City of Hawkesbury

Suburbs and localities

Until recently the City of Hawkesbury remained largely rural, but urban expansion within Sydney has since transformed the southern part of the area into dormitory suburbs; the lack of quality roads and public transport is a major local issue. The northern part of the local government area still contains some farmlands, as well as a vast area of national park, which will remain untouched due to the inaccessible terrain.

Suburbs and localities in the City of Hawkesbury are:

Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 62,353 people in the Hawkesbury local government area, of these 49.3% were male and 50.7% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.6% of the population which on par with the national average. The median age of people in the City of Hawkesbury was 36 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 11.6% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.8% were married and 12.4% were either divorced or separated.

Population in the City of Hawkesbury between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census decreased by 0.54%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 2.96%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in Hawkesbury local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Hawkesbury was marginally higher than the national average.

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Hawkesbury local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 76% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 64.8% of all residents in the City of Hawkesbury nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was significantly above the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Hawkesbury local government area had a lower than average proportion (8.1%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (90.4%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).

Current composition and election method

Hawkesbury City Council is composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as one entire ward. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:

The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election, is:

History

It was first settled by Europeans in 1794 in a bid to acquire arable land to feed the increasing population of the penal colony at Sydney. In April 1794, Lieutenant Governor Francis Grose submitted plans for the first 22 farms on the Hawkesbury River in the present Pitt Town Bottoms area. In June 1795 a camp of aborigines opposing the landtakings was harassed by a British regiment commanded by Paterson (who later regretted the necessary injustice).

By 1811 Governor Lachlan Macquarie established the five Macquarie Towns in the area. They are Windsor, Richmond, Castlereagh, Wilberforce and Pitt Town. Many of the early 19th century buildings still survive today. Ebenezer has the oldest surviving church and school building in Australia. Windsor District Council was formed in 1843 and disbanded in 1846. In 1871 the Borough Council of Windsor was founded and the Richmond Borough Council followed in 1872. The two Councils amalgamated in 1949 to become Windsor Municipal Council. Colo Shire Council was established in 1906 and joined Windsor Municipal Council in 1981 to become Hawkesbury Shire Council. In 1989, Hawkesbury became a City.

Notable residents