Camden, New South Wales
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Camden Sydney, New South Wales |
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 Camden
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| Coordinates | 34°03′16″S 150°41′45″E / 34.05444°S 150.69583°ECoordinates: 34°03′16″S 150°41′45″E / 34.05444°S 150.69583°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 3,244 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1840 | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2570 | ||||||||||||
| Location | 65 km (40 mi) south-west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Camden Council | ||||||||||||
| Region | Macarthur | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Camden | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Hume | ||||||||||||
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Camden is a historic town, south-west of Sydney, New South Wales, located 65 kilometres from the Sydney central business district. Camden is the administrative centre for the local government area of Camden Council and is a part of the Macarthur region.
The area now known as Camden was originally at the northern edge of land belonging to the Gandangara people of the Southern Highlands who called it Benkennie meaning 'dry land'. North of the Nepean River were the Muringong, southernmost of the Darug people while to the east were the Tharawal people. They lived in extended family groups of 20–40 members, hunting kangaroos, possums and eels and gathering yams and other seasonal fruit and vegetables from the local area. They were described as 'short, stocky, strong and superbly built' and generally considered peaceful. However, as British settlers encroached on their land and reduced their food sources, they turned to armed resistance which ended in 1816 after many of their number were massacred.
Explorers first visited the area in 1795 and named it 'Cowpastures' after a herd of cattle that had disappeared was discovered there. In February 1805, Governor King instructed (apparently reluctantly) a surveyor to measure 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) for John Macarthur at Cowpastures, where Macarthur had been promised land by the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, Lord Camden. Macarthur named his property Camden Park in honour of his sponsor.
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