Spring Farm, New South Wales

Spring Farm is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council. It is on the east side of the Nepean River. Until recently, it was mainly farmland with a winery, an electricity substation and the Jacks Gully landfill, but it is currently in the process of suburban redevelopment.

History

The area now known as Spring Farm was probably originally home to the Tharawal people, based in the Illawarra region, although the Western Sydney-based Darug people and the Southern Highlands-based Gandangara people were also known to have inhabited the greater Camden area. Very early relations with British settlers were cordial but as farmers started clearing and fencing the land affecting food resources in the area, clashes between the groups arose until 1816 when a number of indigenous people were massacred and the remainder retreated from direct conflict with the settlers.^[2]

In 1805, wool pioneer John Macarthur, was granted 5,000 acres (20 km²) at Cowpastures. After the land was cleared, it was used for farming for most of the next 200 years until Sydney's suburban sprawl reached the town of Camden and the farmland was subdivided into housing blocks.

Governance

Spring Farm lies in the south ward of Camden Council, currently represented by Debby Dewbery, Eva Campbell and Greg Copeland. The suburb is contained within the federal electorate of Macarthur, represented by Russell Matheson (Liberal), and the state electorate of Camden, currently held by Chris Patterson (Liberal).

References