Welcome to: Mulgoa NSW, Australia

Location: Where is Mulgoa?

Mulgoa, New South Wales Australia, is located south of the suburbs of Regentville and Glenmore Park within the City of Penrith. The Nepean River runs along its western boundary with the village of Wallacia located to its south. The suburbs of Kemps Creek and Orchard Hills run along its eastern border. Mulgoa today has gone full circle, from the early farming, vineyards and orchards, to the guest houses of the first part of the twentieth century, it is now an area of extensive hobby and general farming, with some tourist through traffic. The twin villages of Mulgoa and Wallacia add value to the City of Penrith because they retain strong connections with the early pioneers who initially settled the area.

33 49' S 150 39' E

Bus Services

Cemeteries

• Cemetery Services in the Penrith Local Government Area. In the City of Penrith there are three cemeteries managed by Penrith City Council. They are Penrith, St Marys and Emu Plains.

Child Care Services & Child Care Centres

• Current information on Penrith City Councils Childrens Services and Moblie Playvan schedule

Churches

Halls

Health Services

Newspapers

• Mulgoa Valley Gazette: PO Box 121, Mulgoa, 2745.
  Ph: (02) 4773 8974

Schools

Social Surveys

Population

2006 Census of Population and Housing

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Copyright in ABS data resides with the Commonwealth of Australia. Used with permission.

NA: These figures are not yet available.

For more data on Mulgoa (or any other areas in New South Wales) from the 2006 Census, please use the Australian Bureau of Statistics website or Profile.id on Penrith City Council's website.

Recreation

Sport

Economic/ Land use profile

Shopping Centres

• Mulgoa Shopping Centre: Mulgoa Road, Mulgoa Village.
  Fort Ron Real Estate: (02) 4773 8470
  Hair Line: (02) 4773 9908

Landscape Profile

• Remnant Native Vegetation Survey

Geography/Geology

The Penrith Region is situated physiographically in the Cumberland Lowlands. The geological formations are known as the Middle Triassic Wianamatta Group. This group consists of two formations, the Ashfield Shale and the overlying Bringelly Shale. Ashfield Shale consists of laminite and dark grey to black siltstone. Minchinbury Sandstone often separates Ashfield and Bringelly Shales and consists of fine to medium-grained quartz lithic sandstone. All sit on the Hawkesbury Sandstone which includes the Mittagong Formation.

Quaternary alluvium occurs along the major water courses and varies depending on the distance material has been transported; however it generally consists of silty-clayey sands and gravels. Tertiary sediments overlie the Wianamatta Group in some areas. Londonderry Clay, Rickabys Creek Gravels and the St. Marys Formation all derive from sandstone and clay. The Bringelly Shales are the most dominant and consist of shale (claystone and siltstone), carbonaceous claystone, laminite and fine to medium lithic sandstone.

This well-drained area has a number of creeks which cut across it, generally flowing northwards. They cross an area of low hills and gently undulating plains.

The soil landscape groupings vary from suburb to suburb depending on the physiographical influences which have occurred – e.g. residual, erosional, fluvial, aeolian/alluvial, or disturbed.

Geology

Wianamatta Group – Ashfield Shale/Bringelly Shale formations. Between the two is
Minchinbury Sandstone.

Soil Classification

Luddenham – an erosional soil grouping which occurs mainly to the south and west of the Cumberland Lowlands. Shallow soils, with high soil erosion potential and low to moderate fertility.

Historical profile

Aboriginal History

The Mulgoa Valley marked an important boundary between two major clans – the Dharug from the plains and the Gundungurra from the mountains. These clans were separated, not only by the valley, but also linguistically. The Mulgoa Valley was used by both clans. Groups travelled along it to attend ceremonies, to barter foodstuffs, and, especially during periods of drought, as a source of food and water. As the Nepean River was a permanent water supply the lands in close proximity to the river could always be relied upon to provide food reserves. The Mulgoa area saw numerous bloody encounters between the European and Aboriginal inhabitants of the area, especially during periods of drought, when food supplies were scarce. However, it appears that the clashes were between the Gundungarra clans and the Europeans, rather than the Mulgoa band of the Dharug clan, which remained peaceful.

For more general information on the Dharug people please see The Dharug Story by Chris Tobin (Penrith City Library collection 994.004 DHA). It is also available online. For information on the Aboriginal population of Erskine Park from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing see Population section above.

Origin of the place name - Mulgoa

Unlike many of the suburbs in the Penrith area, Mulgoa has an Aboriginal, rather than a European derivation. It is thought to sound similar to the Aboriginal word meaning black swan. The area was opened for European settlement in 1810 – the first grant of 300 acres being made by Colonel William Paterson- after Governor William Bligh’s departure – to Edward, the four year old son of William Cox, the man later responsible for supervising the building of the first road over the Blue Mountains in 1814-1815. This grant was confirmed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on his arrival in the Colony. Several more large grants were made to other members of the Cox family, including William himself, George and Henry.

The Cottage built by William for his sons and their tutor in 1811, and later used by his sons before their own homes were built, still stands, and is one of the oldest homes remaining in the Penrith area. The Mulgoa Valley became, for a period, the architectural showpiece of the Colony, with the homes of the numerous members of the Cox family, the Nortons and others being consistently of a grand nature.

Historical Timeline

Historic buildings & places

Assumed to have been erected around 1810-1811 for Captain William Cox. Brick and stone building with shingled roof. Source: Penrith City Library Photographic Collection

St Thomas Anglican Church, Mulgoa, built in 1839, Source: Penrith City Library Photographic Collection

Winbourne, front view. c1920s. Source: Penrith City Library Photographic Collection

Bibliography

For more information on Mulgoa:

Environmental

• Bannerman, S.M. & Hazelton, P.A. Soil Landscapes of the Penrith 1:100000 Sheet
• Penrith City Council, Local Environmental Study - Mulgoa and Wallacia Villages, Penrith, 1984.
• Penrith City Council, Mulgoa & Wallacia Rural Villages Study, Penrith, 1999.
• Penrith City Council, Draft Mulgoa & Wallacia Rural Villages Strategy, Penrith, 1999.

Historical

• Mulgoa! Mulgoa! Where is that? - a General History of Mulgoa, Mulgoa Progress Association, 1988.
• Murray, Robert and White, Kate Dharug & Dungaree: The History of Penrith and St Marys to 1860, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1988.
• Nepean District Historical Society, From Castlereagh to Claremont Meadows: Historical Places of Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1997.
• Stacker, Lorraine, Pictorial History: Penrith & St Marys , Kingsclear Books, Alexandria, 2002.
• Stevenson, Colin R., Place Names and their Origins within the City of Penrith, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1985.
• Stickley, Christine, The Old Charm of Penrith, 2nd ed., the author, St. Marys, 1984.