Welcome to: Emu Plains NSW, Australia

Community Profile

This profile is a snapshot of the suburb of Emu Plains as a community.

Community Services

Aged Care

• Edinglassie Retirement Village: Cnr Great Western Highway and Emerald Street, Emu Plains, 2750.
  Ph: (02) 4735 3266; Email: edinglas@ozemail.com.au

Bus Services

• Blue Mountains Bus Co. Phone: (02) 4751 1077. All timetables are included as well as other travel details.

Cemeteries

• Emu Plains General Cemetery :
  This cemetery is accessed through either Short or Nixon Street and lies on a knoll overlooking the Western Railway Line. The cemetery incorporates the churchyard of St Pauls Anglican Church. The original section was located to the east of the Church. In 1967, the whole cemetery was handed over to the administration of Penrith City Council. The most notable burial is that of Toby and Mary Ryan. Toby was a grandson of First Fleeters Anthony and Elizabeth Rope. Nepean Family History Society  transcribed this cemetery in 1994.

Child Care Services & Child Care Centres

• Current information on Penrith City Councils Childrens Services and Moblie Playvan schedule
• Emu Village Before and After School Care: Old Emu Plains School, Lawson Street, Emu Plains 2750.
  Ph: (02) 4735 4511.
• Emu Plains Kid's Place: 4 Lawson Street, Emu Plains, 2750.
  Ph: (02) 4735 4233.
• Leap Ahead Preschool: 45 Sheppard Road, Emu Plains, 2750.
  Ph: (02) 4735 5741.
• Mud Puddles Cottage: Great Western Highway, Emu Plains, 2750.
  Ph: (02) 4735 7733.

Churches

Halls

Health Services

• Penrith Council conducts immunisation clinics for all childhood vaccinations including Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Meningitis. Adult vaccinations for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, Mumps and Rubella are also available.
• Medical Services for the Penrith City Local Government Area.

Neighbourhood Centres

Newspapers

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

Public Libraries

Schools

Social Clubs

Cultural Services

Galleries & Museums

This art gallery was formerly the home and workplace of artists Margo and Gerald Lewers. The permanent collection is an important survey of the development of Modernism in Australian art from the early 1930s to the late 1970s. The collection focuses on abstraction and is represented by the Lewers and their contemporaries, including artists such as Ralph Balson, Yvonne Audette, Carl Plate, Frank and Margel Hinder and Tony Tuckson. The Gallery has three distinct exhibition spaces - a large purpose built gallery; the original homestead (c1900); and Ancher House, a fine example of domestic architecture from the 1960s. It is set on two acres of garden overlooking the Nepean River.

In 1976, the Nepean District Historical Society opened a Museum in the Arms of Australia Inn. This building dates back to 1841 and possibly earlier. It was an important stopping place for coaches and travellers on their way over the Blue Mountains and especially those going to and from the gold fields. The building was acquired by Penrith City Council and restored by members of the Society with Council and Government funding.

Societies

The Society aims to promote and encourage the study of Australian history and in particular the history of the Penrith City Council area: to disseminate information on the history of the area through lectures, discussions, excursions, exhibitions and with the compilation of booklets; to attempt to secure the retention and preservation of buildings and sites of historical significance.

The aims of the Society are to provide the family historian in the Nepean area with better access to genealogical records and related reference material. The Society helps members research their family history by providing a resource Library, knowledgeable guest speakers at monthly general meetings, quarterly journal Timespan and bimonthly newsletter Bullytin.

Population

• For a detailed statistical analysis and community profile (includes results from the 2001, 1996 and 1991 Censuses of Population and Housing) from id Solutions: Emu Plains
• Summary analysis below from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing

• The high proportion of females living in non-private dwellings in this suburb relates to the Emu Plains Correctional Centre, housing female inmates.
• The high proportion of aged people in this suburb relates to the Edinglassie Retirement Village.

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 preliminary data on Emu Plains (or any other areas in New South Wales) from the 2006 Census, please contact Penrith Library Research Services (02) 4732 7886, or call in to Penrith City Library Civic Centre 601 High Street Penrith, NSW 2750.

Recreation

Arts & Crafts

Clubs & Pubs

Picnic Facilities

These facilities are available with barbeques, toilets, shelter sheds and picnic tables:

Other parks in Emu Plains:

Sporting Groups

For information on local sporting groups consult the Recreation Guide which is compiled and updated annually by the staff of the Recreation and Cultural Services Department of Penrith City Council.
Ph: (02) 4732 7586.

Emu Plains Sporting & Recreation Club Ltd.: Leonay Parade, Leonay, 2750.
Ph: (02) 4735 5300. This club supports and has a sub clubs for:

Travel Accommodation

Economic/ Land use profile

Bridges:

Victoria Bridge from the beer garden, Log Cabin, 1928.
Source: Penrith City Library Collection

The Emu Plains industrial area is generally located west of the Nepean River and north of the railway line. The area is characterized by extractive-related activities and larger manufacturing industry such as concrete pipe construction and paper products. Because of the area's visibility from elevated residential areas provisions have been made to ensure appropriate screening of industrial activity. Penrith City Council, Consolidating Plans for Penrith's Existing Industrial Employment Areas: Penrith Local Environmental Plan, 1994 (Industrial Lands), Penrith Development Control Plan 1994 (Industrial Lands), 1994.

Industries

Businesses

BHP House Framing: Lot 1 Russell Street Emu Plains, 2750. Ph: (02) 4720 1900

Boral Concrete & Quarries Ltd. : Railway Street Emu Plains 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 2998

Boral Montoro Pty Ltd.: McKellar Street Emu Plains, 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 2444

Cess Hill Excavating & Earthmoving Equipment: Russell Street, Emu Plains, 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 4333

Husky Motorcycle Imports Pty. Ltd.: Cnr of Russell Street & Pullman Place, Emu Plains NSW 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 4610

Paal Kit Homes : 113-115 Russell Street, Emu Plains, 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 4377

Rocla Pipeline Products : Old Bathurst Road, Emu Plains, 2750. Ph: (02) 47355100

Texcrete (Aust) Pty Ltd:  19 Bromley Road Emu Plains NSW 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 6477

Winnebago Industries: PO Box 420, 32 David Road Emu Plains, 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 8116; Fax: (02) 4735 8070

 

Restaurants

 

Dynasty Chinese Restaurant: 71 Great Western Hwy, Emu Plains, NSW 2750 Ph: (02) 4735 5810

Emu Plains Sporting Club: Leonay Pde, Emu Plains, NSW 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 5300.

Jimmy's Steakhouse: 19 Great Western Highway, Emu Plains, NSW, 2750 Ph: (02) 4735 5656

McDonald's Family Restaurant: Old Bathurst Rd & Russell St, Emu Plains, NSW 2750 Ph: (02) 4735 7406

The Chinese Spice House Restaurant: Gt Western Hwy, Emu Plains, NSW 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 5933.

Ping Kun Thai Restaurant: Great Western Hwy, Emu Plains, NSW 2750. Ph: (02) 4735 3482.

Shopping Centres

Lennox Centro: Great Western Highway Emu Plains: with 37 shops including Woolworths, Emu Plains Travel and ALDI

Sheppard Road street shops.

Emu Plains Centre: Corner of the Great Western Highway & Station Street.

 

Prisons

• Emu Plains Correctional Centre is a minimum security facility for women.

Railways

• The Western Railway Line passes through Emu Plains. The Emu Plains Railway Station is on the Blue Mountains Line: Timetable

Roads & Streets

Although the Great Western Highway cuts through Emu Plains, most through traffic uses the M4 motorway, south of the suburb. The Great Western Highway is used as a major local thoroughfare.

Russell Street named after Captain William Russell who married Sir John Jamison's daughter. This street is a major connecting road between Old Bathurst Road and the M4 Motorway.

Old Bathurst Road the second road built over the Blue Mountains to Bathurst replacing Cox's original road. Built by convicts, this road connects to Mt Riverview in the Blue Mountains.

Nepean Street was part of the original Cox's Road over the Blue Mountains.

Punt Road was the western access to the punt (ferry) across the river before the bridge was built.

Beach Street named after William Beach, a sculler from Dapto, who in 1884 raced and beat world champion Edward Hanlon on the Nepean River.

Government House Drive</span> named after the Government House (later Dungarth) which was located close by and demolished in 1973.

Forbes Street named after Sir Francis Forbes who was granted land nearby.

Mortimer Street was named after John Mortimer who was licensee for the Arms of Australia Inn

Sheppard Street named after R.M. Sheppard who owned an orange orchard at Emu Plains.

Westbank Avenue named after the home (still in Nepean Street) of the Sheppard family.

Imperial Avenue named after a new variety of mandarin developed by Sheppard.

Landscape Profile

Remnant Native Vegetation Survey - Blue Mountains Escarpment (Emu Plains). There is one site located in this suburb.

Historical profile

Aboriginal History

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 Emu Plains from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing see Population section above.

Origin of the place name - Emu Plains

Emu Plains is located on the west side of the Nepean River extending to the foot of the Blue Mountains. Part of this name (i.e. "Emu") is thought to have originated with the sighting of emus there when the country was first explored by Europeans in the late 1700's. A survey map of 26th August 1790 has the annotation "saw three cassowaries" marked near the ford. Early explorers often confused emu with cassowary. The locality was first known as "Emu Island" - the name thought to have originated with Captain Watkin Tench (1758?-1833), who first explored the region.

In Government Orders of 16 July 1814, Governor Macquarie referred to "Emu Plains (hitherto erroneously called Emu Island)", which officially heralded the area's change of name. And again in October 1814, George Suttor  in his correspondence with Sir Joseph Banks, mentioned that the name Emu Plains had recently been changed from Emu Island. Up to this date the area had obviously been thought of as an island. The reason for this can possibly be explained by a contemporary observer, Barron Field (1786-1846), Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Field noted that Emu Plains had been called "Emu Island" because the plains had, at times, been turned into an island by the "washing of the mountains when the Nepean ......flooded". Another more recent explanation (offered by the late local historian and resident Arthur W. Street) claims that the name Emu Island originated because the Nepean River was divided near Emu Ford, thus forming an island. The island, Mr. Street claims, has slowly disappeared through constant excavation of gravel for building purposes. A further resolution of the confusion is detailed in the book Emu Plains by Joan Steege, where she explores all the divergent theories regarding its naming.

Governor Macquarie established a government farm at Emu Plains in 1819. Here convicts cleared the land and grew wheat, maize, tobacco and other crops for thirteen years. Land was not available for private settlement until the early 1830's, when a town named Emu was surveyed.

On 25 October, 1963, the Emu Plains area was transferred from the Blue Mountains City Council to Penrith City Council.

Other Historical Links

• Penrith City e-History
• An Abbreviated Industrial History of the Penrith Region
• Walkabout Australian Travel Guide: Gives a nice historical overview of Emu Plains.
• Emu Plains tourist information
• History Highway Inns.
• Lachlan Macquarie: Tour to the New Discovered/ Country 1815.
• Penrith City Council: Heritage Study (2007) on Emu Plains

The alluvial flats immediately flanking the Nepean River were often used for widespread orchard growing in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century, especially at Emu Plains. Emu Plains also had extensive dairy farming and grape growing before residential development occurred. Source: Phillips, H., Historic Blue Mountains, 1813-1938 .	Sun-kissed oranges growing on the banks of the Nepean River, Emu Plains.
Aerial view of Nepean River and Victoria Bridge looking south, c1935. Note orchards on right hand side at Emu Plains. [LCPH S13] Penrith City Library Photographic Collection

Historical Timeline

1789	26 June	Captain Watkin Tench set out to explore western-most parts of the colony
1790	26 August	Tench & Dawes explored the Nepean river and 'saw three cassowaries' - a precursor to naming Emu Plains.
1806	12 September	Proclamation by William Bligh to prohibit crossing of the Nepean River.
1808	8 July	Rebel Governor, Major Johnston, issued a land grant at Emu Plains to his son.
1813	20 November	Surveyor Evans set out from Emu Plains to explore inland
1814	18 July	William Cox began construction of the road over the Blue Mountains.
1815	14 January	William Cox completed first road over the Blue Mountains from Emu Plains to Bathurst.
1815	26 April	Governor Macquarie's tour over the Blue Mountains
1818	4 January	James 'Toby' Ryan born at Castlereagh, well known Emu Plains and Penrith identity
1819	11 September	Proclamation to set up a convict Agricultural Establishment with Richard Fitzgerald as Superintendent.
1822	22 April	Scotsman Lieutenant Peter Murdoch appointed Superintendent of the convict farm at the resignation of Fitzgerald.
1823	24 March	Tenders called for toll collector at Emu Ferry.
1824	December	Alexander Kinghorne appointed Superintendent of the convict farm at the resignation of Murdoch.
1825	16 May	First performance held at the convict theatre of Barissa or the Hermit Robber, The Farce of the Mock Doctor or the Dumb Lady Cured, and the favourite Bombastes Furioso.
1826	February	James Kinghorne took over from his father as Superintendent at the farm.
1826	6 October	Land grant to Francis Forbes, Chief Justice of the colony of 120 acres at Emu Plains (now Leonay) which he named Edinglassie.
1829	10 September	Superintendent at Wellington Valley, John Maxwell became Superintendent at Emu Plains and Superintendent of Government Stock for the colony.
1831	August	Superintendent at Grose Farm and Longbottom government farms, James Smith appointed as Superintendent at Emu Plains.
1832	20 May	Village of Emu was laid out by the Government Surveyor
1832	31 August	Emu Plains Convict farm officially closed.
1832	1 October	David Lennox appointed to work on "Lennox Bridge"
1841	8 June	First licence of Arms of Australia Inn granted to John Mortimer
1845	13 August	Government land was sold to Michael Hogan
1848	8 November	St Paul's Church School opened
1857	25 July	Bridge over Nepean River washed away in flood
1863		Methodist Church built using the stones from Edinglassie house
1864	19 February	Mary Ryan died at Emu Hall and is buried at St Paul's Cemetery, Emu Plains
1867	17 June	First passenger train crosses Victoria Bridge
1868	August	First railway station opened called Emu on south side of Old Bathurst Road
1872	16 August	St. Paul's Church of England consecrated
1873	19 May	Eliza Bisset appointed as postmistress at Emu Ferry
1878	30 January	Emu Plains Railway disaster. A Katoomba train carrying kerosene shale collided with the up train
1880	circa	Quarry site opened on alluvial gavel pit on a bend of the Nepean River at Emu Plains
1885	20 March	The town of Emu was proclaimed
1886	22 November	A new railway station building and stationmaster's residence opened
1887		A Telegraph Office opened at the railway station using Morse code
1896		The Telegraph Office converted to a Telephone Office
1899	17 October	James 'Toby' Ryan died at Woolloomooloo and was buried at Emu Plains. He was a well known Emu Plains & Penrith identity
1907	2 June	New Railway Bridge opened over Nepean River. Victoria Bridge becomes road traffic only.
1914	December	Emu Plains prison farm commenced
1929	4 January	St. Paul's Church Rectory was destroyed by fire. All church records lost.
1930	9 April	Armed robbery of the Emu Plains train of $9,400.
1934	21 Dec	Melrose Hall opened. Named after C.J. Melrose a famous aviator of the time
1956		Electrification of the railway line between Penrith and Emu Plains.
1963	29 May	Nepean High School opened.
1963	25 October	Emu Plains transferred from Blue Mountains Council to Penrith City Council.
1973	11 October	Official opening of F4 Freeway Bridge over Nepean River.
1976	27 March	Arms of Australia Inn opened as a museum.
1980	3 July	Old Emu Plains Post Office destroyed by fire (formerly the Australian Arms Inn)
1982	15 October	Edinglassie Retirement Village opened
1982	14 Dec	Lennox Bridge reopened for traffic after major restoration
1986	28 January	McCarthy Catholic Senior High School (now McCarthy Catholic College) took in its first students

Historical Maps; Street directories

* Emu Plains was within the Blue Mountains Council area until 1963

Source: MAP 111 Gregory's Street Directory of Sydney & Suburbs, Sydney, 1955

Bibliography

For more information on Emu Plains:

• Search Penrith City Library's Ipac Catalogue : Main Search.
• Search Penrith City Library's Ipac Catalogue under Local Area Search for items on Emu Plains. 
• Search Penrith City Library's Penrith in Pictures Image Database for photographs on Emu Plains.

Cultural

• Hickey, Denise, Gerald and Margo Lewers: Their Lives and their Work, Grasstree Press, Mosman, 1982.

• Synnot & Wilkinson and Recyclers of NSW, Paper and Glass Recycling Plant, Emu Plains: Environmental Impact Statement, the authors, October 1995.

• Morris, L. and Davies, E. Community Services Needs of Emu Plains, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1981.

• Currey, C.M. Sir Francis Forbes, the First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1968.
• Gyford, George, Australian Arms Inn, Old Post Office, Emu Plains: Report, Nepean District Historical Archaeology Group, Penrith, 1984.
• Gyford, George, Emu Plains Old and New Police Stations, Nepean District Historical Archaeology Group, Penrith, 1981.
• Gyford, George, A History of the Emu Plains Railway Station 1868-1984, Nepean District Historical Archaeology Group, Penrith, 1984.
• Kohen, J.L., An Archaeological Re-Appraisal of the Jamison's Creek Site Complex, Emu Plains, the author, November 1984.
• Long, Michael Reminiscences of a district veteran: Mr. Michael Long, JP Lambridge: an account of early days in the Nepean district, ed. by Colin Stevenson. Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1984.
• Murray, Robert and White, Kate Dharug & Dungaree: The History of Penrith and St.Marys to 1860 , Hargreen Publishing, 1988.
• Nepean District Historical Society, From Castlereagh to Claremont Meadows: Historical Places of Penrith City Council, Penrith,1997.
• Parr, Lorna, A History of the Nepean and District Street Names, Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1990.
• Parr, Lorna, Penrith Calendar, Nepean District Historical Society, 1987.
• Parr, Lorna, Penrith City Library Oral History Project, 1997.
• Stacker, Lorraine, Chained to the Soil on the Plains of Emu: A History of the Emu Plains Government Agricultural Establishment 1819-1832, Penrith, 2000.
• Stacker, Lorraine Pictorial history: Penrith & St Marys, Kingsclear Books, 2002.  
• Steege, Joan Emu Plains (2nd ed.) Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1977.
• Steege, Joan and Eardley, Gifford, Emu Plains & thereabouts, Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1980.
• 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.