History of Our Region

The first inhabitants of the Macarthur were the Dharawal (or Tharawal) and the Gandangara aboriginal people. They are known to have been in the Macarthur for at least 20,000 years before European settlement in 1788. Some believe they were here for 40,000 years before 1788. The indigenous people hunted near, moved around and depended upon the local rivers, the Georges, the Nepean and the Wollondilly rivers. The rivers provided life and were extremely important even for a time after the advent of European settlement.

On 6 June, 1788, less than 5 months after the first fleet arrived in Sydney Cove, six African Cape cattle brought with them escaped into the wilds. An unfortunate convict in charge of them named Corbet disappeared also but returned later to face the gallows for other robberies. He knew nothing of the whereabouts of the cattle. In 1795 they and their progeny, now 61 in number, were sighted in the Macarthur at a place then called cowpastures, near present day Camden. On 18 November, 1795 the recently appointed Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of the colony, Governor Hunter, travelled to what is now Menangle and saw the herd which had crossed the Nepean. To safeguard the herd the Governor decreed that the Nepean was to be the western limit of European settlement and so it remained for some years. The Governor thought the area was the most fertile he had seen. Obviously the cattle shared this view.

For more than 50 years the Macarthur has been well know for it's Fishers Ghost Festival held in November each year. It is based on a legend concerning the disappearance of a local farmer, Fred Fisher, in 1826. For full details of the legend look here.

The name Macarthur is for John Macarthur, a notorious soldier/settler. He established the wool industry in Australia and was involved in most significant events in the early colony, including the Rum Rebellion. For more details of his life in the colony see this wikipedia entry.