The Oaks, New South Wales
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The Oaks New South Wales |
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The Oaks Post Office in 1890
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| Population | 2,439 (2011 census) |
| Established | 1820s |
| Postcode(s) | 2570 |
| Location | |
| LGA(s) | Wollondilly Shire |
| State electorate(s) | Wollondilly |
| Federal Division(s) | Hume |
The Oaks is a town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia in Wollondilly Shire on the south western edge of the Sydney Basin. The Oaks is located 76 kilometres (47 mi) south-west of Sydney via the Hume Highway, 13 kilometres (8 mi) west of Camden and 290m above sea-level. At the 2011 census, The Oaks and the surrounding area had a population of 2,439 people.
Despite a long-standing economic dependence upon coal mining and despite the urban development inspired by its proximity to Sydney, The Oaks has essentially remained an attractive semi-rural district.
The area was once part of the traditional land of the Tharawal people prior to colonisation, whose territory stretched from Botany Bay in Sydney down to Jervis Bay on the south coast, and into Burragorang in the ranges. The area was fiercely contested between the Tharawal and the Europeans, particularly between 1812 and 1816, culminating in a massacre at Cataract Gorge. A group of the Gandangara people near Appin were caught by Macquarie's troops while they were sleeping. At least fourteen Aboriginal men, women and children were killed. On Macquarie’s orders, the bodies of two of the men were hung in trees as a warning to others.
Introduction of European diseases had a great effect on the Aborigines of the area. The Tharawal and the Gandangara eventually moved into the area around The Oaks. Members of both tribes ended up working for the Europeans in the 1920s when they were placed on reserves and their children forcibly removed until the practice ceased in the 1960s.
The Oaks was called simply "Oaks" until 1895. An expedition was undertaken in 1795 which included Governor Hunter and George Bass, due to the sighting of some cows which had strayed from the Government Farm at Farm Cove. The herd had increased from 8 to around 40 and the area they were found in was then named "Cow Pasture Plains". Until 1822, it was forbidden to settle in the region although it was noted as being an excellent area for cultivation as a succession of governors sought to protect the herd from exploitation or molestation as an investment in the colony's future. John Warby was appointed Superintendent of Wild Cattle at the Cowpastures in 1803 and by 1806 was also a Constable in the district; acted as a guide on a number of exploring parties and expeditions. Warby was the first to explore the Oaks region. A botanist by the name George Caley explored the area between 1802 and 1804. He penned the name "The Oaks" due the predominance of She-oaks in the area.
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