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Cumberland County, New South Wales facts for kids

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Cumberland
New South Wales
Cumberland NSW.png
Location in New South Wales
Established 4 June 1788
Lands administrative divisions around Cumberland:
Hunter Northumberland Northumberland
Cook Cumberland Pacific Ocean
Camden Camden Pacific Ocean

Cumberland County is a county in the State of New South Wales, Australia. Most of the Sydney metropolitan area is located within the County of Cumberland.

The County of Cumberland stretches from Broken Bay to the north, the Hawkesbury River to the north-west, the Nepean River to the west, the Cataract River to the south-west and the northern suburbs of Wollongong to the south. It includes the area of the Cumberland Plain.

History

Cumberland Gang Show, New South Wales neckerchief
Cumberland Gang Show Scout neckerchief

The name Cumberland was conferred by Governor Arthur Phillip in honour of Prince Henry Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn at a gathering to celebrate the birthday of his brother, King George III, on 4 June 1788. The county has been marked on maps since the start of the colony, as shown along the key on a 1789 map describing Port Jackson as being within the county of Cumberland. In the nineteenth century, parts of the county were in the South and North Riding electoral districts from 1856 to 1859, which were replaced by Central Cumberland. There was also the Cumberland Boroughs electoral district.

Cumberland County Council

The State of New South Wales is divided up into 141 counties, for the purposes of surveying and the registration of land titles. Few Australian counties have ever had any government or administrative function. However, the County of Cumberland did have a county government, the Cumberland County Council, from 1945 to 1964. Its responsibilities were primarily limited to town planning on the metropolitan scale. The Cumberland County Council was not elected by the people, but rather was elected by councillors of the various local governments within the county. The council consisted of 10 councillors each elected to a single constituency: No. 1 (Sydney), No. 2 (Marrickville, Canterbury), No. 3 (Randwick, Botany, Woollahra, Waverley), No. 4 (Rockdale, Hurstville, Kogarah, Sutherland), No. 5 (Strathfield, Ashfield, Burwood, Leichhardt, Drummoyne, Concord), No. 6 (Auburn, Bankstown, Holroyd, Parramatta), No. 7 (Mosman, Manly, North Sydney, Warringah), No. 8 (Hunter's Hill, Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Ryde), No. 9 (Blacktown, Penrith, Baulkham Hills, Windsor) and No. 10 (Fairfield, Camden, Liverpool, Campbelltown, and parts of Wollondilly and Wollongong).

In 1948 the Council published the County of Cumberland planning scheme, a framework for accommodating expected postwar growth in the Sydney Basin. The objectives of the County Council were often in conflict with the aims of many State Government departments. For instance, the County Council's plans called for a green belt to encircle metropolitan Sydney, while the NSW Housing Commission wished to use much of this land to build new low-density public housing estates in areas such as Blacktown and Liverpool. As a result, the Cumberland County Council was dissolved in 1964.

Its metropolitan planning functions were taken over by a new body, the State Planning Authority, which has since been superseded by a succession of state government planning departments. As of 2019, the planning department is the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Chairmen

Years Name Council Notes
1945–1951 John Percival Tate Ryde
1951–1958 Ronald Stark Luke Mosman
1958–1960 Leslie Arthur Scutts Marrickville
1960–1961 Sydney John Webb Holroyd
1961–1962 Tom Foster Sydney
1962–1963 Sydney John Webb Holroyd
1963–1964 Samuel Peters Randwick

Hundreds

Cumberland County 1840
Map of Cumberland County in 1840, showing 13 hundreds and 53 parishes. The four smaller parishes in Sydney city are not displayed.

There were thirteen hundreds in Cumberland County, which were published in a government gazette on 27 May 1835, but repealed on 21 January 1888. Unlike South Australia, the hundreds were never adopted anywhere else in New South Wales. The hundreds:

  • Bringelly
  • Campbelltown
  • Dundas
  • Evan
  • Hardinge
  • Liverpool
  • Packenham
  • Parramatta
  • Richmond
  • Southend
  • Hundred of Sydney
  • Windsor
  • Woronora (shown as Heathcote on some maps)

Parishes

Cumberland County Parishes
Parishes of Cumberland County

In 1835, Cumberland County was subdivided into 57 parishes. Previously, the subdivisions of the area since the beginning of the colony were called districts. Many of the parishes founded in 1835 kept the name of the district. Others were named after Anglican churches in the same area. This included three of the four small parishes in the Sydney city area; St Philip (named after St.Philip's), St James (named after St. James, and which is still the region name today), St Andrew (named after St. Andrew's). However St Lawrence parish gave its name to the church, rather than the other way around. Further out of the city, the parishes of St John, St Luke, St Peter and St Matthew, in the Parramatta, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Windsor areas respectively, have Anglican churches which bear the same saints names; St John's in Parramatta (opened 1803); St.Luke's in Liverpool (building began 1818); St.Peter's in Campbelltown (opened 1823, the third oldest Anglican church in Australia); and St. Matthew's in Windsor (consecrated in 1822)

A full list of parishes found within this county; the LGAs which the parish is mostly in (most parish boundaries do not match LGA boundaries exactly), and mapping coordinates to the approximate centre of each location is as follows:

Parish LGA Hundred (former) Coordinates
Alexandria Municipality of Woollahra Sydney 33°50′54″S 151°17′04″E / 33.84833°S 151.28444°E / -33.84833; 151.28444 (Alexandria Parish)
Appin Wollondilly Shire Campbelltown 34°11′54″S 150°45′04″E / 34.19833°S 150.75111°E / -34.19833; 150.75111 (Appin Parish)
Bankstown City of Canterbury-Bankstown Liverpool 33°55′54″S 150°59′04″E / 33.93167°S 150.98444°E / -33.93167; 150.98444 (Bankstown Parish)
Berowra Hornsby Shire Dundas 33°33′54″S 151°05′04″E / 33.56500°S 151.08444°E / -33.56500; 151.08444 (Berowra Parish)
Botany Bayside Council Sydney 33°56′54″S 151°14′04″E / 33.94833°S 151.23444°E / -33.94833; 151.23444 (Botany Parish)
Bringelly City of Penrith Bringelly 33°53′54″S 150°41′04″E / 33.89833°S 150.68444°E / -33.89833; 150.68444 (Bringelly Parish)
Broken Bay Northern Beaches Council Packenham 33°38′54″S 151°13′04″E / 33.64833°S 151.21778°E / -33.64833; 151.21778 (Broken Bay Parish)
Bulgo City of Wollongong Heathcote 34°09′54″S 151°03′04″E / 34.16500°S 151.05111°E / -34.16500; 151.05111 (Bulgo Parish)
Cabramatta City of Liverpool Bringelly 33°54′54″S 150°49′04″E / 33.91500°S 150.81778°E / -33.91500; 150.81778 (Cabramatta Parish)
Castle Hill The Hills Shire Parramatta 33°44′54″S 150°41′04″E / 33.74833°S 150.68444°E / -33.74833; 150.68444 (Castle Hill Parish)
Castlereagh City of Penrith Richmond 33°40′54″S 150°42′04″E / 33.68167°S 150.70111°E / -33.68167; 150.70111 (Castlereagh Parish)
Claremont City of Penrith Evan 33°48′54″S 150°43′04″E / 33.81500°S 150.71778°E / -33.81500; 150.71778 (Claremont Parish)
Concord Canada Bay, Strathfield and Burwood Sydney 33°51′54″S 151°06′04″E / 33.86500°S 151.10111°E / -33.86500; 151.10111 (Concord Parish)
Cook Camden Council Bringelly 33°57′54″S 150°42′04″E / 33.96500°S 150.70111°E / -33.96500; 150.70111 (Cook Parish)
Cornelia The Hills Shire Hardinge 32°59′54″S 150°00′04″E / 32.99833°S 150.00111°E / -32.99833; 150.00111 (Cornelia Parish)
Cowan Hornsby Shire Dundas 33°36′54″S 151°08′04″E / 33.61500°S 151.13444°E / -33.61500; 151.13444 (Cowan Parish)
Eckersley City of Campbelltown Southend 34°04′54″S 150°55′04″E / 34.08167°S 150.91778°E / -34.08167; 150.91778 (Eckersley Parish)
Field of Mars City of Parramatta Parramatta 33°46′54″S 151°03′04″E / 33.78167°S 151.05111°E / -33.78167; 151.05111 (Field of Mars Parish)
Frederick Hornsby Shire Hardinge 33°27′54″S 151°02′34″E / 33.46500°S 151.04278°E / -33.46500; 151.04278 (Frederick Parish)
Gidley City of Blacktown Windsor 33°40′54″S 150°52′04″E / 33.68167°S 150.86778°E / -33.68167; 150.86778 (Gidley Parish)
Gordon Ku-ring-gai Council Packenham 33°12′54″S 151°09′04″E / 33.21500°S 151.15111°E / -33.21500; 151.15111 (Gordon Parish)
Ham Common City of Hawkesbury Richmond 33°35′54″S 150°45′04″E / 33.59833°S 150.75111°E / -33.59833; 150.75111 (Ham Common Parish)
Heathcote Sutherland Shire Heathcote 34°05′54″S 150°59′04″E / 34.09833°S 150.98444°E / -34.09833; 150.98444 (Heathcote Parish)
Holsworthy City of Liverpool Liverpool 33°56′54″S 150°57′04″E / 33.94833°S 150.95111°E / -33.94833; 150.95111 (Holsworthy Parish)
Hunters Hill Ryde, Hunter's Hill Parramatta 33°47′54″S 151°06′04″E / 33.79833°S 151.10111°E / -33.79833; 151.10111 (Hunters Hill Parish)
Liberty Plains Cumberland, Canterbury-Bankstown Parramatta 33°51′54″S 151°02′04″E / 33.86500°S 151.03444°E / -33.86500; 151.03444 (Liberty Plains Parish)
Londonderry City of Penrith Richmond 33°40′54″S 150°45′04″E / 33.68167°S 150.75111°E / -33.68167; 150.75111 (Londonderry Parish)
Manly Cove Northern Beaches Council Packenham 33°46′54″S 151°16′04″E / 33.78167°S 151.26778°E / -33.78167; 151.26778 (Manly Cove Parish)
Maroota The Hills Shire Hardinge 33°29′54″S 151°00′04″E / 33.49833°S 151.00111°E / -33.49833; 151.00111 (Maroota Parish)
Marramarra Hornsby Shire Dundas 33°29′54″S 151°17′04″E / 33.49833°S 151.28444°E / -33.49833; 151.28444 (Marramarra Parish)
Melville City of Fairfield Evan 33°51′16″S 150°49′20″E / 33.85444°S 150.82222°E / -33.85444; 150.82222 (Melville Parish)
Menangle City of Campbelltown Campbelltown 34°06′54″S 150°47′04″E / 34.11500°S 150.78444°E / -34.11500; 150.78444 (Menangle Parish)
Minto City of Campbelltown Liverpool 33°57′54″S 150°51′04″E / 33.96500°S 150.85111°E / -33.96500; 150.85111 (Minto Parish)
Mulgoa City of Penrith Evan 33°48′54″S 150°40′04″E / 33.81500°S 150.66778°E / -33.81500; 150.66778 (Mulgoa Parish)
Narellan Camden Council Campbelltown 34°02′54″S 150°44′04″E / 34.04833°S 150.73444°E / -34.04833; 150.73444 (Narellan Parish)
Narrabeen Northern Beaches Council Packenham 33°36′54″S 151°20′04″E / 33.61500°S 151.33444°E / -33.61500; 151.33444 (Narrabeen Parish)
Nelson The Hills Shire Windsor 33°36′54″S 150°57′04″E / 33.61500°S 150.95111°E / -33.61500; 150.95111 (Nelson Parish)
North Colah Hornsby Shire Dundas 33°37′54″S 151°03′04″E / 33.63167°S 151.05111°E / -33.63167; 151.05111 (North Colah Parish)
Petersham Inner West Council Sydney 33°51′54″S 151°10′04″E / 33.86500°S 151.16778°E / -33.86500; 151.16778 (Petersham Parish)
Pitt Town City of Hawkesbury Windsor 33°35′54″S 150°53′04″E / 33.59833°S 150.88444°E / -33.59833; 150.88444 (Pitt Town Parish)
Prospect City of Blacktown Parramatta 33°46′54″S 150°55′04″E / 33.78167°S 150.91778°E / -33.78167; 150.91778 (Prospect Parish)
Rooty Hill City of Penrith Richmond 33°43′54″S 150°48′04″E / 33.73167°S 150.80111°E / -33.73167; 150.80111 (Rooty Hill Parish)
South Colah Hornsby Shire Dundas 33°41′54″S 151°05′04″E / 33.69833°S 151.08444°E / -33.69833; 151.08444 (South Colah Parish)
Southend City of Wollongong Southend 34°16′54″S 150°55′04″E / 34.28167°S 150.91778°E / -34.28167; 150.91778 (Southend Parish)
St Andrew City of Sydney Sydney 33°52′26″S 151°12′23″E / 33.87389°S 151.20639°E / -33.87389; 151.20639 (St Andrew Parish)
St George Georges River, Bayside Sydney 33°56′54″S 151°06′04″E / 33.94833°S 151.10111°E / -33.94833; 151.10111 (St George Parish)
St James City of Sydney Sydney 33°52′10″S 151°12′39″E / 33.86944°S 151.21083°E / -33.86944; 151.21083 (St James Parish)
St John Parramatta, Cumberland Parramatta 33°49′54″S 151°03′04″E / 33.83167°S 151.05111°E / -33.83167; 151.05111 (St John Parish)
St Lawrence City of Sydney Sydney 33°52′53″S 151°12′18″E / 33.88139°S 151.20500°E / -33.88139; 151.20500 (St Lawrence Parish)
St Luke City of Fairfield Liverpool 33°51′54″S 150°54′04″E / 33.86500°S 150.90111°E / -33.86500; 150.90111 (St Luke Parish)
St Matthew City of Hawkesbury Windsor 33°37′54″S 150°49′04″E / 33.63167°S 150.81778°E / -33.63167; 150.81778 (St Matthew Parish)
St Peter City of Campbelltown Campbelltown 34°03′54″S 150°50′04″E / 34.06500°S 150.83444°E / -34.06500; 150.83444 (St Peter Parish)
St Philip City of Sydney Sydney 33°51′51″S 151°12′22″E / 33.86417°S 151.20611°E / -33.86417; 151.20611 (St Philip Parish)
Sutherland Sutherland Shire Heathcote 34°01′54″S 151°05′04″E / 34.03167°S 151.08444°E / -34.03167; 151.08444 (Sutherland Parish)
Wattamolla Sutherland Shire Heathcote 34°05′49″S 151°06′27″E / 34.09694°S 151.10750°E / -34.09694; 151.10750 (Wattamolla Parish)
Wedderburn Wollondilly Shire Southend 34°14′54″S 150°50′04″E / 34.24833°S 150.83444°E / -34.24833; 150.83444 (Wedderburn Parish)
Willoughby Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Willoughby Packenham 33°49′54″S 151°15′04″E / 33.83167°S 151.25111°E / -33.83167; 151.25111 (Willoughby Parish)

Districts

Sydney districts 1824
Districts on an 1824 map

The first subdivisions of the county were called districts, shown in early maps from the period, such as 21 districts on an 1810 map and 37 districts on an 1824 map (not including Philip which was across the Nepean River and not part of the county). The districts in use in 1824:

  • Airds
  • Appin
  • Bankstown
  • Bathurst
  • Botany Bay
  • Bringelly
  • Bullanaming
  • Cambramatta
  • Castle Hill
  • Castlereagh
  • Concord
  • Cooke
  • Dundas
  • Eastern Plains
  • Evan District
  • Fields of Mars
  • Green Hills
  • Holsworth
  • Hunter's Hill
  • Illawarra
  • Liberty Plains
  • Mecham
  • Melville
  • Meyrick
  • Minto
  • Nelson
  • Northern Boundary
  • Oxley
  • Parramatta
  • Petersham
  • Ponds
  • Prospect
  • Richmond
  • Sydney
  • Tongabee
  • Upper Minto
  • Upper Nelson
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