Mount Pritchard

Mount Pritchard Sydney, New South Wales
Mounties Club
Mount Pritchard
Coordinates	33°53′53″S 150°54′4″E / 33.89806°S 150.90111°E / -33.89806; 150.90111Coordinates: 33°53′53″S 150°54′4″E / 33.89806°S 150.90111°E / -33.89806; 150.90111
Population	9,955 (2016 census)[1]
Established	1896
Postcode(s)	2170
Location	34 km (21 mi) south-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Fairfield
State electorate(s)	Cabramatta
Suburbs around Mount Pritchard: Bonnyrigg Cabramatta West Cabramatta Heckenberg Mount Pritchard Cabramatta Ashcroft Liverpool Liverpool

Mount Pritchard is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 34 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield and is part of the South-western Sydney region.

History

Mount Pritchard was originally home to the Cabrogal people who occupied much of the greater Fairfield area. In the early 19th century, the land was granted to a number of ex-convicts for farming. Later it was made part of the Male Orphan School Estate. In 1913, land west of Cabramatta Creek and Orange Grove Road previously owned by the Bull family was subdivided into smaller residential lots by a real estate property salesman named Hugh Pritchard, who named it the Cabramatta Park Estate.^[2] From 1919, to honour Mr Pritchard's releasing from debt a number of landowners whom he'd financed, the estate was renamed Mount Pritchard.^[3][4] The local electoral polling place followed suit in 1924.^[5] From the early settler days the general area had been known unofficially as Mount Misery, originally because of a story of one of the early settlers and his family camping there whilst travelling, losing their bullocks, and for three weeks remaining in misery until starvation compelled them to beat a retreat, minus bullocks and dray.^[6]

Demographics

At the 2016 Australian census, Mount Pritchard had a population of 9,955. 50.6% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were Vietnam 12.7%, Cambodia 2.5%, New Zealand 2.4%, Iraq 2.2% and Lebanon 2.0%. 36.0% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Vietnamese 19.2%, Arabic 7.6%, Serbian 5.0%, Italian 2.7% and Khmer 2.6%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 25.7%, Buddhism 16.8% and No Religion 13.5%.

The median household income of $1,191 per week was well below the national average of $1,438 while the average mortgage repayment of $1,883 per month was above the national average of $1,755 placing the suburb firmly in mortgage belt territory.^[1]

Transport

Westbus has one bus route servicing Mount Pritchard which is the 808 from Fairfield to Liverpool. Metrolink, on the other hand, has two bus routes servicing Mount Pritchard. The 816 from Greenfield Park (via Meadows Road, Mount Pritchard) to Cabramatta and the 815 from Mount Pritchard to Cabramatta.^[7] The closest train stations are the Cabramatta, Liverpool and Warwick Farm station.

Education

Mount Pritchard has two government primary schools: Mount Pritchard Public^[8] and Mount Pritchard East Public School.^[9] There is also the Les Powell School^[10] for students with severe intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Sport and recreation

The Mounties Club in Meadows Road, Mount Pritchard supports a number of local teams in various sports, including the Mounties rugby league team in the NSW Cup and the Mounties Wanderers in the National Premier Leagues NSW 2.^[11]

Mount Pritchard also has an oval, Mount Pritchard Oval, for the rugby league and football team.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mount Pritchard, New South Wales.