Mount Druitt
| Mount Druitt Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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| Population | 16,986 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2770 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 43 km (27 mi) west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Blacktown | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Blacktown | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Chifley | ||||||||||||||
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Mount Druitt suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mount Druitt is located 43 km west kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown.
There are numerous encompassing, smaller suburbs nearby including Bidwill, Blackett, Whalan, Tregear, Willmot and Emerton.
History
Major George Druitt (1775 - 1842) was granted 2,000 acres (8 km²) in the area by Governor Macquarie. He named his grant, where he died in 1842, Mount Druitt. [2]
Rail services to Mount Druitt commenced on 19 August 1881. The railway station operated as the post office between 1885 and 1918. Electric train services to Mount Druitt commenced in 1955, at a service presided by then Premier of New South Wales, Joseph Cahill.
In 1982, Queen Elizabeth II opened the 200-bed Mount Druitt Hospital. The hospital was opened following significant fundraising and political agitation from the local community due to perception that the community was unable to access medical services at either Blacktown or Nepean Hospitals. It was announced in June 2006 by local member Richard Amery that the hospital would be expanded by a total of 10 beds. [3]
In 1996, Year 12 students at Mt Druitt High School were deemed by the Daily Telegraph to have failed the HSC. Subsequent to this story being published, The Australian Press Council upheld a number of complaints regarding the article [1], based on there not being a system of awarding pass and fail marks for students undertaking the HSC, and a class action for defamation was won against the publishers.[4]. As a result of this courtcase the publishers issued a retraction and apology [2]
In April 2006, the Attorney General's Department of New South Wales opened a new court house at a cost of AUD 12 million. This was to become the first metropolitan area courthouse to utilise 'Circle Sentencing', with aims to reduce over representation of Indigenous Australians in custody.[5] [6]
Commercial Area
Westfield Mount Druitt is the major shopping centre, located on the corner of Carlisle Avenue and Luxford Road, both major roads in the area. There is another shopping precinct called Mount Druitt Village. Other services such as a hospital, council-operated swimming pool and library are all located close to the railway station.
Government Services
Mount Druitt is serviced by the following agencies:
- New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority
- New South Wales Police
- New South Wales Fire Brigades
- New South Wales Health - see Mount Druitt Hospital
- New South Wales Attorney General's Agency - a AUD 12,000,000 courthouse was opened on 26 April 2006[3]
- Centrelink
- TAFE
Transport
Mount Druitt railway station is located on the Western Line of the CityRail network. It is a busy interchange between bus routes operated by the private Busways and Westbus transport companies, and the CityRail network.
Mount Druitt is close by to the M4 Western Motorway and Westlink M7 Motorway, providing ready access to all areas of Sydney. The 2001 City of Blacktown Social Plan noted that Mount Druitt residents are significantly more likely than the average Blacktown resident to not have access to a private car.
Population
Demographics
The 2001 City of Blacktown Social Plan identified that a high portion of Mount Druitt residents are migrants from non-English speaking nations, and that they tend to work in Blue collar jobs.[7] The majority of housing in the Mount Druitt area is under State Government/Dept of Housing ownership or mortage arrangement.[7]
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mount Druitt (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Mount Druitt". Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ Laura Cencigh (2006-06-14). "Funding boost for Mt Druitt Hospital". Mt Druitt-St Marys Standard. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ Lesley Branagan (2005-10-02). "Class Act - No Longer Failures" (readio transcript (html)). ABC Radio National. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ "Mount Druitt Court opens". Attorney General's Department of New South Wales. 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
- ^ Erin O'Dwyer (2005-10-16). "Court circle of shame helps beat black crime". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ a b WESTIR Ltd (2003). "The 2001 City of Blacktown Social Plan" (PDF). City of Blacktown. Retrieved 2006-08-26.
