Review of Environmental Factors - Camden Valley Way Upgrade and Liz Kernohan Drive Extension (Final) - Flipbook - Page 635
portions of the properties to tenants who were required to clear forested land, cultivate it and provide the
landlord a portion of the crop (Liston 1988: 41 – 42; Biosys 2010:23).
By the mid-1870s wheat was no longer a viable or lucrative crop for the region9s farmers, owing to the
effects of rust (Liston 1988: 73). From this period onwards, the growth of feed crops became more
common, to provide for the increasing number of dairy farms. Rural activity became concentrated in the
village of Camden. There were weekly livestock auctions, the annual agricultural show and the provision of
a wide range of services. The town soon proved to be the centre of law enforcement, health, education,
communications and other services.
2.1.2 Subdivision and Development
A road from Sydney to Liverpool was opened in 1814 and was soon extended further south through to
Appin. To begin with, it was just a cleared dirt track (Liston 1988: 11). The road through Campbelltown to
Appin had been built in 1815 and was then maintained by convict road gangs. However, the road
deteriorated quickly in poor weather. The road from Liverpool to Campbelltown was very hilly and poorly
designed. The alternative southern route was the old Cow pastures Road further to the west. (Liston 1988:
53) In 1827 the Cow pasture Bridge was built at Camden. A new road across Hovell9s estate linked
Campbelltown with the Cow pastures Road and the bridge (Liston 1988: 53). By 1832 Campbelltown had
become a small village, set among farming country (Liston 1988: 33).
Traffic on the Cow pasture Road declined after 1836, when the road to Liverpool moved to the east
(Perumal Murphy August 1990: 12). In 1836 the town of Camden had been surveyed on part of the
Macarthur property (Wrigley 2001: 10). Before the establishment of this town, the rural properties in the
area were developed as almost self-contained communities (Wrigley 2001: 11). Camden soon eclipsed
Narellan as the main centre of the district. In c.1843 the District Council of Camden-NarellanCampbelltown-Picton was formed, but it was short-lived (Wrigley 2001: 22). In 1889, the Municipality of
Camden was incorporated (Wrigley 2001: 22). The railway through to Campbelltown was opened in 1858
(Liston 1988: 71). (Biosys 2010: 24)
After the First World War, much of the area was subdivided to create hobby farms and small poultry farms,
including
