Population 1,936 (2011 census) LGA(s) City of Fairfield Horsley Park Wetherill Park Federal division Division of McMahon | Postcode(s) 2175 State electorate(s) Mulgoa Postal code 2175 | |
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Location 39 km (24 mi) west of Sydney CBD | ||
Horsley Park is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Horsley Park is located 39 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Fairfield. Horsley Park is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. It is a semi-rural suburb, located 5 km west of Wetherill Park and 11 km north-west of Fairfield.
Contents
- Map of Horsley Park NSW 2175 Australia
- History
- Population
- Commercial area
- Schools
- Churches
- Transport
- References
Map of Horsley Park NSW 2175, Australia
History
Aboriginal people from the Cabrogal tribe, a sub-group of the Gandangara tribe, have lived in the Fairfield area for over 30 000 years. European settlement began in Fairfield in the early 19th century. Horsley Park was originally part of Colonel George Johnston's 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) property "Kings Gift", which was given to him by Governor King for his part in putting down the Irish Rebellion at Vinegar Hill in 1804.
After his death it passed to his daughter Blanche who in 1829 married Major George Nicholas Weston. He built an Indian colonial style homestead on the property and named it "Horsley" after his birthplace in Surrey, England. Horsley Homestead is one of the few remaining early colonial buildings in the Fairfield district today protected by The Australian Heritage National Trust.
In 1959, the Horsley Drive (so named because it leads to Horsley Park) opened up as a continuous route from Lansvale. Horsley Park Public School was opened in 1931.
Today, Horsley Park is known to have a rich Italian and Maltese heritage residing. It is also known for being the original location for the formation of Club Marconi.
Population
At the 2011 census, there were 1,936 residents in Horsley Park. Almost 40% of people were born outside of Australia, with the top countries of birth being Italy 8.6%, Malta 6.5% and Iraq 2.0%. About half of residents spoke a language other than English at home, with the most common languages being Italian 15.1%, Maltese 8.4% and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 1.9%. Catholicism was the top religious affiliation, with 65.3% of people stating they were Catholic. The major industries of employment included Road Freight Transport 6.4%, Building Installation Services 4.1%, School Education 3.7%, Residential Building Construction 3.5% and Mushroom and Vegetable Growing 3.0%.
Commercial area
There are a number of small farms in the area. A small group of shops is located on the main street, The Horsley Drive, including a grocer, lolly shop, newsagent and firearms store. Carlo's Supa IGA opened in 2011 on Horsley Rd. The IGA Store also includes a liquor section.
Schools
The Horsley Park area contains two Schools to provide for the residents of Horsley park and Surrounding areas. There is Marion Catholic Primary School (Conjoined with the local Catholic Church) and Horsley Park Public School which has been servicing the area since the 1930s. Horsley Park also has its own child care provider trading as Horsley Kids since September 2005.
An Assyrian high school was approved in 2008.
Churches
Horsley Park is Australia's "most god-fearing suburb", with 97% professing religious belief, mostly Catholic.
Churches located in Horsley Park include:
Transport
The Westlink M7 motorway runs through Horsley Park. Bus route 813 operate between Horsley Park shops on the Horsley Drive and the Fairfield interchange