Traditional Owners

The original inhabitants of Liverpool City were the Cabrogal Aboriginal people.

Settlement history

European settlement dates from 1810, with people settling along the Georges River and in the Holsworthy region. Land was used mainly for farming, wine growing and market gardening. Liverpool was the first free planned settlement of Australia, with the population numbering just over 2,000 in 1841. Growth increased after the opening of the railway in 1856. The population was nearly 4,000 in 1901, growing to over 12,000 by 1947 and to 30,000 by 1960. Significant growth occurred in the 1960s when the Green Valley Housing estate (comprising the suburbs of Ashcroft, Busby, Cartwright, Heckenberg, Miller and Sadleir) was established. The population continued growing rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, to become 98,000 by 1991. Rapid development continued in the 1990s, with the City’s population growing more than anywhere else in New South Wales, taking more than 13% of Sydney’s growth between 1991 and 2001, rising to a total of nearly 154,000 in 2001. Growth during the 1990s was largely in central Liverpool and the suburbs to the west of central Liverpool (Casula, Cecil Hills, Green Valley, Hinchinbrook, Horningsea Park, Hoxton Park, Prestons and West Hoxton), with growth also in the eastern suburb of Wattle Grove. The population continued to grow during the early 2000s, reaching nearly 205,000 by 2016, with growth largely from urban release development and redevelopment in established areas. Growth from the early 2000s continued in central Liverpool and the suburbs of Casula, Hoxton Park, Prestons and West Hoxton, with more recent growth also in the western suburbs of Edmondson Park, Elizabeth Hills and Middleton Grange, and the eastern suburbs of Holsworthy, Moorebank and Warwick Farm. Population growth is expected to continue.

Land use

Liverpool City is a rapidly growing residential area with substantial industrial, commercial and rural areas. The City encompasses a total land area of 305 square kilometres, including extensive military training facilities in the Holsworthy area.

Transport

Liverpool City is served by the Hume Highway, the South Western Motorway, Westlink (M7) and the Campbelltown, East Hills/Airport, Cumberland and Bankstown railway lines.

Major features

• Major features of the City include the Georges River,
• Chipping Norton Lakes,
• Holsworthy Barracks,
• Holsworthy Military Reserve,
• Warwick Farm Racecourse,
• Sydney International Shooting Centre,
• Western Sydney Parklands,
• Bents Basin State Conservation Area,
• Leacock Regional Park,
• Gulguer Nature Reserve,
• Kemps Creek Nature Reserve,
• Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre,
• Liverpool Hospital,
• TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute (Liverpool and Miller Colleges),
• University of Wollongong (South Western Sydney Campus),
• Western Sydney University (Liverpool City Campus),
• The University of Sydney (John Bruce Pye Farm and Wolverton Farm),
• Westfield Liverpool Shopping Centre,
• Liverpool Plaza Shopping Centre and the Liverpool CBD.

Included areas