Pitt Town is a historic town and suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, in the state of New South Wales

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...

. Pitt Town is located 59 kilometres north-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 Hawkesbury

City of Hawkesbury

The City of Hawkesbury is a Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia, part of which is at the fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, about 50 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district...

.

Pitt Town is one of the five 'Macquarie Towns

Macquarie Towns

Macquarie Towns or the Five Macquarie Towns is the collective term for the towns of Castlereagh, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor, all located on and around the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia....

' established by Governor Macquarie in 1810. It is named after William Pitt the Elder, the 18th Century British Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

.
A site for a village was laid out in 1811 but developed very slowly. By 1841 there were only 36 houses in the town due to its location being too far from the rich river flats and the consequent long daily trek for farmers to their holdings.

Historic buildings and sites

Pitt Town has many heritage buildings in excellent condition.

• The former Maid of Australia Inn, a typical street corner inn located at 87 Bathurst Street, which operated between the 1850s and 1890s. At 104 Bathurst Street are the remnants of the 'Blighton Arms'. The original owner, Henry Fleming, lost his license in 1819 but re-opened in 1830, renaming it the 'Macquarie Arms'. Next door is 'Mulgrave Place, a house built in 1823; the verandah in about 1860, and the north wing in 1913.

• St James's Anglican Church on Bathurst Street was designed by Edmund Blacket
  Edmund Blacket
  Edmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St...
  
  . It was built by Thomas Collison for £1050 in 1857-58. Blacket also designed the 24 pews, pulpit, reading desk and communion rail. The church is in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, which was normal practice for religious buildings, and is listed on the Register of the National Estate
  Register of the National Estate
  The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
  
  .

• Scots Presbyterian Church, a much simpler building than St James, was built and dedicated in 1862. It is in the Gothic Revival style and is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

• At 120 and 126 Bathurst Street there are late nineteenth century weatherboard houses; at 132 Bathurst Street there are very old slab cottages
  Slab Hut
  A Slab Hut is a kind of dwelling or shed made from slabs of split or sawn timber. It was a common form of construction used by settlers in Australia and New Zealand during their nations' Colonial periods.-The Australian Settler:...
  
   and outbuildings.

• Bona Vista is a very impressive building in Johnston Street, built in 1888. It has a long entrance drive with Norfolk Island pines and camphor.

• At the bottom of Bathurst Street, overlooking Pitt Town Bottoms, is The Manse, which in fact belonged to the oldest Presbyterian Church in Australia, situated down the river at Ebenezer
  Ebenezer, New South Wales
  Ebenezer is a historic town in New South Wales, Australia, in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. Ebenezer is located 69 kilometres north-west of Sydney and about 5 kilometres from the larger centre of Wilberforce...
  
  . This illustrates that the early communities were not divided by the Hawkesbury River
  Hawkesbury River
  The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
  
   but united by it. The Manse is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

Population

Its population was 1 579 (including Pitt Town Bottoms

Pitt Town Bottoms, New South Wales

Pitt Town Bottoms is a historic town and suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pitt Town Bottoms is located 58 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury.-History:...

) in the 2001 Census. Pitt Town's population is getting larger due to the Pitt Town Development that started in 2007.

Pitt Town development

Pitt Town is currently getting a housing development that start back in 2007. They are currently doing work around the historic building of Bona Vista, This section of the development is called Vermont. The name Vermont was going to be the town's name.

They are also about to start development around the Hawkesbury River at Pitt Town, this section of the development is called Riverland.

Pop culture

The television drama series A Country Practice

A Country Practice

A Country Practice is an Australian television drama series. One of the longest-running of its kind, produced by James Davern of JNP Productions, it ran on the Seven Network for 1,058 episodes from 18 November 1981 to 22 November 1993. It was produced in ATN-7's production facility at Epping,...

used this village for many external scenes. The heritage house opposite Pitt Town Public School appeared in the opening credits and was used as the home of characters Frank and Shirley Gilroy.

External links