Mount Annan, New South Wales

History

The area now known as Mount Annan was originally home to the Dharawal people, based in the Illawarra region, although the Western Sydney-based Darug people and the Southern Highlands-based Gandangara people were also known to have inhabited the greater Camden area. Very early relations with British settlers were cordial but as farmers started clearing and fencing the land, affecting food resources in the area, clashes between the groups arose until 1816 when a number of indigenous people were massacred and the remainder retreated from direct conflict with the settlers.

In 1805, wool pioneer John Macarthur was granted 5,000 acres (20 km²) at Cowpastures (now Camden). After the land was cleared, it was used for farming for most of the next 200 years until Sydney's suburban sprawl reached the town of Camden and modern suburbs like Mount Annan were subdivided into housing blocks.

Transport

Mount Annan is off the M5 motorway and Hume Highway. It includes the locality formerly known as Glenlee and the former Glenlee coal loader, which served the former Burragorang Valley coal mines. A number of bus services controlled by Busabout Sydney run through the suburb. The nearest railway station is Macarthur.

Education

There are three local schools in the area. Mount Annan Public School (MAPS) was built in 1993 and is located on Stenhouse Drive. Mount Annan High School (MAHS) was built in 2003 and is located on Welling Drive. Mount Annan Christian College (MACC) which was built in 1999 and is located on Narellan Road.

Netball

Mount Annan is home to one netball club, Mount Annan Netball Club, which was founded in 1993. MANC is affiliated with the Camden and District Netball Association. There are approximately 300 players a year across 30 teams.

Soccer

Mount Annan Mustangs is Mount Annan's local soccer club. The group was formed in 1999 by Alan Dudley.

Cricket

Mount Annan is a part of the Cobbitty-Narellan Cricket Club. It is hosted at the Birriwa Reserve.

Swimming

Mount Annan Swimming Club is hosted at Mount Annan Leisure Centre, which is owned by YMCA, which runs its swimming season from October through to August.

Commercial area

There are two notable shopping malls in the area, Mount Annan Marketplace and Mount Annan Central. There are also several restaurants in the area including Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, American, and other cuisines.

Coles Express Mount Annan is the only petrol station, and is located on Waterworth Drive and Holdsworth Drive.

Mount Annan has an Anytime Fitness gym located on Main Street, and a leisure centre Mount Annan Leisure Centre (which also has a gym) located on Welling Drive. A pub known as Mount Annan Hotel located on Main Street.

Churches

Landmarks

The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan is primarily a native garden but is equipped with barbecuing facilities and picnic areas. Mount Annan is a hill within the grounds and there is a track in the gardens to the summit. Sundial Hill is another landmark of the gardens and there is a water feature area. The gardens also includes a Stolen Generations Memorial.

Demographics

In the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census, the suburb of Mount Annan had a population of 10,540 people, with a very high percentage of families with children (61.7%). The suburb is almost entirely detached houses (90.8%) with 273 dwellings recorded as either apartments or townhouses. A very high percentage of these houses are mortgaged (66.7%), a little under double the national average (34.9%).

Newspapers

Websites

Governance

Mount Annan lies in the central ward of Camden Council, currently represented by Fred Anderson, Rob Elliott and Debby Dewbery. It sits within the state electorate of Camden, represented by Liberal Party of Australia's Chris Patterson, a former Mayor of Camden, and the federal electorate of Macarthur, represented by Liberal's Russell Matheson, a former Mayor of City of Campbelltown.

Notable residents