Leonay, New South Wales

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


caption =
lga = Penrith City Council
postcode = 2750
est = 1974
pop = 2400 (2006)
area =
propval =
stategov = Penrith
fedgov = Lindsay
near-nw = Glenbrook
near-n = Emu Plains
near-ne = Emu Plains
near-w = Lapstone
near-e = Jamisontown
near-sw = "Megalong Valley"
near-s = Mulgoa
near-se = Regentville
dist1 = 58
dir1 = west
location1= Sydney CBD

Leonay is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Leonay is located 58 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.

Leonay is located on the western side of the Nepean River, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. The suburb is bounded by the M4 Motorway, the western railway line, and the Nepean River. One of Leonay's prominent features is the golf course which meanders through the suburb.

History

The area was once the vineyard of Leo Buring, the suburb is named after Leo and his wife Nay. The vineyard has been replaced with designer homes climbing the hill at the foot of the Blue Mountains Escarpment.

Aboriginal Culture

Prior to European settlement, what is now Leonay 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

The first British explorers known to have visited Leonay were Jamison, Johnston, Wentworth and Jones in 1818 who named Glebrook Creek at the point where it enters the Nepean River in what is now Leonay. For many years it was considered part of neighbouring Emu Plains first as part of Sir Francis Forde's Edinglassie Estate and then as part of Leo Buring's vineyard, Leonay. Following Buring's death in 1961, the vineyard closed down and most of the land was sold to developers. The first houses were built in 1965 and in 1974, the name was officially changed to Leonay. [cite web | url= http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=444 | title=Penrith Local Suburb Profiles - Leonay| publisher=Penrith City Council | accessdate=2007-07-27 ]

Transport

The nearest railway station is at Lapstone on the Western Line of the Cityrail network while the Blue Mountains Bus Company connects Leonay to Penrith. Leonay Parade is the main road into the suburb, connecting with both Emu Plains and the M4 Western Motorway, which in turn provides quick connection to greater Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

Education

Leonay Public School is the only school in the suburb. The nearest high school is Nepean High School in Emu Plains.

Population

Demographics

The recorded population of Leonay in the 2006 census was 2414. Most residents were Australian born (77%) with the next most common places of birth being England (7%) and Germany (1.4%) and New Zealand (also 1.4%). Reflecting the era in which the suburb developed, there are no apartments or terraces in the suburb with all 836 dwellings being detached houses. The median income ($663 per week) was noticeably higher than the national average ($466). [Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC11577 | name = Leonay (State Suburb) | publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics | accessdate=2007-07-27 ]

Notable Residents

* Leo Buring (1876-1961), Australian winemaker
* Sir Francis Forbes (1784-1841), Chief Justice of New South Wales, who built the house Edinglassie at Emu Plains

Governance

At a local government level, Leonay 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's David Bradbury.

References

External links

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