| Tahmoor New South Wales |
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Tahmoor
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| Population: | 4236 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 2573 | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 90 km (56 mi) South-West of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Wollondilly Shire | ||||||||||||
| Region: | Macarthur | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Wollondilly | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Hume | ||||||||||||
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Tahmoor is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire.
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Tahmoor is in the lands of the Tharawal and Gundungurra peoples.
Originally named Myrtle Creek, it was a farming area on the Great Southern Road, later named the Hume Highway.[2]
When the new Main Southern Railway line opened in 1919, it included a railway station named Tahmoor. This name was contested by a local businessman, who wished to establish a town called Bronzewing Park, but his claim was rejected. The town had recently been named "Tahmoor", a local Aboriginal word for the Common Bronzewing, (Phaps chalcoptera) a native pigeon often seen in the area.[3][4]
The Bargo River passes just south of the town; the Bargo River Crossing on the Great South Road was so notoriously difficult for travellers, causing many delays and accidents,[5][6][n. 1] that it has even passed into Australian folklore, in the form of the song Stringybark and Greenhide[7]
'If you travel on the road, and chance to stick in Bargo,
To avoid a bad capsize, you must unload your cargo;
For to pull a dray about, I do not see the force on,
Take a bit of green hide, and hook another horse on.'
The scrub on the opposite bank was known as the Bargo Brush, and was much feared as the haunt of escaped convicts turned bushranger.[8] In time, increasing numbers of orchardists and dairy farmers needed to send their produce more safely to local railheads. These factors all hastened the construction of a road bridge (1898) and diversion of the Main South Line from further westwards (1919), to pass through this area.[9][10]
Tahmoor has a population of 4,339, including 120 (2.8%) indigenous persons and 3,494 (81.3%) Australian-born persons.[11]
As part of its town and community planning strategies,[12] determined to make Tahmoor-Picton the principal shopping precinct 'hub' and service centre for the Shire.[13] Thus, the present town has three major supermarkets, shopping malls with a variety of small businesses, medical and dental centres, and several fast-food outlets.
Schools include Tahmoor Public School,[14] and Wollondilly Anglican College, an independent school serving students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Secondary students also attend the nearby Picton High School[15] and other schools in the adjacent Campbelltown and Southern Highlands regions.
The Tahmoor Colliery, located to the south in North Bargo, is an important employer in the town and surrounding area, as is Ingham's Enterprises, who operate a poultry processing plant. The supermarkets and small retail businesses also provide considerable employment, especially for part-time and casual staff.
The town is serviced by CityRail's Tahmoor railway station. Bus services are operated by a local coach line.
Tahmoor has sporting fields, a skate and BMX park, a community function centre owned by the Country Women's Association, and a Rural Fire Service. The original location of the Bushfire Brigade (as it was then known) was an old hay shed, which was donated to the brigade. Donations have helped the Brigade to upgrade its facilities to the present standard.
The official soccer team of Tahmoor is the Tahmoor Taipans[16] which compete in the Macarthur District Soccer Football Association League. The team's home ground is Tahmoor Oval.
Tahmoor has Catholic, Uniting, Seventh-day Adventist and Anglican churches. To the south of the town is the Kiah Ridge Conference Centre,[17] operated by the Baptist Church.[18]
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