Jamisontown, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Jamisontown
city = Sydney
state = NSW


caption =
lga = City of Penrith
postcode = 2750
est =
pop = 4800 (2006)
area = 8.14
propval =
stategov = Penrith
fedgov = Lindsay
near-nw = Emu Plains
near-n = Penrith
near-ne = Penrith
near-w = Emu Plains
near-e = South Penrith
near-sw = Leonay
near-s = Regentville
near-se = Glenmore Park
dist1 = 56
dir1 = west
location1= Sydney

Jamisontown is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Jamisontown is located 56 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. It is located on the eastern side of the Nepean River, just south of Penrith.

History

Aboriginal Culture

Prior to European settlement, what is now Jamisontown was home to the Mulgoa people who spoke the Darug language. They lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle governed by traditional laws, which had their origins in the Dreamtime. Their homes were bark huts called 'gunyahs'. They hunted kangaroos and emus for meat, and gathered yams, berries and other native plants. [cite web | url= http://www.mananura.com/aboriginal-history-dharugtx.html | title=Dharug Aboriginal History | publisher=Christopher Tobin | accessdate=2007-07-26 ]

European Settlement

In 1805, the colony's surgeon-general (and First Fleet settler), Thomas Jamison (1753-1811), was granted convert|1000|acre|km2 on the banks of the Nepean River, to the south of what is now Jamison Road. Later, the property passed to his son, Sir John Jamison (1776-1844), Kt, MD, MLC - a celebrated physician, land owner and political reformer, who erected the nearby Regentville mansion (since destroyed by fire) in the 1820s.

The land at Jamisontown stayed rural for the next 150 years or so. In 1911, it was the departure point for the first cross-country flight in Australia, made by William Ewart Hart. In the 1960s the area began to be subdivided and developed and in 1976, Jamisontown was officially gazetted as a neighbourhood. [cite web | url= http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=448 | title=Penrith Local Suburb Profiles - Jamisontown | publisher=Penrith City Council | accessdate=2007-07-30 ]

Transport

Mulgoa Road is the main road in the suburb, connecting with both Penrith and the M4 Western Motorway which in turns provides quick connection to greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The nearest railway station is at Penrith on the Western Line of the Cityrail network. Westbus provides three bus services in the area with the 794 connecting Jamisontown to Penrith, the 795 connecting to Penrith and Mulgoa, and the 797 connecting to Penrith and Glenmore Park. [cite web | url= http://www.westbus.com.au/uploads/docs/penrith-stmarysregionguide15oct04.pdf | title=Penrith Network map | publisher=Westbus | accessdate=2007-07-30 ]

Education

Jamisontown Public School is the only school in the suburb. Jamison High School is actually located in South Penrith.

Population

Demographics

The recorded population of Jamisontown in the 2006 census was 4786. Most residents were Australian born (77%) or from English-speaking countries such as England or New Zealand. The most common religious affiliations were Catholic (32%) and Anglican (29%), both higher than the national averages while the number of people stating no religion (14%) was substantially less than the national average. The median income ($536 per week) was a bit higher than the national average ($466). [Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC11507 | name = Jamisontown (State Suburb) | quick = on | accessdate=2007-07-30 ]

Notable residents

* Thomas Jamison (1745-1811), NSW surgeon-general and colonial landholder in Jamisontown.

Governance

At a local government level, Jamisontown is part of the south ward of Penrith City Council, represented by Jim Aitken, Mark Davies, Karen McKeown, Susan Page and Gary Rumble. The current mayor is Pat Sheehy. At the state level, it is part of the Electoral district of Penrith, represented by Labor's Karyn Paluzzano. Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay, represented by Labor David Bradbury.

References

External links

* [http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=969 Penrith Local Suburb Profiles]