local Aborigines from the land they had lived off for thousands of years.
Local Aboriginal groups led a resistance against the new settlers. The most prominent warrior was Pemulwuy. Once when he tried to spear a soldier in retaliation, he was shot in the head and body. Despite being held in chains in the hospital where he was sent to recover, he managed to escape. In retaliation, the British ordered that any groups of Darug Aborigines be attacked, and a reward was placed on Pemulwuy's head. In 1802 he was shot and killed, and his head was cut off and sent to England. The conflict continued on and off until 1805 when the first recorded act of reconciliation occurred between Indigenous people and the British settlers.
The introduction of foreign diseases was the most debilitating trend — and many of the Barramatagal clan disappeared in the Small Pox epidemic during early European settlement. However against the odds others survived and their descendants live in the region to this day. In the early 19th century, more positive developments occurred and the region became a meeting place for tribes from surrounding regions. An annual feast was held by Governor Macquarie to encourage Aboriginal people to leave their children at a local school, but this focus later shifted to Blacktown area.[2]
Rydalmere railway station is located on the Carlingford line of the CityRail network. The next station to the south is Camellia and to the north is Dundas.
Rydalmere ferry wharf is on Parramatta River and has services run by the Sydney Ferries network. The next wharf west is at Parramatta and east is Meadowbank. The ferry primarily services tourists on weekends and city workers during the week. RiverCat catamaran type ferries work the Parramatta River route due to shallow waters, particularly during low tides.
There are five Sydney bus routes that service the area— the 520/M52 travels to and from Parramatta Station to City and Circular Quay. The 523 travels via Spurway and Bartlett Streets in Ermington and on to West Ryde. The 524 services the industrial area of Rydalmere stopping along South Street and then on to the south side of Ermington and Melrose Park. The 525 is a Parramatta Station to Burwood service. All routes travel along Victoria Road at some point and stop at Rydalmere Station. In the 2001 census, for people travelling to work using just one method of transportation from Rydalmere, 54% travelled in a car as the driver, 6% took the train, 5% walked, 4% travelled in a car as passenger, 4% took the bus. Commuting to work via ferry, truck, motorbike, bicycle accounted for only 1% each of the Rydalmere population.
Rydalmere currently consists of residential and commercial developments. The western side of Rydalmere is commercial consisting primarily of light manufacturing industry and service industries. The eastern side is mainly residential.
The residential part of Rydalmere is divided by Victoria Road. The northern side has generally higher property prices and less Department of Housing and this is reflected in the more conservative voting pattern.[2]
According to the 2001 census, the population of Rydalmere was 6,458, with 66% Australian born. The Age Statistics were: 0 to 4 = 7%, 5 to 19= 20%, 20 to 39= 32%, 40 to 59= 25%, 60+ = 17%
The eight strongest religious affiliations in the area were in descending order: Catholic, Anglican, Not stated, No religion, Presbyterian, Uniting Church, Baptist Church, and Orthodox Christian. The three most common forms of dwelling were in decreasing order: a separate house; a semi-detached, row or terrace house, or townhouse; a flat, unit or apartment
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