Narellan Vale, New South Wales facts for kids

Narellan Vale is a suburb located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is about 60 kilometres southwest of the main city area, known as the Sydney central business district. Narellan Vale is part of the Macarthur region and is managed by the Camden Council.

History of Narellan Vale

The land where Narellan Vale now stands has a long history. It was originally home to several Indigenous Australian groups. The Tharawal people were likely the main group in this area. However, the Darug people from Western Sydney and the Gandangara people from the Southern Highlands also lived in the wider Camden region.

When British settlers arrived, relations were initially friendly. But as farmers began clearing land for their farms, it affected the food sources for the Indigenous people. This led to conflicts between the groups. By 1816, many Indigenous people had to move away from direct conflict with the settlers.

In 1805, a famous wool pioneer named John Macarthur was given a large area of land. This land, about 20 square kilometres, was in a place called Cowpastures, which is now known as Camden. For many years, this land was used for farming. However, in the mid-1980s, Sydney's suburbs started to grow outwards. This growth reached the town of Camden, and new areas like Narellan Vale were created.

Narellan Vale was officially established in 1986. Two years later, in 1988, Elizabeth Macarthur High School opened its doors. A few years after that, Narellan Vale Public School and St Clare's Catholic Primary School also opened. The suburb was mostly completed by 1998.

People of Narellan Vale

Every few years, Australia counts its population in what is called a census. According to the 2016 census, there were 7,193 people living in Narellan Vale.

Here are some interesting facts about the people living there:

• About 3.5% of the population were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Most people, about 82.6%, were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England (2.9%) and New Zealand (1.6%).
• Most people (88.1%) spoke only English at home.
• For religion, the most common answers were Catholic (31.2%), Anglican (25.4%), and No Religion (21.8%).
• Narellan Vale has many families with children, making up 55.4% of all families.
• The percentage of children aged 0–14 years was 23.2%, which is higher than the national average for Australia.
• Most homes in Narellan Vale are detached houses, meaning they are separate buildings, making up 96.6% of all homes.

Schools in Narellan Vale

Narellan Vale has three schools that serve the local community:

• Narellan Vale Public School
• St Clare's Catholic Primary School
• Elizabeth Macarthur High School

How Narellan Vale is Governed

Narellan Vale is part of the Camden Council. This local council helps manage services for the area, like roads, parks, and rubbish collection. The current mayor of Camden is Theresa Fedeli. Rob Mills and Ashleigh Cagney also represent the central ward of Camden Council.

For state government matters, Narellan Vale is in the state electorate of Camden. This means that people in Narellan Vale vote for a representative in the New South Wales Parliament. The current representative is Peter Sidgreaves from the Liberal Party.

For federal government matters, Narellan Vale is in the federal electorate of Hume. This means residents vote for a representative in the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The current representative is Angus Taylor, also from the Liberal Party.