Faulconbridge, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Faulconbridge
state = NSW


caption = Graves of Henry Parkes and his first wife, Clarinda, Faulconbridge Cemetery
lga = City of Blue Mountains
county =
postcode = 2776
pop = 3868 (Census 2001)
est =
elevation= 450
stategov =
fedgov =
dist1 = 77 | location1 = Sydney
dist2 =
fedgov = Macquarie
near-nw = "Blue Mountains National Park"
near-n = Grose Valley
near-ne = Winmalee
near-w = "Blue Mountains National Park"
near-e = Springwood
near-sw = Linden
near-s = "Blue Mountains National Park"
near-se =

Faulconbridge (coord|33|41|S|150|32|E|type:city_region:AU-NSW) is a village located in the Blue Mountains 77 km west of Sydney, New South Wales and is 450 metres above sea level.

History and Description

The area around Faulconbridge was first explored by Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson in May 1813 while they were camped at Springwood and looking for the ridge which would take them over the mountains. It was settled in the 1870s after the railway line had opened up the whole of the mountains.

One of the earliest residents was the "Father of Federation", Sir Henry Parkes, who moved to the area in 1877 and purchased 600 acres (2.4 km²). It is said that the original railway platform at Faulconbridge was specifically built to serve his residence which was known as Faulconbridge House. The town was named after Parkes's home. Faulconbridge was the maiden name of Sir Henry Parkes' mother, while a small waterfall in the area -- Clarinda Falls -- was named after his first wife. Parkes is buried in Faulconbridge Cemetery, alongside the grave of his first wife. The railing surrounding his grave bears a plaque which describes his role in Australian history:

:"Sir Henry Parkes, Father of Australian Federation, five times Prime Minister of New South Wales, arrived in Australia July 25, 1839, worked as station-hand, Customs Officer, bone and ivory turner. In 1850 became proprietor of Empire Newspaper. Member of New South Wales Parliament from 1854-1894, Sir Henry Parkes is especially remembered for his efforts to develop New South Wales Education and Railways and his work for Federation earned him his title Father of Federation."

On Sir Henry's Parade (which runs between Springwood and Faulconbridge on the southern side of both the railway line and the highway) is Jackson Park, which is home to the Prime Ministers' Corridor of Oaks. Joseph Jackson, a NSW Member of Parliament, gave the park to the local council in 1933 with the explicit intention of having every Australian Prime Minister, or a nearest surviving relative, plant an oak tree. Jackson was a huge admirer of Henry Parkes and believed that his Corridor of Oaks was a suitable monument to the man most responsible for the federation of Australian states.

Faulconbridge is well known for having been the home of artist Norman Lindsay. Some streets have been given names from some of the characters out of Lindsay's famous children's book "The Magic Pudding". These include; "Bill Barnacle Ave", "Watkin Wombat Way" and more. The house Norman Lindsay used to live in is at the end of Chapman Parade and has been turned into a gallery and the grounds have been preserved perfectly.

A number of aboriginal carvings are also to be found on the rock shelves in the area.

For logophiles it may be worth observing that Faulconbridge uses half of the alphabet, including all five vowels, and does not use any individual letter twice.

Commercial Areas

There are 2 commercial areas in Faulconbridge. One contains a gas station, Chinese resturant, vet, takeaway, pharmacy and liquor store while the other has a butchery, gas station, hairdresser, hi-fi store and a large kindergarten. The second is close to the train station.

2006 Census QuickStats

Total Persons (excluding overseas visitors): 4,332Males: 2,108Females: 2,224Indigenous persons(comprises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders): 37

In the 2006 Census (held on 8th August 2006), there were 4,332 persons usually resident in 2776 (Postal Area): 48.7% were males and 51.3% were females. Of the total population in 2776 (Postal Area) 0.9% were Indigenous persons, compared with 2.3% Indigenous persons in Australia.

External links

* [http://www.bluemts.com.au/tourist/towns/Faulconbridge.asp Faulconbridge] Blue Mountains Australia