Macquarie Towns Explained

Macquarie Towns or the Five Macquarie Towns is the collective term for the towns of Castlereagh, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor, all located on and around the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia.^[1]

All five towns were established in December 1810 by Governor of New South Wales Lachlan Macquarie. Macquarie established the towns on higher ground following serious flooding of the Hawkesbury River the previous year.^[2] This was important as the area provided the fledgling colony of New South Wales with half its annual grain requirements.^[3]

External links

• Extract from Macquarie's diary detailing his establishment and naming of the five towns.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Macquarie Towns. The Macquarie Era. State Library of New South Wales. 30 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110112155625/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/macquarie/governor/towns.html. 12 January 2011. dead.
2. Web site: Pitt Town. Australian Heritage Directory. Heritage Australia Publishing. 30 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110220080906/http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php?state=NSW&region=6&view=466. 20 February 2011. dead.
3. News: Windsor. 30 January 2011. Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004.