Richmond, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richmond Sydney, New South Wales
Richmond Post Office
Richmond Location in New South Wales
Population	5,418 (2021 census)
Established	1794
Postcode(s)	2753
Elevation	19 m (62 ft)
Location	7 km (4 mi) W of Windsor 62 km (39 mi) NW of Sydney 78 km (48 mi) ESE of Lithgow
LGA(s)	City of Hawkesbury
State electorate(s)	Hawkesbury
Federal Division(s)	Macquarie
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 24.0 °C 75 °F 11.0 °C 52 °F 738.5 mm 29.1 in
Localities around Richmond: North Richmond Cornwallis and Richmond Lowlands Cornwallis and Clarendon Agnes Banks Richmond Clarendon and Windsor Agnes Banks Hobartville and Londonderry South Windsor

Richmond is a town with a long history located northwest of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the greater Sydney area and sits within the City of Hawkesbury. Richmond is about 19 meters above sea level, on the flat lands near the Hawkesbury River. It is also at the bottom of the Blue Mountains.

Richmond is about 62 kilometers by road from Sydney. It is also close to other towns like Windsor (7 km away) and Lithgow (78 km away). Today, Richmond is part of Sydney's urban area, meaning it has many services and facilities.

A Brief History of Richmond

In 1788, the Darug people were the original Aboriginal people living in the Richmond area.

British settlers first explored this region in 1789. They named a nearby hill 'Richmond Hill'. Governor Arthur Phillip gave it this name to honor Charles Lennox. He was the Duke of Richmond and an important person in the government. Richmond was one of the first places in Australia where Europeans settled. It was settled after Sydney, Parramatta, Kingston, and Windsor.

The first 22 European settlers arrived in 1794 and started the town. They came to farm land in what is now Pitt Town Bottoms. They needed good farmland to help feed the new colony. By 1799, this area was growing about half of all the grain in the colony.

A conflict called the Battle of Richmond Hill happened in May and June 1795. It was between the Darug people and British Marines.

Around 1811, Governor Macquarie officially created five important towns in the area. These were Windsor, Richmond, Castlereagh, Wilberforce, and Pitt Town. They are known as the Macquarie Towns.

One early settler, James Blackman, built Bowman Cottage. He used a building method called brick nog. This was common in the colony. The house was built between 1815 and 1818. Later, the building was fixed up and used to help people with disabilities find work.

During World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) had a secret bunker in Richmond. It was either partly or fully underground. Its exact location is still unknown. Some say it might be similar to the Bankstown Bunker and could still be there.

RAAF Base Richmond is an air force base that started in 1923. It is home to the RAAF's transport planes. During the Vietnam War, these planes helped move supplies and injured people.

Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first agriculture college in New South Wales. It opened in 1891. Now, it is part of Western Sydney University, known as the Hawkesbury Campus.

Fun Places and Historic Sites

Richmond Oval in 2024

Richmond has many interesting places to visit:

• Richmond Oval
• Pughs Lagoon
• Smith Park
• Richmond School of Arts
• St Andrews Church
• Yarramundi Reserve
• Hawkesbury Race Club
• Richmond Club
• Polo Club
• Richmond Good Food Market (on Saturday mornings)
• Hawkesbury Valley Way Visitor Centre (with views of RAAF Base Airport and Maple Trees)

Richmond also has many places listed for their history. These are called heritage-listed sites. They include:

• Richmond railway station (part of the Blacktown-Richmond railway)
• Seymours House at 24 Bosworth Street
• New Inn at 49–51 Bosworth Street
• Richmond Park (located between East Market, Windsor, and March Streets)
• Clear Oaks at 135 Francis Street
• Mountain View at 22 Inalls Lane
• Hobartville on Kurrajong Road
• 126 Windsor Street
• Toxana at 157 Windsor Street
• Allison's Pharmacy at 257–259 Windsor Street
• Richmond Post Office at 286 Windsor Street
• Bowman House at 368–370 Windsor Street
• Old St Monica's Catholic Church Richmond at 38 Bourke Street
• St Peter's Anglican Church at 384 Windsor Street
• The Regent Richmond (a cinema) at 145 Windsor Street
• Hawkesbury Agricultural College, now part of Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus

Who Lives in Richmond?

The 2021 census counted 5,418 people living in Richmond.

• About 4.4% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• Most people (72.5%) were born in Australia.
• The average age of people in Richmond was 43 years old.
• There were 1,242 families and 2,479 homes.
• For religion, the most common answers were No Religion (31.1%), Catholic (19.2%), and Anglican (17.2%).

Learning and Education

Richmond offers many places to learn. This includes primary schools, high schools, and even university-level education.

• Primary Schools: Richmond Public School, Hobartville Public School, and St Monica's Catholic Primary School.
• High Schools: Richmond High School and the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture Education. This center works with TAFE and Western Sydney University.
• Higher Education: Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and the Hawkesbury Campus of Western Sydney University. This university campus was originally the Hawkesbury Agricultural College.

Richmond's Location and Surroundings

Richmond is now considered an outer suburb of Sydney. This means Sydney's urban area has grown close to it. The Bells Line of Road, which goes over the Blue Mountains to Lithgow, starts in Richmond. The Richmond railway station is the end of the Richmond train line.

Richmond is surrounded by a large area called the Richmond Woodlands Important Bird Area. This area is 329 square kilometers. It has important patches of eucalypt woodland. These woodlands are vital for endangered birds like regent honeyeaters and swift parrots.

Because Richmond is close to the Hawkesbury River, it has flooded many times.

The town is also surrounded by the 1327-hectare Western Sydney University Hawkesbury campus. There's also the 270-hectare RAAF Base Richmond Airport and the Richmond Lowlands near the Hawkesbury River. This means Richmond is a unique town in Sydney. It doesn't have as many high-rise buildings or as dense a population as other areas.

Getting Around Richmond

Richmond has good connections for travel by road, rail, water (Hawkesbury River), and air (RAAF Base Richmond).

• Roads: Major roads include Richmond Road (to Blacktown, M7, and Sydney), Hawkesbury Valley Way (to Windsor, A2, M2, and Sydney), Bells Line of Road (to Kurrajong, Bilpin, and Lithgow), Londonderry Road (to Penrith), and Castlereagh Road (to Blue Mountains and Penrith).
• Trains: Richmond Railway Station is the last stop on the Richmond branch line. It serves the T1 and T5 Sydney Train Networks. Trains run every half an hour to Sydney Central or Leppington.
• Airports: RAAF Base Richmond is a military airport. Nearby public airports are Sydney Airport and the Western Sydney Airport (which is still being built).
• Buses: Bus services connect Richmond to Windsor, Penrith, Kurrajong, Bligh Park, Grose Vale, Berambing, and there's a night bus service to Sydney (Town Hall Park St).
• Water: The Hawkesbury River was important for early settlement. People still use the river for fun activities today.

Richmond's Climate

Richmond has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot summers and cool winters. Because it's inland, Richmond's summer days are hotter than in Sydney CBD. Temperatures can sometimes reach as high as 42°C. These extreme summer temperatures can be caused by föhn winds. These winds sweep down from the Central Tablelands into the area.

Winter nights in Richmond are colder than in Sydney CBD. They can drop below 0°C, bringing significant frost. Richmond has about 91.5 clear days each year. This is fewer than Sydney CBD, which has about 104 clear days.

On January 14, 1939, Richmond recorded a temperature of 47.8°C. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in the Sydney region. The lowest maximum winter temperature was 7.6°C, recorded on July 6, 1957.

Richmond has the second largest overall temperature range recorded in Australia. This range is 56.1°C, from -8.3°C to 47.8°C.

The Richmond area is known to be prone to flooding. This is because it is near the Hawkesbury River. When the Warragamba Dam opens, water can spread around the Richmond area.

Famous People from Richmond

Some well-known people who were born or have lived in Richmond include:

• Michelle Goszko
• Ashton Irwin
• Aaron Jeffery
• Reg Lye
• Ray Martin
• Breaker Morant
• Doug Mulray
• Steve O'Keefe
• Kevin Rozzoli
• Norman Leslie Smith
• Stuart Smith
• Grigor Taylor
• Mike Walsh

Images for kids

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  Bowman Cottage, built between 1815 and 1818 in the Colonial style.

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  Richmond Court House.

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  St Peter's Church.

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  Park Mall, Richmond.

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  Pugh's Lagoon.

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  Old Post Office Richmond.