At the 2016 census there were 157,006 people in the Campbelltown local government area, of these 49% were male and 51% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.8% of the population; 30% more than the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9% and 2.8% respectively. The median age of people in the City of Campbelltown was 34 years, which is significantly lower than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 11.8% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 47.1% were married and 87% were either divorced or separated.[1]
Over the 10-year period between the 2001 census and the 2011 census, the population of the Campbelltown Local Government Area increased by a recorded total of 673 people (0.46% increase in population over 10 years) from 145,294 people to 145,967 people. During that 10-year period the population had decreased by 1.53% at the 2006 census, and experienced a population increase of 2.02% over the subsequent five years to the 2011 census. At the 2016 census, the population in the Campbelltown Local Government Area increased by 7.56%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8%, population growth in the Campbelltown Local Government Area was slightly below the national average.[3][4][5] The median weekly income for residents within the Campbelltown Local Government Area was generally on par with the national average.[1]
Selected historical census data for Campbelltown local government area
Campbelltown City Council is composed of fifteen councillors elected proportionally as one entire ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent council election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:[6]
Campbelltown was founded in 1820, named after Elizabeth Macquarie née Campbell,[12] wife of the then GovernorLachlan Macquarie. The town was one of a series of south-western settlements established by Macquarie at that time; the others include Ingleburn and Liverpool.
Campbelltown Council was originally incorporated on 21 January 1882.[13] The present boundaries of the City of Campbelltown were largely formed in 1949, following the amalgamation of the Municipalities of Ingleburn (incorporated in April 1896) and Campbelltown, as part of a rationalisation of local government areas across New South Wales following World War II. Campbelltown was presented with its own coat of arms in 1969. The coat of arms were based those on the arms of the Campbell family in Scotland.
Campbelltown was designated as a satellite city and a regional capital for the south west of Sydney in the early 1960s in the Sydney Region Outline Plan, prepared by the Planning Commission of New South Wales. There was extensive building and population growth in the intervening time and the government surrounded the township with areas which were set aside for public and private housing and industry.
Campbelltown was declared a city on 4 May 1968 by the Hon. Pat Morton, Minister for Local Government and Highways. That same day saw the arrival of the first electric train to Campbelltown from Sydney.
As a city, Campbelltown honoured the 1st Signals Regiment (now the 1st Joint Support Unit) with the medieval custom of the Freedom of the city. The mayor, Alderman Clive Tregear, wanted to recognise the contribution to the units based at the Ingleburn Army Barracks. The regiment marched through Campbelltown until it got transferred to Queensland in the 1980s.[citation needed]
The principle access roads to and from Campbelltown are:
Appin Road and The Hume Highway to the south;
Narellan Road to the west; and
The Hume Highway and Cambridge Avenue to the north.
There is no direct eastern road access.
As a fast-growing regional centre, road infrastructure has yet to catch up with the historically strong population growth. Areas of greatest concern include congestion on Narellan Road,[35][36] numerous road fatalities on Appin Road and the inadequate causeway over the Georges River at Cambridge Avenue, Glenfield.[37]
Rail transport corridor
Campbelltown is served by trains on the Sydney suburban rail network (Sydney Trains), with railway stations:
Festival of Fisher's Ghost: Held annually in the Campbelltown CBD every November. Campbelltown's biggest Festival and one of the longest running Festivals in Australia, dating back to 1956. Featuring 10 days of family fun with more than 30 events, including a grand parade of community groups a street fair, music gigs and fireworks.
Ingleburn Alive! Festival: Held annually in Oxford Road in the Northern suburb of Ingleburn in March. Free entertainment, rides and family activities, usually followed by a firework display in Milton park.
Riverfest, held annually in August in Koshigaya Park, to raise awareness of the city's local environment and cultural diversity.
