City of Hawkesbury facts for kids

Quick facts for kids City of Hawkesbury New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Population	64,592 (2016 census) 67,083 (2018 est.)
• Density	23.268/km2 (60.26/sq mi)
Established	1 January 1981
Area	2,776 km2 (1,071.8 sq mi)
Mayor	Patrick Conolly (Liberal Party)
Council seat	Windsor
Region	Greater Western Sydney
State electorate(s)	Hawkesbury Londonderry Riverstone
Federal Division(s)	Macquarie
Website	City of Hawkesbury
LGAs around City of Hawkesbury: Mid-Western Singleton Cessnock, Central Coast Lithgow City of Hawkesbury Hills Blue Mountains Penrith Blacktown

The City of Hawkesbury is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, part of which is at the fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district. Hawkesbury City is named after the Hawkesbury River.

The Mayor of the City of Hawkesbury is Cr. Patrick Conolly, a member of the Liberal Party.

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 2016 Census, there were 64,592 people in the Hawkesbury local government area. Of these, 49.5% were male and 50.5% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.7% of the population, which is 1.3% above the national average. The median age of people in the City of Hawkesbury was 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.9% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.3% 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%. Between the 2011 and 2016 Census, population increased by a further 1.04%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, 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 has been consistently marginally higher than the national average.

At the 2016 Census, the proportion of residents in the Hawkesbury local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or English amounted to 60%, which decreased from 62% in 2011. The majority of people from the Hawkesbury identified as having a Catholic (27.5%) or Anglican (24.6%) religious affiliation in 2016.

Selected historical census data for Hawkesbury local government area
Census year		2001	2006	2011	2016
Population	Estimated residents on census night	60,887	60,561	62,353	64,592
	LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales		&&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034th
	% of New South Wales population			0.90%
	% of Australian population	0.32%	0.31%	0.29%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses	Australian			32.6%	30.4%
	English			29.5%	29.5%
	Irish			7.6%	8.3%
	Scottish			6.3%	6.8%
	Maltese			3.1%	3.5%
Language, top responses (other than English)	Maltese	0.8%	0.7%	0.8%	0.9%
	Italian	0.6%	0.6%	0.5%	0.4%
	Cantonese				0.3%
	German	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%
	Arabic	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses	Catholic	26.6%	27.3%	28.2%	27.5%
	Anglican	30.9%	29.9%	29.4%	24.6%
	No Religion	12.2%	14.8%	16.7%	23.9%
	Not stated				8.3%
	Uniting Church	5.7%	5.0%	4.4%	3.3%
	Presbyterian and Reformed	3.0%	5.7%	2.8%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income	Median weekly personal income		A$527	A$622	A$728
	% of Australian median income		113.1%	107.8%	110.0%
Family income	Median weekly family income		A$1,146	A$1,598	A$1,916
	% of Australian median income		111.6%	107.9%	110.5%
Household income	Median weekly household income		A$1,290	A$1,385	A$1,668
	% of Australian median income		110.2%	112.2%	116.0%

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.