Luddenham

Location: Where is Luddenham?

Luddenham, New South Wales Australia, is located in the most southern corner of the City of Penrith. It is a sparsely populated rural district. The pretty little village of Luddenham is split between two local government areas, Penrith and Liverpool. The east side of the village, east of the northern Road is situated in Liverpool City, while its western side is within Penrith. Luddenham has a western boundary with Wallacia and an eastern boundary with Kemps Creek. The Sydney Water pipeline is its northern boundary while its southern boundaries are Elizabeth Drive and the Northern Road. Luddenham has a picturesque rural setting combining a rural lifestyle with the convenience of major roads connecting Penrith, Liverpool and Camden.

33 56′ S 150 45′ E

Schools

Aboriginal History

The Mulgoa Valley marked an important boundary between two major clans – the Dharug from the plains and the Gundungurra from the mountains. These clans were separated, not only by the valley, but also linguistically. The Mulgoa Valley was used by both clans. Groups travelled along it to attend ceremonies, to barter foodstuffs, and, especially during periods of drought, as a source of food and water. As the Nepean River was a permanent water supply the lands in close proximity to the river could always be relied upon to provide food reserves. The Mulgoa area saw numerous bloody encounters between the European and Aboriginal inhabitants of the area, especially during periods of drought, when food supplies were scarce. However, it appears that the clashes were between the Gundungarra clans and the Europeans, rather than the Mulgoa band of the Dharug clan, which remained peaceful.

Origin of the place name – Luddenham

John Blaxland, elder brother of the more famous Gregory, received a grant of 6710 acres on 30 November 1813, which he named Luddenham. The property, which was situated between South Creek and the Nepean River, was named after the family property in Kent, England.

The Blaxlands had originally been encouraged to emigrate to NSW by Sir Joseph Banks, who recognised the need for experienced farmers with plenty of capital to invest. The policy developed by Governor Macquarie in his term of office, of granting large land grants to the wealthy was also designed with this in mind. Initially however, under Governor Bligh the grants of land to the Blaxlands had been much smaller, and both John and Gregory had numerous disagreements with the Governor. They were therefore, strong opponents of Bligh at the time of the Rum Rebellion.

The property was chiefly used to graze and breed dairy cattle, though grapes and some other crops were grown. The Blaxlands were the first Australians to export wine. John did not live on the property but employed others to oversee and work this land. Among those employed were German and Swiss families brought out to Australia especially to work in the vineyards. Many descendants of these families still live in the area.

The village of Luddenham, straddling this original property, grew with the provision of a school in 1860, a store and the Thistle Inn. Those who settled in the area were generally horse or cattle breeders, farmers or orchardists. The area remains rural, despite some recent subdivision and residential development.

Historical Timeline

Historical

• Murray, Robert and White, Kate Dharug & Dungaree: The History of Penrith and St Marys to 1860, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1988
• Nepean District Historical Society, From Castlereagh to Claremont Meadows: Historical Places of Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1997.
• Stacker, Lorraine Pictorial history: Penrith & St Marys, Kingsclear Books, 2002.
• Stapleton, E. South Creek – St. Marys – From Village to City St. Marys. St. Marys Historical Society. 1983.
• Stevenson, Colin R., Place Names and their Origins within the City of Penrith, Penrith City Council, Penrith, 1985.
• Stickley, Christine, The Old Charm of Penrith, 2nd ed., the author, St. Marys, 1984.