Nepean River

Nepean River Cobbitty c. 1900-1910 (Camden Images)

The Nepean River

The Nepean River is one of the most essential waterways in the Sydney basin and has particular significance for Sydney's southwestern rural-urban fringe. Its catchment extends south and east of the Sydney Basin to take in areas near Robertson and Goulburn. West of Wollongong the tributaries including Cataract Creek, Avon River, Cordeaux River that flow north-west and then into the deep gorges of Pheasants Nest and Douglas Park.

The river opens up into a floodplain and flows past  Menangle and crosses the Cowpastures and southern Cumberland Plain past Camden and Cobbitty. The river then flows north through the gorge adjacent to Wallacia and enters Bents Basin before it is joined by the Warragamba River and changes its name to the Hawkesbury River.

The Nepean River is economically vital to the Sydney Basin and is used for mining, irrigation, recreation and other activities. It is ecologically significant to the area and has several rare and endangered species of plants.

Cultural importance

The river has a significant meaning in terms of its intangible cultural heritage to the local landscape. It defines the landscape and the construction of place in the localities along the river, including Menangle, Camden, and Cobbitty.

Learn more

There is the  Little Sandy at Camden, which was a favourite swimming spot for the local community.

The river floodplain is partly covered in Cumberland Woodland an endangered species in the Sydney Basin. Another endangered species in the local area is the Elderslie Banksia Scrub and the  Camden White Gum.

The river catchment is the most important in the Sydney basin and has significant cultural significance in the area.  One example is the 1925 Nepean River flood at Camden.

The Macarthur Bridge across the Nepean River is one of the most critical pieces of economic and social infrastructure in the Macarthur area.

In times of high rainfall, the river has particular characteristics which make flooding a problematic event for the local population. 

In 2006 Camden Council designated the historic Camden town centre in the Nepean River floodplain as a Heritage Conservation Area, and later incorporated it in the 2010 Local Environment Plan.

There is a local walkway located on the river floodplain called the Miss Lewella Davies Memorial Walkway.

Originally posted 2016 Updated 30 August 2020

2013 Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire

Regeneration and New Life after the fires

New shoots of life on trees after fires along Picton Road, December 2013 (I Willis)

Areas that have been burnt by bushfires eventually regenerate and their is new life. Such has happened on the Picton Road area where the trees are now sprouting green shoots. There are dormant buds under bark of eucalypts called epicormic buds. These burst into new growth in the weeks following the fire and trees are covered with new leaves. Fire is a very cleansing process and a fire does not mean all is lost. After the disaster passes there is new life and new hope. New growth on the trees is symbolic of a fresh start and a new beginning.

Along Picton Road near Cordeaux Dam (I Willis, 22 Oct, 9.00am)



Day 12 Balmoral (Hall Road) Bushfire 28 October

The bushfire emergency has passed and most crews have been stood down. This fire has been downgraded to 'alert' status and is contained 3 km south of Bargo.

The Blue Mountains fire effected areas are now in the recovery stage and are appealing for visitors  not to abandon the area. Fire fighters are still working on the area where over 200 homes were destroyed by blazes last week. Crown Prince Frederik and Princes Mary lifted the spirits of residents as they visited the area yesterday according to reports.

Day 6 Balmoral (Hall Road) Bushfire 22 October (6.00pm)

The fire, according to the RFS website, has been consolidated within containment lines. The current status of the fire is controlled and has burnt over 15,300 hectares to date. Two houses have been lost.

The RFS website reports that 'Fire continues to burn in the Southern Highlands near the villages of Yerrinbool, Balmoral, Yanderra, Pheasants Nest, Wilton, Bargo, Buxton, Hill Top, Alpine / Aylmerton and Couridjah'. Illawarra residents are still advised to remain viligent. The Picton Road remains open. (http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au )

Meanwhile elsewhere in this fire emergency: in the Springwood fire 193 houses have been lost to date, 7 in the Mt Victoria fire and 3 in the Lithgow fire. (http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au )

Day 5 Balmoral Bushfire 21 October (6.00pm)

On Day 5 the bushfire continues to pose problems for fire authorities. This afternoon Wilton came under ember attack and the fire was status was upgraded to Emergency. 

According the RFS website at 6.00pm the fire has burnt over 14,100 hectares and is currently on a Watch and Act status and still out of control. Illawarra residents are advised to 'remain viligent and monitor the situation'. The Picton Road has re-opened.

The weather conditions at Camden airport are currently: winds ENE at 16 kph; 28% humidity; temperature 30.9 degrees. (Weatherzone)

Relief organisations have swung into action and include appeals launched by the Australian Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul Society, Salvation Army and Anglicare. Similar to wartime relief appeals during the First and Second World Wars and others during natural disasters.

Day 4 Balmoral Bushfire 20 October (6.00pm) 

The fire continues to pose challenges for fire authorities this afternoon. According to the RFS website there are 270 fire-fighters tending this fire, which continues to be uncontained. It has burnt over 12,700 hectares and has a Watch and Act status.

While not posing any direct threat to Illawarra residents they have been advised to 'remain viligent and monitor the situation'.

The fire has crossed the Picton Road which remains closed. The eastern edge of the fire is burning adjacent to Cataract and Cordeaux Dams.

Balmoral-Yanderra fire from Appin area (I Willis, 18 Oct, 6.00pm)

Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire 18 October 2013 (6.00pm)

The photo of this fire from the Appin area shows the increased intensity of the fire since this morning. The RFS website states that the fire is uncontained and has burnt over 8,000 hectares. The fire has crossed the Picton Road and is burning along the Macarthur Road area near Wilton. Fire crews have put in containment lines and are untaking considerable back-burning.  The village of Wilton has a meeting at the community hall at 7.00pm.

Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire 18 October 2013 (9.00am)



Balmoral-Yanderra fire from Appin area (I Willis, 18 Oct, 9.30am)

The view of this bushfire from Appin this morning gives some idea of the conditions facing bushfire fighters in the area. The fire was downgraded from Emergency to Watch and Act with the head of the fire now 1.5km east of the Picton Road within the Sydney Catchment Authority. The Picton Road has been closed to traffic since yesterday afternoon and the Rural Fire Service website states that it is likely to remain closed for up to 3 days.

The weather conditions have abated and at 11.00am this morning the wind is currently from the ENE at 9 knots, the humidity has risen to 32% and the temperature is 19 degrees. This is different from the conditions yesterday (17 October) Thursday with a low humidity at 1.30pm of 8% and a maximum temperature of 32.6 degrees. Peak wind gusts at Camden airport recorded at 78kph at 11.30am. (Weatherzone)

Response to the fires

The reporting around the bushfire on the radio and on other media is very similar to wartime (as I outlined below). The fire event is now moving into the relief stage after the emergency in some areas with the Salvation Army swinging into action at the emergency centres, adopting a role it excelled at during wartime. There are reports typical of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appearing in radio interviews amongst victims and fire-fighters. This is a normal experience after a traumatic event  and people feel frightened, sad, anxious and disconnected (www.helpguide.org). These type of reactions were typical of soldiers who have experienced the battle-front during wartime. (Lifeline 13 11 14)

The homefront experience of wartime has been replicated this morning with fundraising appeals being launched by the Salvation Army, one of Australia's oldest and most respected relief organisations.

The communications of the fire have included all sorts of modern media with ABC Radio Sydney 702 turning into a community notice board. There were a number of eye-witness accounts being broadcast live on Thursday afternoon. Reports indicated that the fire-front response in specific localities was confused and out of control. A fire storm situation that was changing quickly by the minute. Very similar to reports of the military front line in the heat of a battle where confusion reigns and there is a lack of control. 

The 4 stages of a disaster - preparation, warning, impact, aftermath - are typical of these bushfires and other destructive events.  

Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfires Give Eerie Driving Conditions 17 October 2013

Smoke causing eerie driving on Mt Ousley Road Wollongong from Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire (K Willis, 17 Oct, 5.00pm)

Smoke causing eerie driving at Picton Road near Mt Ousley Road from Balmoral-Yanderra Bushfire (K Willis, 17 Oct, 5.00pm)

Eerie and surreal driving conditions were created by the emergency bushfires in the Balmoral-Yanderra area. Radio reports constantly give updates of dangerous conditions in the Blue Mountains at Springwood, while conditions deteriorate in the Hunter Valley. There have been losses of houses in the Blue Mountains,while conditions continue to be dangerous for residents of effected areas. 

Warragamba fires 2001

Reports make these fires the worst in the Sydney area since 2001 when Warragamba township was severely impacted. There were many houses lost in the village and elsewhere. The resilience of community spirit is sorely tested under these type of disaster conditions.

Weather conditions

The dry westerly winds, with strong gusts, of both these fire events create difficult weather conditions for fire fighters  on the Sydney rural-urban fringe. Very low humidity (between 8% to 15% today) and high temperature, when combined with the gusty winds, provide a lethal combination for local residents. The rural-urban interface is zone where fire events can have a severe impact on people's lives.  

Environment

Bushfires are a part of the Australian environment and cause dangerous conditions when they impact on urban areas. Aboriginal people managed the Australian environment with fire for thousands of years.

The battleground

The organisation, language and actions of fire-fighting have many similarities to the battlefront during wartime. There is the fire ground, the emergency, command structures, command centres, lethal consequences, civilian evacuation centres, dangerous conditions, the fire front and a host of other similarities. The battle on the firefront and wartime frontline are both unpredictable with authorities trying to maintain containment measures. Both are highly stressful for victims and fighters and put communities under incredible pressures. Both try the resilience of communities and the social networks across those village, towns and suburbs involved on the Sydney's rural-urban edge.

Read more @ Worst bushfires in Australia (Aust Geographic)

1925 Camden Flood

Wet and woolly in a Camden flood 1925

Nepean River

The Perkins family from Cawdor on their way to town in 1925 met the floodwaters of the Nepean River on the Great South Road  (Camden Images/E Perkins)

Floods have always been part of the landscape of the Camden area and this view in 1925 of the Great South Road (Cawdor Road) is no different. Here the Perkins family have travelled from their dairy farm at Cawdor to town. Everyone is dressed up in their finest, women with hats and gloves, while the men are in their Sunday best. The Nepean River is on the far horizon, while the flooded area in the foreground is the Matahil Creek valley on the southern entry to Camden on the old Great South Road. Flooding was a just part of daily life and people just got on with it. The spire of St John's Church is visible on top of the hill, with storm clouds still threatening to bring more rain.

View along Great South Road towards Elderslie from Argyle Street Camden at the Sydney entry to the town. The Camden Railway is on the left and the Cowpasture Bridge and Chinese market gardens are under water in the distance. (Camden Images/Perkins)

To see more of the Perkins photograph collection of Cawdor and surrounds click  here

Camden White Gum- Endangered

Camden White Gums - Endangered

cc Camden White Gum (Wikimedia) 



One of Camden's little known hidden gems is a tree commonly known as the Camden White Gum. This gum tree is named after our local area. It is found along the Nepean River floodplain in the Camden area, as well Bents Basin and the Kedumba Valley in the Blue Mountains. It grows in numbers in these restricted locations but not elsewhere.

Endangered

The species of tree is declared as vulnerable under the Commonwealth Governments endangered species and the NSW threatened species.

History

The flooding of the Burragorang Valley by Warragamba Dam in the 1950s destroyed many trees of the species.

Characteristics

Some individual trees live for over 150 years. Germination of new trees is triggered by floods on the Nepean River which leave a suitable silt deposit for germination of new seedlings.

Threats

These include tree clearing for farming and urban development, increased nutrients in the Nepean River from sewage and runoff, intense bushfires which kill existing trees and weed competition.  

Recovery

In 2020 as part of the New South Wales government's Greening Our City program

The Connecting Camden White Gum project has secured $41,500 to plant 500 genetically diverse Camden White Gum within the Nepean River corridor at Elizabeth Macarthur Reserve and is part of the wider program to plant more than 40,000 trees across Greater Sydney.  (Camden Narellan Advertiser 16 December 2020)

Read more

National Arboretum in Canberra Click here
NSW National Parks Click here

Originally posted 21 April 2016. Updated 17 December 2020.

Kings Bush Nepean River

Kings Bush

King's Bush is the reserve adjacent the river's edge and  is named after Cecil J King, the rector of St John's Church between 1893 and 1927. According to John Wrigley, King kept his horse in the paddock next to the river and swam at the same spot in the river.  Reverand King was a keen sports fan and played for the Camden Cricket Club and was the teams wicket keeper for a number of years. In 1927 he was the patron of the Camden Golf Club  and president of the Union and St John's tennis club. King was ordained at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney in 1887 by the Bishop Barry of the Sydney Archdiocese. (Camden Advertiser 2 June 1949)



Read more  @ John Wrigley, Place Names on the Camden Area, Camden, CHS, 2005.

Information Panels at Kings Bush Reserve

Little Sandy, more than a footbridge and a water view

Public art at Little Sandy

The Little Sandy Bridge has an Aboriginal inspired artwork lining the steps adjacent to the bridge.
Press reports stated that it pays tribute to the Camden Council logo of a platypus and celebrates flora and fauna of the area.

Artist Danielle Mate, who grew up in Camden and has Aboriginal heritage, is pleased with the work.
She consulted, according to reports, the Mygunyah Camden Aboriginal Residents Group before starting the project.

Mayor Symkowiak was reportedly said it was a 'great addition' to the area.

Read more @ Macarthur Chronicle Camden Edition 19 May 2015

New Little Sandy footbridge across Nepean River May 2014 (I Willis)

2014 Opening of Little Sandy Bridge 

The Little Sandy footbridge was officially opened on 4 May 2014 with another community event.

The weather gods were kind, and while there were a cool breeze and an overcast start, the sun came out, and the crowd turned up with families of mums and dads and the kids.

Camden Council organised a family fun day in Chellaston Reserve where there were stalls, a free train ride along the bike track and information stands.

The day opened at 11.00am and wound up in the afternoon at 3.00pm. Camden Rotary provided a sausage sizzle which sold out early in the day. An information stand was provided by Camden Historical Society which was staffed by volunteers John and Julie Wrigley, Bob Lester and Rene Rem, while others turned up later.

This was another community event that has been typical of the popularity of the site for the Camden community.

Little Sandy Footbridge across the Nepean River at Camden c.1950. Diving board in the foreground. (Camden Images)

Little Sandy Footbridge

The new pre-cast concrete 43-metre footbridge at Little Sandy on the Nepean River was completed in April 2014.

Camden Council let contracts for the completion of a new footbridge in September 2013.

The new structure replaced a wooden footbridge that was damaged in flood in 2012. The new footbridge was jointly funded by the council and the state government.

The finished footbridge is part of the Nepean River cycleway that joins Camden with Elderslie, South Camden and Narellan. Local resident Kevin Browne stated in  2012 (Camden Narellan Advertiser 31 July) that:

the bridge was part of the unique attraction of living in a rural area [and] the availability of serene, natural beauty.

After the 2012 damage to the footbridge and its closure, local residents started to campaign for its replacement. This culminated in a community meeting in the mayor's office in August 2013 when 19 local residents attended an information session with the mayor, the Member for Camden,  and the council's general manager and engineering staff.

The original footbridge was constructed in 1943 as a military training exercise by the AMF Engineering Corps stationed at Narellan Military Camp. Camden Council agreed to fund the cost of the materials while the engineers provided the labour (40 men), supervision and vehicles. The original footbridge was 120 feet long and 4 feet wide.

Read more in The District Reporter 17 August 2012.

Little Sandy footbridge over Nepean River at Camden in 1943 (Camden Images)

Little Sandy on the Nepean River at Camden

Little Sandy on the Nepean River at Camden has been concerned local residents in recent times over the re-construction of the footbridge by Camden Council. Little Sandy has been a popular spot with locals for many decades for swimming, picnicking, boating and fishing. It is rich in the memories of local folk played out their childhoods, experienced the pangs of youth and enjoyed time with their families. Today thousands of local residents enjoy the same rituals at Little Sandy on their jaunts along the Nepean River bike path with the friends and family.

 

Nepean River swimming carnival 1917 Little Sandy (Camden Images)

Little Sandy swimming carnivals

In the early 20th century Little Sandy was a favourite swimming spot. In the 1920s the Camden Swimming Club built galvanised iron dressing sheds painted green in an area now known at Kings Bush Reserve.

Swimming became one of Elderslie's earliest organised sporting activities after the Nepean River was dammed in 1908 with the construction of the Camden Weir. Water backed up behind the weir for four kilometres through the Elderslie area and provided relatively deep water suitable for swimming. The Camden Aquatic Sports carnival was organised in 1909 and attracted over 1000 spectators and was the location of the Camden Swimming Club in the 1920s.

The area was divided into Big Sandy, which was a deep hole, near Kings Bush Reserve. About 100 metres upstream was Little Sandy, where the water was shallower. Learn to swim classes were held for a short time and Boy Scouts would go swimming there, according to Milton Ray.

"In the 1950s the area was used for swimming by pupils from Camden Public School', said Len English. 'The girls went with the female teachers to Little Sandy, while the male teachers and boys went downstream to Camden Weir.'

Olive McAleer says 'Little Sandy was a popular spot for family picnics between the 1920s and 1940s'.


The river stopped being a swimming spot when it was condemned because of pollution by medical authorities in the early 1960s. It was replaced by Camden Memorial Swimming Pool in 1964. (P Mylrea, 'Swimming in the Nepean River at Camden', Camden History, March 2006)

Read more @ Ian Willis, 'Elderslie', Dictionary of Sydney, 2008,

Little Sandy footbridge 1943

Little Sandy footbridge over Nepean River Camden in 1943 (Camden Images)

In  1943 military authorities from the Narellan Military Camp were anxious to undertake a practical training exercise for engineers. In September they sought the view of Camden Municipal Council on erecting a footbridge and the council immediately agreed with the proposal.

The council covered the cost of some of the timber so that the bridge remained the property of the council.

The  Australian Military Forces Engineers supplied the labour, supervision, transport vehicles and operators for the transport of stores and construction material.  

The site at the bottom Chellaston Street connected two reserves on either side of the Nepean River. One on the Chellaston Street side and the other at River Road Elderslie.

In late September 1943, 40 troops started building a wooden footbridge 120 feet long and 4 feet wide. Construction took around four weeks and was finished by 28 October.

Observers commented on a 'fine piece of workmanship...that would be much appreciated' by the local community.  (Camden News, 16 September 1943, 23 September 1943, 28 October 1943).

Camden Weir and the aesthetic of a water view

The Camden Weir pondage created an aesthetic water feature that runs through the Camden township. The aesthetic has moral, experiential, spiritual and well-being aspects to it.



The picturesque scene at the Camden Weir on the Nepean River c.1917 (Camden Images)

The Camden Weir was constructed by New South Wales Public Works Department after the completion of the Cataract Dam from 1907. The compensation weir was one of number been built along the Nepean River to safeguard the 'riparian rights' of landowners affected by the interruption of flow to the river, according to John Wrigley.

A riparian right is the ability to take water from the river. The water supply dams of the Upper Nepean  Scheme reduced the flow of the tributaries of the Nepean River, and the weirs were to 'compensate' for the loss of water flow.

The other weirs near Camden were Menangle, Bergins, Thurns, Camden Sharpes and Cobbitty. The weirs were eventually transferred to the management to the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board as part of the Sydney Water Supply system.  

Read more @ John Wrigley,' Nepean River Weirs', The District Reporter 3 August 2001



 Water has a calming effect on the mind and takes the account to a quiet, tranquil and peaceful place. Some say it can dim our internal chatter and calm some people. Water provides a degree of serenity and the purifying effect it can have on the soul.

Water can have a soothing meditative effect on some people. People need to re-charge and re-vitalise in the tranquillity of the environment provided by the calm and serenity of the pool provided by the weir. For others, a visually attractive water feature can also be a source of healing and relaxing in a man-mad environment.

Those that went swimming at Little Sandy had an experiential relationship with the water. Water is used to nourish and replenish man after exertion. Swimming carnivals were a time of community celebration and strengthening community resilience.

The pondage at Littles Sandy also has a scientific value for the marine ecosystem it supports. It supports a range of life from eels, to perch, birds, reptiles and other life. The Little Sandy pondage creates an attractive water feature that circles the township.

The beauty of the scene attracts visitors. The trees along the water's edge provide a frame for the quiet pond. People doing simple tasks like fishing, picnicking, walking and re-engaging with nature on the water's edge.    

The surface of the water is a mirror that reflects the images of the trees and bushes on the water's edge. At dawn on a cold frosty morning, the vapours of the steam rise of the water's surface as the walker's feet crackle under the frozen grass on the water's edge.  

There is a splash as a kingfisher dives into the water after a fish, that breaks the silence of the space. The world disappears momentarily as you sit on the water's edge taking in the serene quiet surroundings of the pond.

Nepean River before the Camden Weir 1900 





Nepean River below Cowpasture Bridge 1900  (Camden Images/CA Poole)





This image of the Nepean River is taken in the vicinity of the Camden Weir. It gives an indication of the degraded state of the river around 1900. Sedimentation, streambank erosion caused by hard hooved animals trampling river banks were evident. These issues were typical of Australia's inland waterways in the late 19th century after extensive clearing of the catchments for forestry, farming and other activities.

Sue Rosen, in her book on the environmental history of the Nepean River, quotes from James Atkinson's 1826  An Account of the State of Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales. Atkinson states that even by the mid-1820s, the river banks were undermined and collapsing into the stream.

There were deposits of sand in the river channel, and clearing practices had caused increased run-off,  accelerated the degradation of the river channel and increased obstruction in the river bed. All evident in the 1900  photograph of the river channel at Camden.

Atkinson felt that the original European settlers had failed to 'improve' the land for farming and that its farming potential had been compromised. The colonists had in Atkinson's terms was unable to fulfil the original objectives of opening up the land and favoured, according to Rosen, 'the cultivation of a landscape reminiscent of British romantic pastoral scenes'.

The earliest reports of the Nepean River date from 1795 and Alan Atkinson's Camden reports that after a wet spring-early Europeans,

David Collins's impression in his An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales (London, 1798) was a picture of

'large ponds, covered with ducks and the black swan, the margins of which were fringed with shrubs of the most delightful tints'. 

After a dry spell, the river at Menangle was reported by George Caley in his 'Report of a Journey to the Cowpastures' (1804, ML) to be 'reduced to a small compass' and the water having 'the foul appearance of a pond in a farmyard'. 

Read more @ Sue Rosen Losing Ground An Environmental History of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment, Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1995.

Alan Atkinson, Camden, Farm and Village Life in Early New South Wales, Melbourne, OUP, 1988.

Kings Bush

King's Bush is the reserve adjacent the river's edge and is named after Cecil J King, the rector of St John's Church between 1893 and 1927. According to John Wrigley, King kept his horse in the paddock next to the river and swam at the same spot in the river.

Reverend King was a keen sports fan and played for the Camden Cricket Club and was the team's wicketkeeper for several years. In 1927 he was the patron of the Camden Golf Club and president of the Union and St John's tennis club. King was ordained at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney in 1887 by the Bishop Barry of the Sydney Archdiocese. (Camden Advertiser 2 June 1949)



Read more  @ John Wrigley, Place Names on the Camden Area, Camden, CHS, 2005.

Chellaston Street and Reserve

Chellaston was a single storey brick residence at 38 Menangle Road built by Camden builder John Peat and used as his family home. Chellaston Street was part of land releases on the south side of the township in the 1920s.

There were several land releases in the area during the Inter-war period including Victory Ave and Gilbulla Ave that run off Menangle Road.

Read more  @ John Wrigley, Place Names on the Camden Area, Camden, CHS, 2005.

Originally posted 29 May 2015. Updated 29 July 2020



Camden Aesthetic

Fun with Flowers

Azaleas add fun with flowers.

Flowers can be uplifting and provide a bright spot in a dull. The local area is in full bloom with street trees, in private gardens and in other locations.

Flowers offer a sense of the new and bright perspective on a dull place—a sense of a new dawn, a new awakening. Flowers give inspiration when you are feeling down in the dumps. Try walking around the streets of Camden and Elderslie and feel inspired and uplifted.

Spring is Sprung

Flowering Plum in Macarthur Road Elderslie (I Willis)

A casual walk through Elderslie at the moment reveals the wonder of the early spring blooms that you get in the local area. The air has been crystal clear after recent rain with no haze. The light has an intensity that any keen photographer would notice and results in great images. The Sydney Basin is usually enveloped in a haze, and it is pleasant to witness the strength of colour that occasionally happens after rain. The crisp morning air just after dawn is invigorating for the soul when joggers and dog walkers are out in force taking in the fresh air.

Voices Soar on High

The first concert of A Maiden Chorus, the St John’s Camden Ladies Choir, was held at the St John’s Church Hall on Saturday night 24 May 2014. Under the direction of talented conductor Genesa Lane, the women put their hearts into several splendid a cappella arrangements drawing on influences from African, Latin, Gospel, contemporary and traditional. The angelic voice of Anneleise opened the 2nd set with a solo, and later numbers were supported by an all-male band composed of keyboard, bass and drums.

Acapella singing traces its influences to the religious music of  Medieval period drawing on  Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Some sources claim the origins of a capella are found in the absence of instrumentation is founded in early forms of worship that were without musical accompaniment.

The night’s programme was lifted with talented local cellist Jonathan Bekes who performed several pieces. Jonathan will tour Italy and Norway with the Estivo Piano Trio in 2014 and will also perform in Verona. 

The concert by A Maiden Chorus was a fundraiser for the Hooper family who are undertaking mission work teaching in Tanzania later in 2014.

A Maiden Chorus is a community-based women’s only choir whose members are from a variety of backgrounds and ages. The current choir has 27 members and started in September 2013 amongst women from St John’s church.  The choir rehearse on Monday nights at the St John’s church hall at 7.30pm. 

Community singing provides distinct benefits for health and well-being. VicHealth commissioned a report called Benefits of group singing for health and well-being conducted by the Wellness Promotion Unit from Victoria University. The reports state that group singing promotes social capital which has positive impacts on physical and psychological well-being. Benefits for individuals can include increased social connectedness, increased sense of belonging, physical and emotional benefits and reduced personal stress.

Read more about the benefits of community singing here.

The Doings of the Platypus 

Camden Council held a platypus information night on Wednesday 21 May 2014 at Narellan Library for residents of Camden, Wollondilly and Campbelltown areas. 

Camden Council’s Natural Resource Projects Officer Tracey Poulter introduced  Dr David Phalen from the University of Sydney to 45 keen residents who listened attentively to a very informative presentation.

Dr Phalen outlined the life cycle of the platypus, feeding characteristics, its habits, its characteristics, local sightings, risks to its well-being and habitat. He explained the territorial nature of the platypus and described the movement of platypus in river systems and how they can move between catchments. 

Dr Phalen reported that over the past 50 years, there have been a host of sightings in the Georges River, Nepean River, Shoalhaven River, Wollondilly River Catchment areas. Platypus was recently sighted in the Georges River catchment, with one specimen caught in fishing line. He concluded that the platypus is not threatened and is quite adaptable to changes in its environment. 

Members of the audience reported their sightings of platypus in the Georges River and the Werriberri Creek. 

Nepean River at Little Sandy Bridge Camden (I Willis)

A tranquil water view

The Nepean River has provided poetic inspiration to many people.

While the river has provided inspiration for paintings, sketches and storytelling for other folks.

The river has been at the heart of Camden’s identity for over a century. The river is an integral part of the social heritage of the history of the district. 

The Nepean River is one element of the area’s intangible cultural heritage. Unfortunately, Australia is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. (Paris, 17 October 2003)

The geography of the Nepean River and its floodplain has shaped the landscape of the area.

The river floodplain is the site of many community celebrations, traditions and rituals and some of the most important is the Camden Show and Anzac Day.

Read more on the Camden Show here. 

Read more on Camden’s intangible cultural heritage and the country town here.

Read more on Camden’s charm as a country town.

Read more of the importance of the Nepean River in the area’s cultural heritage.

A moment in Exeter Street, Camden NSW (I Willis)

The essence of a moment

What have you noticed while out and about? Our local community is such a pretty place. We really are privileged to capture it sometimes. Just take a deep breath and soak up the moment. You look around, and there is a glimpse of something special. A moment when the sun catches the branches of a tree. A moment when a shadow crosses your path. 

One such moment occurred in Exeter Street on the Nepean River floodplain next to the Town Farm. Just another moment in one of Camden streetscapes that visitors come to our community to soak up. These visitors add to the tourism of the area and create jobs in the local businesses that serve them. 

Just as day-trippers have done to Camden for nearly 100 years from the Sydney area. The essence of the day-tripper was the experience of the tourists who visited our community in the 1920s and 1930s—the inter-war period when Camden’s Englishness was its attraction.

Read more about Interwar Camden. 

Attractive flower bed in Oxley Street Camden (I Willis)

Flowers and things

What a wonder a bit of colour does for a drab streetscape. The aesthetic beauty of flowers and green things are a soothing effect on people’s hectic lives. A bright spot in the day. A hit of happiness. A flourish of fun. A corner of quietness.

If you have a moment, have a look in Oxley Street outside Butterflies Florist. The florist, Angela,   has taken time out to plant flowers and different types of greenery in the flower beds opposite her shop. The colour and greenery provide a freshness, a vitality to the otherwise drab urban environment. It generates happiness. Angela said ‘I have planted roses, lavender, sweet william, geraniums, salvia, gazanias, vincas and marigolds’. She has added a burst of sunlight and brightened up a rather dull part of the streetscape in Oxley Street. We need more of it.

This novel and the attractive process has beautified an otherwise colourless streetscape of tarmac and bare brick walls. The flowers make people feel happier, and they smile at you as you walk past them. Butterflies Florist has created a comfortable zone in Oxley Street precinct.

This complements the greenery in other parts of the Camden central business area. The greenery provides a counterpoint to the rush, rush, rush of daily life. Green is a natural colour that has a soothing effect on people’s outlook. By just slowing down a little as you walk past the greenery of a  Camden streetscape, you might lower your stress levels a little.

Other green gems include the shrubbery outside Camden Council’s John Street Entrance which softens an otherwise plain streetscape and heritage office frontage. The greenery provides a pleasant entry to the council chambers adjacent to historic Macaria.

There are also the garden beds along the busy thoroughfare of Argyle Street. The flowers and shrubbery are a touch of authenticity in our ever-increasing artificial environment—a flourish of colour and a bit of nature. A back to basics approaches that there needs to be more of.

Plants are suitable for the soul. They have a calming effect on people. People smile when there are pretty flowers around them. They provide a moment of relief—a moment when people might reflect on other matters. Flowers and greenery can create a tiny therapy space so that they can have a moment of reflection.

There are health and well-being benefits from having plants around people. Plants have a positive effect on people’s outlook and disposition.

The flowers and greenery around the business centre of the town is part of the Camden aesthetic. It is part of the charm and character of the community. It means many things to many people.

Historically it is the desire by some in the community to retain the country town atmosphere based around the ‘country town idyll’ in the face of Sydney’s urban encroachment in and around the town area.

An extension of the ‘country town idyll’ is a desire by some who want to retain the rural atmosphere in the community.

It is reflected in the open space, the urban parks, the rural vistas, the bucolic countryside and the desire of many newcomers to find a spot where ‘the country looks like the country’.

Read more about the ‘country town idyll’.

Read more about the charming town of Camden.

Read about the Camden Dreamtime

Originally posted 30 January 2015. Updated 31 July 2020.

Camden Town Farm

Camden Community Garden (image by Steve)

Summer at the Community Gardens

The Camden Community Garden provides benefits to the local Camden community. It is located on the Exeter Street frontage and being close to the local produce markets venue has given the gardens a great connection with the overall site. The alluvial soils of the Nepean River together with many years of dairy cattle grazing have proved a bonus for the establishment of a garden. The unique platypus shape layout reflects the Council logo and community aim for environmental sustainability, as well as the unconfirmed sightings on the Nepean River.

Read more @ http://www.camdencommunitygarden.blogspot.com.au/

Weddings and more at Town Farm

Wedding at Camden Town Farm January 2015

The Camden Town Farm is now available for weddings, functions and other events.

The farm is located on the former dairy farm owned by local identity Llewella Davies. Miss Davies lived opposite the farm in Exeter Street and would be regularly seen around the town area.

The farm is located on the picturesque Nepean River floodplain adjacent to the town centre fronting Exeter Street on the north-western side of the township.

The Camden Produce Markets are held on a regular basis next to the community gardens.

Camden Community Gardens

The Camden Community Gardens are on the Camden Town Farm on the edge of the Camden Town Heritage Precinct. They are located on the Nepean River floodplain with extensive river frontages. The adjacent Town Farm hosts community markets, food festivals, concerts, fishing competitions and a host of other events. The rustic farm shed which dates from the early 20th century has recently been sensitively restored. 

Garden plots with a friend

Community gardening is an ever increasingly popular pastime. The Camden Community Garden at Llewella Davies Town Farm is one of these in our local area.

The Camden Community Garden started in 2009. In 2011 Camden Council employed a project officer to co-ordinate the garden project.

It currently has around 70 active members who tend their own plots.

The Old Dairy

Old Dairy at Community Garden (S Cooper)

Adjacent to the garden  is the old dairy building from Llewella Davies farm. It is a vernacular construction using traditional bush craftsmenship typical of pre-First World War period. The stalls in the dairy were used for hand milking dairy cows on the farm before it was mechanised sometime after the Second World War.

The dairy building was built by one of Camden's bush carpenters who were practical men. They placed their mark on the district and were amongst the first in the Camden area to erect farm buildings. They were also responsible for erecting post & rail fences that were scattered across the farming landscape. One example is to be found in the community garden.

For more information about the Camden Community Garden click here

 

Cumberland Plain Woodland, Sydney's natural heritage

Cumberland Plain Woodland (cc Wikimedia)

What good is Cumberland Plain Woodland you might ask?

The early settlers in the Sydney Basin might not have understood the ecology of the Cumberland Woodland but they knew good farming country when they saw it. John Macarthur understood the potential of the good grazing country on the Nepean River floodplain.

The cows that escaped from the Sydney penal settlement found their nirvana in Cumberland Woodland managed by the Dharawal people in the Cowpastures.

Elizabeth Macarthur Onslow saw the importance of the Cumberland Woodland in 1905 when she insisted the mature specimens with the bounds of Macarthur Park be preserved when she gifted the park to Camden township.

It is clearly shown in the Appin district on Sydney's rural-urban fringe, where the Woodland comes up against the Sydney sandstone communities.

Just east of Appin the colonial settlements of the early 1800s stopped. Why? Sydney sandstone is terrible farmland. Better to use the clay soils of the Cumberland Woodland.

There are the clay soils of the Cumberland Woodland between Appin and Campbelltown and a host of land grants handed out to would-be yeoman farmers from about 1813.

These colonial land grants created a pseudo-European cultural landscape of smallholder farms on the colonial frontier. There was a conflict between the Dharawal and the Europeans that resulted in the Appin Massacre of 1816.

There are surviving remnant patches of Woodland at Beulah, a Hume family property, now owned by the Sydney Living Museum and at Noorumba Reserve at Rosemeadow.

One important stand that has had recovery work is at The Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan.

Cumberland Woodland (ABG)

Cumberland Plain Woodland in Serious Trouble



Cumberland Woodland Mt Annan (cc Blogger/A Koskela)

Extent

The Cumberland Woodland is found on clay soils derived from Wianamatta Group geology of Sydney's Cumberland Plain. Where once it covered over 100,000 hectares it is a mere skerrick of its former glory.

Today Cumberland Woodland barely covers 6,000 hectares of Sydney's Cumberland Plain. That is less than 6 per cent of the original area.

The Woodland is indigenous to the Camden, Campbelltown and Wollondilly Local Government Areas and the catchments within them including the Nepean River and South Creek.

Critically Endangered

In New South Wales under the Threatened Species Conservation Act the Woodland proposed to be listed as critically endangered. The Woodland is highly fragmented across the Cumberland Plain.

Threats

The Woodland is under threat from clearing, fire and grazing associated with urban development, industry and farming. Invasive weed infestation is a major problem in remnant Woodland.

One common weed is African Olive which escaped from the gentry estates of the Camden district in the 1820s where it was introduced as a hedging plant and rootstock for olives.

 

Common Species

Grey Box, Forest Red Gum, Narrow-leafed Ironbark, Grey Ironbark, Narrow-leaved Stringybark, Spotted Gum and Black Wattle.

 Best Viewing

The best viewing in the local area is at The Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan.

More reading

NPWS, Cumberland Plain Woodland Fact Sheet, Endangered Ecological Community Information,  2004.

Originally posted 1 September 2013. Updated 8 August 2020.