St Clair, New South Wales

St Clair Sydney, New South Wales
St Clair Shopping Centre
St Clair
Coordinates	33°47′55″S 150°46′57″E / 33.79861°S 150.78250°E / -33.79861; 150.78250Coordinates: 33°47′55″S 150°46′57″E / 33.79861°S 150.78250°E / -33.79861; 150.78250
Population	19,837 (2011 census)
Established	1981
Postcode(s)	2759
Location	39 km (24 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Penrith City Council
State electorate(s)	Mulgoa
Federal Division(s)	McMahon
Suburbs around St Clair: St Marys Colyton Minchinbury Orchard Hills St Clair Erskine Park Orchard Hills Erskine Park Erskine Park

St Clair is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 39 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. St Clair is within view of the Blue Mountains.

St Clair takes its name from a residential housing development established in 1970. The current St Clair Post Office opened on 17 March 1981.

Traditionally, the area was inhabited by the indigenous Dharug people. By the year 1816 however, the Dharug people had been decimated by clashes with settlers and by contracting diseases brought to the area by Europeans. As time progressed, the traditional culture declined as it did across the entire continent and they became increasingly dependent on the settlers for their survival. Although they had always maintained a camp on or around the Mamre estate (which is found adjacent to St Clair, in the suburb of St Marys the Rev. Samuel Marsden now sought to encourage them to work in exchange for food and clothing.

The area was formerly part of a larger area named South Creek. It was later, unofficially, known as South St Marys, with the southern section being named Erskine Park. The original site of St Clair was once part of Chatsworth Nursery, a branch of Darling Nursery, which had been established in 1827 during the reign of King George IV. The owner Thomas Shepherd developed an irrigation system utilizing water from Eastern Creek and a large portion of the area was covered with Camelia orchards. The nursery, known for its camellias, was moved to Colyton and existed until the end of the 19th century. The area remained largely rural until a new housing development in the 1970s.