Campsie, New South Wales

Campsie Sydney, New South Wales
Anglo Road Mall, Campsie
Population	21,218 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	2194
Location	13 km (8 mi) south-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Canterbury-Bankstown Council
State electorate(s)	Canterbury
Federal Division(s)	Barton Watson
Suburbs around Campsie: Belfield Croydon Park Ashbury Belmore Campsie Canterbury Kingsgrove Clemton Park Earlwood

Campsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is thirteen kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the large commercial and administrative centre of the Canterbury-Bankstown Council.

Campsie was named after the Campsie parish in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

Indigenous Australians lived in this area for thousands of years. In 1770, the land along the Cooks River was explored by officers from HM Bark Endeavour.

In the early days of European settlement, the land in this area was mostly used for farming. The southern parts of Campsie were part of the Laycock estate, that extended to most of Kingsgrove. The area between South Campsie and the Cooks River was known as the Redman estates. John Redman was granted 100 acres (40 ha)} in the 1812 and he later purchased the area to the east, which was a land grant of 200 acres (81 ha) to Thomas Capon in 1817.

The railway was completed in 1895, encouraging suburban development and leading to the area becoming heavily populated. The line passed through the Campsie Park estate which was owned by the Anglo-Australian Investment Company. A large wooded area was cleared for the construction of the station on Beamish Street. The first post office opened in April 1900 and the public school opened in 1908.

The earliest model suburb in New South Wales was Harcourt, between Canterbury and Burwood, developed by William Phillips from 1889. The 200 acres (81 ha) was covered in scrub and inhabited by wild birds. The land was cleared and the streets were called avenues on the model of New York City. Although the suburb no longer exists, the Harcourt name remains as a locality and is reflected in the name of Harcourt Public School on First Avenue.