Mt Vernon

Location: Where is Mt Vernon?

Mt Vernon, New South Wales, Australia is located in the south east corner of the City of Penrith. Kemps Creek forms its northern and western boundary with Mamre Road providing a boundary on its west along with Kemps Creek. The City of Fairfield is to its east. Mt. Vernon is a sparsely populated rural neighbourhood adjoining Kemps Creek on the edge of the City of Penrith. It is an undulating hilly suburb with spectacular views to the Blue Mountains ensuring high scenic qualities of the area. It is a secluded rural area within the City of Penrith providing a close community atmosphere for its residents. A high visual sensitivity classification was incorporated in local government planning of this area with development not approved which would degrade its viewscape.33 51′ S 150 48′ E

Postcode: 2178 Population: 1192 (2016 Census) Distance from Sydney: 40 km NW
Area: 6.54 km2 or 654 ha Density: 0.54 people per ha Mt Vernon NSW on Google Maps

Residential Development

At the end of 1989 Penrith City Council exhibited a draft local environmental plan for the rural areas of the City. As a result Council investigated the appropriateness of subdividing Mt Vernon down to one hectare allotments. There are 133 allotments within the Mt Vernon estate ranging from 2 ha to 5 ha. As a result of this residential development existing roads were upgraded to facilitate increased traffic flow.

Roads

  • The Appian Way
  • Capitol Hill Drive
  • Cressy Road: possibly named after the Battle of Cressy in France.
  • Elizabeth Drive: dates back to the early 1800s and was originally a ‘corduroy’ road, made from round logs. It was built as an access road to the land grants in the area – Luddenham, Bringelly, Mt Vernon. It became an important boundary between the Parishes of Claremont and Cabramatta and the councils of Penrith and Liverpool. Elizabeth Drive has had at least two name changes. It was originally called Orphan School Road as it ran from the Orphan School in what is now Bonnyrigg, to Mulgoa. The name was later changed to Mulgoa Road and then in honour of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1963 to the area it was changed to Elizabeth Drive.
  • Kerrs Road: possibly named after the Kerr family who lived nearby.
  • Mamre Road is the major thoroughfare from St Marys to Elizabeth Drive and on to Liverpool. Named after Rev. Samuel Marsden’s property Mamre.
  • Mt Vernon Road: Named after Anthony Fenn Kemp’s property of the same name.

Creeks

  • Ropes Creek: – This creek cuts through Mt Vernon and the Capitol Hill Estate across Capitol Hill Drive.

Origin of the place name – Mt Vernon

Mt Vernon takes its name from one of the two parcels of land on South Creek granted to Anthony Fenn Kemp (1773-1868). The largest, granted in 1820 was of 500 acres (Parish of Melville) and was named Mt Vernon, presumably after George Washington’s home in Virginia in America. While the other, granted in 1810, was of 300 acres and is in both the Parish of Melville and Cabramatta, straddling Elizabeth Drive and Mamre Road).

Historical Timeline

1810300 acres granted to Anthony Fenn Kemp
1820500 acres granted to Anthony Fenn Kemp and named Mt Vernon
18947 SeptemberKemps Creek Public School removed from Liverpool’s jurisdiction to St Mary’s
190828 MarchNepean Times correspondent reported the district ‘could not look better – grass everywhere and crops growing amazingly
190828 MarchA report in the Nepean Times stated that a ghost had haunted Kemps Creek Bridge for many years
190829 AprilFoundation stone laid by Mrs F. W. A. Downes for St Andrews Church at Kemps Creek
1962JanuaryElectricity supply connected
1963Mulgoa Road changed name to Elizabeth Drive in honour of Queen
Elizabeth’s visit
19944 FebruaryMt Vernon rezoned for rural residential developmen

Historic People & Places

Anthony Fenn Kemp
(1773-1868)

Soldier and merchant. He was born in London, the son of Anthony Fader Kemp and Susannah Fenn. He travelled to the United States and France before arriving in Australia as an ensign in 1795 as part of the NSW Corps. From 1795 to 1797 he served on Norfolk Island being promoted to lieutenant. In 1801 he was promoted to captain. In 1802 he married Elizabeth Riley, daughter of Alexander Riley. Kemp leased land on the corner of George and King streets where he built a shop outside the Barracks gate and charged high prices for his goods. Kemp was one of the more militant officers and was involved in attacks on Governor King’s administration and was in the vanguard of those who arrested Governor William Bligh on 26 January 1808. After a series of economic upheavals Kemp successfully applied to settle in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) and where once again he made his mark as a grazier and merchant. He died at Sandy Bay a wealthy man in 1868 at the age of 95 and was buried at St George’s Church of England cemetery.

Source: Kemp, M. C. ‘Anthony Fenn Kemp’, in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume two, London, MUP, 1967.
Kemp, M. C. & Kemp, T. B. ‘Captain Anthony Fenn Kemp’, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol. 51, 1965.

Bibliography

For photos and more information on Mount Vernon, search Penrith City Library’s catalogue using an All Resources search.

Environmental

  • Penrith City Council, Mt Vernon Development Control Plan , 1992.
  • Penrith City Council, Mt Vernon Estate: Section 94 Contribution Plan, May 1995.
  • Soilconsult, Mt Vernon Urban Capability Study, June 1992.

Historical

  • Murray C Kemp & Therese B Kemp, ‘Captain Anthony Fenn Kemp’, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol 51, pt 1 (March 1965).
  • 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.
  • Parr, Lorna, A History of the Nepean and District Street Names, Nepean District Historical Society, Penrith, 1990.
  • Parr, Lorna, Penrith Calendar, Nepean District Historical Society, 1987.
  • Stacker, Lorraine, Pictorial History: Penrith & St Marys, Kingsclear Books, Alexandria, 2002.
  • Stacker, Lorraine Penrith: The Makings of a City (Halstead Press, 2014)
  • 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.