Welcome to: Berkshire Park NSW, Australia

Community Profile

Bus Services

Cemeteries

Child Care Services & Child Care Centres

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

Halls

Health Services

Social Issues

Population

2006 Census of Population and Housing 

* The high proportion of males living in this suburb relates to the John Molony Correctional Centre, housing male inmates.

Economic/ Land use profile

Prisons: John Morony Correctional Centre is a minimum security facility for men. In June 1999, the long-planned expansion of the John Morony Correction Centre was granted in the State Government budget. A $42M minimum security women's prison for 300 placements will be built on the present men's prison site.

Landscape Profile

Urban Bushland In Western Sydney: Proceedings of a Seminar held at Werrington Campus, University of Western Sydney, March 23rd 1991. First published in Australia 1992, by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, 39 George St., Sydney 2000. Copyright Nature Conservation Council of NSW.

The Native Vegetation Of Western Sydney

Castlereagh Woodland
by D. H. Benson, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. This paper is drawn largely from our recent books on Sydney vegetation, Benson & Howell (1990) and Benson & McDougall (1991).

Penrith City Remnant Native Vegetation Survey  - Site Inventory Berkshire Park. There are 5 sites specifically in this suburb.

Geology

Flora & Fauna

Species Common for Berkshire Park: Eucalyptus fibrosa / E. parramattensis / E. sideroxylon / Acacia ulicifolia / Grevillea juniperina / Themeda australis / Aristida ramosa / E. scierophylla / Angophora bakeri / Melaleuca decora.

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 Berkshire Park from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing see Population section above.

Origin of the place name - Berkshire Park

Officially gazetted by Penrith City Council in 1971, the rural village of Berkshire Park is named after the original grant of land in the area. Richard Rouse (1774-1852), a free settler with considerable land holdings throughout New South Wales, including grants at North Richmond, Bathurst, Gulgong, Warren and Wellington, obtained this 320 acres in 1838. In 1828, it was estimated that Rouse owned 10,000 acres, ten years before he acquired "Berkshire Park". He arrived in Australia in 1801, aged 26 with his wife and two small children. On "Berkshire Park", Rouse built a ten-roomed cottage for his daughter Mary and her husband Jonathon Hassall. "Berkshire Park" was situated on the junction of Richmond Road and South Creek. It is thought that the name came from the county in England of the same name, as Richard and his wife were married in the town of North Hincksey in Berkshire the county adjacent to Oxfordshire in which he lived.

Other Historical Links

• Penrith City e-history

Historical Timeline

Bibliography

For more information on Berkshire Park:

Geographical

• Urban Bushland In Western Sydney: Proceedings of a Seminar held at Werrington Campus, University of Western Sydney, March 23rd 1991. First published in Australia 1992, by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, 39 George St., Sydney 2000.

Historical

• Bowd, D. G., Hawkesbury Journey, Library of Australian History, 1986.
• 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.
• Parr, Lorna, A History of the Nepean and District Street Names, Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1990.
• Stacker, Lorraine Pictorial history: Penrith & St Marys , Kingsclear Books, 2002.  
• Stevenson, Colin R., Place Names and their Origins within the City of Penrith, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1985.