Menangle Park, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Menangle Park34°6′10.58"S 150°44′32.79"E is a village in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Menangle Park is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown. Menangle Park is a largely rural area and is part of the Macarthur
region.
, Menangle Park had a population of just 237 people, who are mostly Australian born and English speaking. The area has a particularly high number of people from the Anglican church (42%), over double the proportion of Anglicans nationwide (19%). The median income of $383 per week is lower than the national average ($466).
and it was they who gave the name, transcribed as Manangle or Manhangle, to a small lagoon on the west bank of the Nepean River
. The river was important to the Tharawal both for its consistent water supply as well as the fish and yabbies that could be caught there.
When British settler Walter Davidson established a farm on the west side of the river in 1805, he named it Manangle after the lagoon. Another early settler Thomas Taber built Menangle House on the east side of the river, indicating the name was being used to describe the district. The Main South railway line came through in 1863 and stations were established on either side of the river but following a north-south line so that the station in what is now known as Menangle Park was initially called North Menangle.
With the establishment of the Menangle Park Racecourse
in 1914, the suburb name became synonymous with the racecourse and only a few years later, the name was officially changed to Menangle Park. In 1920, the land to the east of the station was subdivided into 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) lots to provide land for returned World War I
servicemen. While there has been a push to open the area up for further subdivision since then, this has been resisted by the state government because of concern about the effects such development could have on the water quality of the Nepean.
; it was then used mostly for training. In 2004-2007, the Paceway received a major upgrade, and was reopened for major racing events, with the intention of concentrating all such events there after the closing of Harold Park.
By the western side of the current railway station are the remains of the Menangle Racecourse Junction. This comprised three sidings, and provided a Passenger Platform and a Horse Loading Platform. The platforms can still be seen, and they are considerably longer than the current station platform.
To the north is an older landmark. Glenlee House was built by magistrate William Howe in 1824. It was purchased by the Macarthur Development Board in 1978 who restored it and opened it to the public.
In the village proper on the western side, there are a small General Store, and a Rural Fire Brigade Shed, as well as the Menangle House Tavern, built 1834. The Progress Hall has been destroyed.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Menangle Park is located 56 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown. Menangle Park is a largely rural area and is part of the Macarthur
Macarthur, New South Wales
Macarthur is a region in south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region includes the local government areas of the City of Campbelltown, Camden Council and Wollondilly Shire. It covers an area of 3,067 square kilometres and has a population of close to 240,000 residents...
region.
Demographics
According to the 2006 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Menangle Park had a population of just 237 people, who are mostly Australian born and English speaking. The area has a particularly high number of people from the Anglican church (42%), over double the proportion of Anglicans nationwide (19%). The median income of $383 per week is lower than the national average ($466).
History
Menangle Park was originally home to the Tharawal peopleTharawal people
The Tharawal people were the Aboriginal inhabitants of southern Sydney and the Illawarra region in 1788, when the first European colonists arrived. The Tharawal people lived in the areas from south side of Botany Bay, around Port Hacking to north of the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown...
and it was they who gave the name, transcribed as Manangle or Manhangle, to a small lagoon on the west bank of the Nepean River
Nepean River
The Nepean River is a river in the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia.The headwaters of the Nepean River rise near Robertson, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney and about 15 kilometres from the coast. The river flows north in an unpopulated water catchment area into Nepean Dam, which...
. The river was important to the Tharawal both for its consistent water supply as well as the fish and yabbies that could be caught there.
When British settler Walter Davidson established a farm on the west side of the river in 1805, he named it Manangle after the lagoon. Another early settler Thomas Taber built Menangle House on the east side of the river, indicating the name was being used to describe the district. The Main South railway line came through in 1863 and stations were established on either side of the river but following a north-south line so that the station in what is now known as Menangle Park was initially called North Menangle.
With the establishment of the Menangle Park Racecourse
Menangle Park Paceway
Menangle Park Paceway is a harness racing track operating in Menangle Park, New South Wales, Australia.-History:The Menangle Park Racecourse was opened in 1914 and after the outbreak of World War I, it was requisitioned as an army camp used for the Australian Light Horse...
in 1914, the suburb name became synonymous with the racecourse and only a few years later, the name was officially changed to Menangle Park. In 1920, the land to the east of the station was subdivided into 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) lots to provide land for returned World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
servicemen. While there has been a push to open the area up for further subdivision since then, this has been resisted by the state government because of concern about the effects such development could have on the water quality of the Nepean.
Landmarks
Built in 1914, Menangle Park Paceway gave the suburb its name and is still its major landmark. Designed by local architect Alfred Payten, it lies on the river flats between the railway station and the Nepean River. In 1996, much of the Paceway activity was relocated to the newly upgraded Harold ParkHarold Park Paceway
Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Glebe, New South Wales. It was a half-mile track but was just 739m in circumference until some changes in recent years...
; it was then used mostly for training. In 2004-2007, the Paceway received a major upgrade, and was reopened for major racing events, with the intention of concentrating all such events there after the closing of Harold Park.
By the western side of the current railway station are the remains of the Menangle Racecourse Junction. This comprised three sidings, and provided a Passenger Platform and a Horse Loading Platform. The platforms can still be seen, and they are considerably longer than the current station platform.
To the north is an older landmark. Glenlee House was built by magistrate William Howe in 1824. It was purchased by the Macarthur Development Board in 1978 who restored it and opened it to the public.
Present community
Menangle Park has effectively been divided by the F5 Freeway. On the eastern side of the Freeway, in a locality better known as Gilead, are Broughton Anglican College, established in 1986 in the premises of the former Mount Gilead Christian School, and The Campbelltown Steam and Machinery Museum. A Retirement Resort at Gilead has been planned for some years, but currently is not likely to proceed. All these give their address as 'Menangle Park.In the village proper on the western side, there are a small General Store, and a Rural Fire Brigade Shed, as well as the Menangle House Tavern, built 1834. The Progress Hall has been destroyed.
Further reading
- Higginbotham, E. Glenlee House, Menangle Road, Campbelltown, N.S.W. : site survey of Archaeological remains. Camperdown, N.S.W. : Peter Thorp & Associates, 1985.
- William Howe and Glenlee Aust. Dict. Biog
- Mount Annan and Glenlee