Lost memories, and lost landscape. The effect of rapid change on the Colonial Houses and estates of South Western Sydney.
Sydney is under immense pressure from all levels of government to expand into greenfield sites to house the city's rapidly increasing population. Growth that will see the city grow by 1.7 million inhabitants in just 20 years. From 5.07 million now to more than 7.4 million by 2040.The area of Sydney that will take the brunt of this massive expansion over the next 20 years will be the growth areas of South-Western Sydney and the Macarthur region. Incorporating the Local Government Areas of Campbelltown, Camden, Wilton and Wollondilly. An area of between 70km and 100km south of Sydney’s Central Business District. To accommodate this growth, 725,000 new homes will have to be constructed. Much of the region, although this is rapidly changing, is still is predominantly rural land carrying the state’s top agricultural land use classification. It still provides much of the city’s vegetable production and up until the 1980s, most of the city’s milk supply. It’s even the main catchment area for Sydney’s principle water supply, Warragamba Dam.This region also contains the largest collection of colonial homes, churches, government buildings and farm steads in Australia. Many constructed between 1809 and 1840. Many designed by Australia’s first architects including; John Verge, Francis Greenway, Henry Kitchen, John Watts and Mortimer William Lewis. In the Macarthur region alone there are over 91 listed properties. Many listed on the Federal and New South Wales Government registers, as buildings and landscapes of national and state significance.The agricultural land around Camden and Menangle is the birthplace of Australian agriculture. It’s where the First Fleet cattle were found in 1795, seven years after escaping from Sydney Cove. And the site of John Macarthur’s first merino flock, at Camden Park. But if all levels of government have their way, by 2040 the majority of the region’s existing rich agricultural and historical landscape will be consumed forever. Buried under hundreds of thousands of of MacMansion like houses, dozens of business parks, mega shopping centres, a spaghetti of motorways, and Sydney’s second airport at Badgery's Creek.So before it all disappears, take this colonial house discovery tour, and your camera, enjoy yourselves and capture what will soon be just lost memories and lost landscapes.
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