Minchinbury, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minchinbury Sydney, New South Wales
The Jet at Minchinbury
Population	5,619 (2016 census)
Postcode(s)	2770
Elevation	57 m (187 ft)
Location	38 km (24 mi) west of Sydney
LGA(s)	City of Blacktown
State electorate(s)	Mount Druitt
Federal Division(s)	McMahon
Suburbs around Minchinbury: Oxley Park Mount Druitt Rooty Hill Colyton Minchinbury Eastern Creek Erskine Park Eastern Creek Eastern Creek

Minchinbury is a small suburb located in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 38 kilometers west of central Sydney. Minchinbury is part of the Blacktown local government area. It is mostly a place where people live, with some shops and business areas too.

History of Minchinbury

Minchinbury got its name from a property owned by Captain William Minchin. He was given 1000 acres of land in 1819 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. William Minchin was a police chief and treasurer in the colony. His land was mainly used for grazing cattle.

After William died in 1821, his daughter Maria Matilda inherited the property. Sadly, Maria and her family were lost at sea in 1838. William Minchin's brother, George, who lived in Canada, then inherited the land.

In 1859, George Minchin sold the 1220-acre estate. Dr. Charles McKay, a doctor from Ireland, bought it for £2,100. Dr. McKay was already a big landowner in the area. He was the first to plant grape vines on the Minchinbury Estate.

Minchinbury's Famous Wines

In the 1860s, the McKay family started a vineyard on the property. They also raised silkworms. By 1879, wines from Minchinbury won three awards. This happened at the Sydney Garden Palace Exhibition.

In 1881, Dr. McKay tried to sell his large properties because of money problems. An advertisement described the land as having 60 acres of vines. It also mentioned stone quarries for roads and clay for bricks. There were three wine cellars that could hold 100,000 gallons of wine.

The land didn't sell until 1895. That's when James Angus bought it from Dr. McKay. James Angus kept growing grapes and making wine. He also started a quarry, a pig farm, a dairy, and grew olive trees.

James Angus continued to expand the winery. In 1913, he sold the vineyards and cellars to Penfolds Wines. He kept a large part of the estate for his family. James Angus died in 1916 after being hit by a train.

Minchinbury was the second vineyard Penfolds bought in New South Wales. Penfolds became very famous for its sparkling wines, like champagne. They stopped making wine at Minchinbury in 1978.

Many street names in Minchinbury are linked to wine. You'll find names like Sherry, Pinot, and Barossa.

Landmarks to See

Along the southern side of the Great Western Highway, you can find some interesting landmarks:

• The old entrance to Penfolds Winery is still there. You can see the stone work on either side of the gate. It's at the top of the hill between Willis Street and Beaconsfield Road.
• A model of a jet aircraft is mounted high up near Minchin Drive. This jet is a copy of the original one placed there by Penfolds in 1955. It had a sign that said "Don't Crash, Drink Penfolds."
• The Minchinbury Wine Cellars building is now called The Distillery Woodfire Restaurant. This building is part of the old Minchinbury Winery estate from the 1860s.
• Minchinbury Reserve is a large park. It's used for sports by local residents. It's also the home ground for the Minchinbury Jets sports team.

Businesses and Shops

Minchinbury is mostly a residential area. But it also has several important business and shopping areas.

Minchinbury is home to the main office for Aldi Australia. It also has a big distribution center for Woolworths. Other major companies like StarTrack and The Salvation Army have offices here. You can find many car repair shops and construction stores too.

Here are some of the shopping and business centers in Minchinbury:

• Minchinbury Shopping Centre has an IGA Supermarket. It also has other specialty shops. You can find it at the corner of Macfarlane Drive and Minchin Drive.
• Minchinbury fruit market is on the Great Western Highway. It's known for its fresh fruits and vegetables. It's one of the biggest fruit and vegetable shops in Sydney.
• Minchinbury Community Hospital is located on the Great Western Highway. It's at the corner of Rupertswood Road.
• Car City is in Carlisle Avenue. It's one of the largest used car complexes in the Southern Hemisphere.

Minchinbury also has the Minchinbury Neighbourhood Centre. This is a community hall that people can use for different events.

Community and People

In 2016, the largest religious group in Minchinbury was Catholic. Other groups included Anglican, Islam, and Hinduism. Many people also reported having no religion.

There are several places of worship in Minchinbury:

• Iglesia Ni Cristo is located in Eskdale Street.
• MCYAS (Muslim Cultural & Youth Association Sydney) is in Eddie Road.

Minchinbury is also home to Pinegrove Memorial Park. This large area has burial and cremation spaces. It also includes the Lung Po Shan Chinese Memorial Gardens.

Minchinbury's Population

In 2017, Minchinbury had about 5,821 residents. The population density was about 1.29 people per square kilometer. In 2016, the main ancestries were Australian, English, and Filipino.

Many people in Minchinbury were born overseas. About 37% of people spoke a language other than English at home. Most adults were employed, working full-time or part-time.

Getting Around Minchinbury

The Great Western Highway runs along the northern edge of Minchinbury. The M4 Motorway is along the southern edge. The Westlink M7 motorway runs along the eastern edge.

There is a regular bus service (Busways 729). This bus connects Minchinbury to Mount Druitt and Blacktown.

Schools in Minchinbury

Minchinbury Public School teaches students from Kindergarten to Year 6.

Sports Clubs

Minchinbury has several sports clubs for local residents. These include:

• Pioneers Netball Club
• Soccer clubs
• Cricket clubs
• Athletics clubs
• Rugby league (Minchinbury Jets JRLC)

Geology of the Area

Minchinbury is the special place where the Minchinbury Sandstone was first studied. This means it's the "type location" for this specific type of rock.