Picton New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 34°11′S150°36′E / 34.183°S 150.600°E | ||||||||||||||
Population | 5,282 (SAL 2021) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1841 | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2571 | ||||||||||||||
Elevation | 165 m (541 ft) | ||||||||||||||
Location |
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LGA(s) | Wollondilly Shire | ||||||||||||||
Region | Macarthur | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Wollondilly | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Hume | ||||||||||||||
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Picton is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire, in south-western Sydney. The town is located approximately 90 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD, close to Camden and Campbelltown. It is also the administrative centre of Wollondilly Shire.
Picton was first explored by Europeans in 1798 and remained beyond the limits of legal settlement until 1821. Following the discovery of good land in the interior and the settlement of Bong Bong and the Goulburn areas, Governor Macquarie authorised the building of the new Great South Road between Sydney and the Southern Highlands in 1819. [2] This opened up the Picton area to settlers, including Henry Colden Antill, [3] who established a 2,000-acre (810 ha) property in 1822. [2]
Picton developed when a new line of the Great South Road was cut over the Razorback Range from Camden, and especially after the railway arrived in 1863. Picton is the only town in the Southern Hemisphere that one can pass through twice (see Picton railway station) when travelling by train. [4] It was established as Stonequarry in 1841 and was renamed Picton in 1845. It was named for Sir Thomas Picton, a British army officer (described by historian Alessandro Barbero as "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible temperament") who died at the Battle of Waterloo. It remained a stopping point on the Great South Road, later renamed the Hume Highway, until it was bypassed in December 1980.
One house was destroyed by bushfire in the Nangarin Estate located on the western outskirts of Picton, from a fire front originating from Lakesland in September 2006.
Picton has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
Picton is home to many historic buildings, including two types of bridges not found easily anymore elsewhere in the state - Victoria Bridge a timber trestle bridge that crosses Stonequarry Creek, opened in 1897, and the 'Picton Railway Viaduct' a stone viaduct opened in 1863 to also cross Stonequarry Creek.
The viaduct is still in use by the railways. Ghost tours are conducted in some of the historic buildings and inside the disused railway tunnel on Redbank Range, where residents and visitors claim to have experienced paranormal activity. The abandoned tunnel was used to store mustard gas spray tanks during World War II. [10]
The George IV Inn, reputedly constructed in 1839, is considered to be one of the oldest hotel buildings in Australia. The cellar contains remnants of convict shackles as prisoners being transported from Sydney to Berrima prison would often be held in Picton overnight. The barn behind the hotel may date back to 1810 and is possibly the oldest building in Picton - it is used for functions such as birthday and engagement parties. The hotel is also the location of Scharer's Little Brewery, one of the first microbreweries in Australia and winner of numerous awards for its Burragorang Bock and Scharer's Lager beers.
Nangarin Vineyard Estate or simply Nangarin Estate is a modern village to the west and part of Picton. The estate is one of New South Wales' first residential vineyard projects. The village community manages and maintains the vineyards, residential construction and community facilities. The village is protected by legal covenants to ensure the community manages the village. [11]
According to the 2021 census, there were 5,282 people in Picton.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1921 | 1,044 | — |
1933 | 1,037 | −0.7% |
1947 | — | |
1954 | 1,234 | — |
1961 | 1,314 | +6.5% |
1966 | 1,327 | +1.0% |
1971 | 1,513 | +14.0% |
1976 | 1,715 | +13.4% |
1981 | 1,817 | +5.9% |
1986 | 1,975 | +8.7% |
1991 | 2,116 | +7.1% |
1996 | 2,668 | +26.1% |
2001 | 2,924 | +9.6% |
2006 | 3,027 | +3.5% |
2011 | 3,146 | +3.9% |
2016 | 3,454 | +9.8% |
2021 | 3,847 | +11.4% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics data. [13] [14] |
Picton railway station is on the Main Southern railway line with a relatively infrequent service with trains running every 30 minutes (peak) – 2 hours (off peak).
The town is located on the Old Hume Highway.
Picton also has both senior and junior rugby league and soccer teams. And Picton Netball Club has teams for all age groups. Meanwhile, the Picton Photography Club, called Depictin' Picton, meets every other Saturday to share photos of the local area taken by residents.
The Picton Botanical Gardens were established in 1986. [15]
Picton has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot summers and cool to mild winters that are often warm by day. Owing to its inland location in a valley, it has a relatively high diurnal range throughout the year.
Climate data for Picton Council Depot (1907 to 1975 averages, extremes 1965 to 1975, rainfall 1880 to 2020) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 40.6 (105.1) | 42.8 (109.0) | 39.4 (102.9) | 33.1 (91.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 23.8 (74.8) | 25.3 (77.5) | 26.9 (80.4) | 34.4 (93.9) | 35.6 (96.1) | 38.9 (102.0) | 39.6 (103.3) | 42.8 (109.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 27.0 (80.6) | 23.7 (74.7) | 20.2 (68.4) | 17.3 (63.1) | 16.8 (62.2) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 26.3 (79.3) | 28.5 (83.3) | 23.4 (74.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.0 (71.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 10.3 (50.5) | 9.3 (48.7) | 10.6 (51.1) | 13.3 (55.9) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.9 (66.0) | 21.3 (70.3) | 16.2 (61.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) | 15.4 (59.7) | 13.1 (55.6) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 3.2 (37.8) | 1.7 (35.1) | 2.9 (37.2) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.8 (47.8) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.0 (57.2) | 8.8 (47.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | 3.3 (37.9) | 7.2 (45.0) | 1.7 (35.1) | −2.2 (28.0) | −3.3 (26.1) | −4.9 (23.2) | −10.0 (14.0) | −4.4 (24.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.2 (36.0) | 4.7 (40.5) | −10.0 (14.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 87.3 (3.44) | 91.2 (3.59) | 88.2 (3.47) | 69.7 (2.74) | 57.0 (2.24) | 66.3 (2.61) | 50.2 (1.98) | 43.7 (1.72) | 44.4 (1.75) | 64.3 (2.53) | 72.2 (2.84) | 69.8 (2.75) | 804.3 (31.66) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 9.4 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 7.8 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 97.2 |
Source: Bureau of Meteorology [16] |
Goulburn is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 195 kilometres (121 mi) south-west of Sydney and 90 kilometres (56 mi) north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victoria in 1863. Goulburn had a population of 24,565 as of the 2021 census. Goulburn is the seat of Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
Glebe is an inner-western suburb of Sydney in New South Wales. Glebe is located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southwest of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region.
Lewisham is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lewisham is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Inner West Council.
Ultimo is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is adjacent to the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney west of the Darling Harbour area, and is bordered by Pyrmont to the north, the Sydney CBD and Chinatown/Haymarket to the east, Broadway and Chippendale to the south, and Glebe and Wentworth Park to the west.
Towrang is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Goulburn Mulwaree Council. It is approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Goulburn on the Hume Highway 180 kilometres (110 mi) south from Sydney. At the 2016 census, Towrang had a population of 171.
Picton railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Southern line in the south-western Sydney suburb of Picton in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1863 to 1919. It is also known as the Picton Railway Station group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The station opened on 1 July 1869. The station is unusually sited, with southbound journeys actually heading north out of the station before traversing a 225 degree horseshoe curve to again head south, and likewise northbound services heading south before rounding a number of curves to resume their true direction.
Marulan is a small town east of the Great Dividing Range and is located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the Goulburn Mulwaree Council local government area and the traditional lands of the Gundungurra people. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway, although it bypasses the town proper. Marulan lies on the 150th meridian east. It has a railway station on the Main Southern railway line. Marulan was previously known as Mooroowoolen.
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Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area, located on the south west fringe of the Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia, parts of which fall into the Macarthur, Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands regions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wollondilly is seen as the transition between Regional NSW and the Greater Sydney Region, and is variously categorised as part of both. Wollondilly Shire was created by proclamation in the NSW Government Gazette on 7 March 1906, following the passing of the Local Government (Shires) Act 1905, and amalgamated with the Municipality of Picton on 1 May 1940.
Bargo is a town in the Macarthur Region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. It is located approximately halfway between Campbelltown and Bowral, about 100 km south west of the Sydney CBD.
The Victoria Bridge is a heritage-listed timber trestle truss road bridge across the Stonequarry Creek, located at Prince Street in the south-western Sydney town of Picton in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The bridge is owned by Transport for NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The bridge is also known as the Victoria Bridge over Stonequarry Creek. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 20 June 2000. Designed by Percy Allan and opened on 7 October 1897, Victoria Bridge employs Allan trusses and was built by C. J. Ford of Sydney.
East Maitland is a suburb in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and it has two railway stations, Victoria Street and East Maitland. Both stations are served by NSW TrainLink. Hunter Valley Buses provides bus service.
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This list documents historical bridges located in New South Wales, Australia. Road, rail and pedestrian bridges are listed. Generally bridges built before World War II (1939) have been included in this list.
Couridjah railway station is a heritage-listed disused railway station located on the Picton – Mittagong loop railway line in the south-western Sydney settlement of Couridjah in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Goulburn Viaduct is a heritage-listed railway bridge that carries the Main Southern railway line across the Mulwaree River at Goulburn, in the Goulburn Mulwaree Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1915. It is also known as Mulwaree River Railway Viaduct. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Abbotsford is a heritage-listed former farm and residence and now vacant building located at Oaks Road in the town of Picton, in the Macarthur region of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1822 to 1908. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Jarvisfield is a heritage-listed former pastoral property and now golf course at Old Hume Highway, Picton, Wollondilly Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by William Weaver, architect-engineer, and built from 1815 to 1864. It is also known as Wilton. The property is owned by the Wollondilly Shire Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Stonequarry Creek railway viaduct is a heritage-listed railway viaduct over the Stonequarry Creek located on the Main Southern railway in the south-western Sydney town of Picton in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Whitton as the Engineer-in-Chief for Railways and was built from 1863 to 1867 by Murnin and Brown. It is also known as Stonequarry Creek Railway Viaduct and Picton railway viaduct over Stonequarry Creek. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Rydal rail underbridges are a series of heritage-listed railway underbridges and viaducts that carry the Main Western line over Solitary Creek at Rydal, in the City of Lithgow local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.