A Little Bit of history

In 2022 Wollondilly Shire recognises the bicentenary of Bargo, Picton and Tahmoor, three towns that were beyond the limits of legal colonial settlement until 1821. Although there is evidence of European settlement from the early 1800s, there are tens of thousands of years of indigenous history preceding this and the local indigenous communities’ influence continues through the colonial period until today. 

The earliest records of Europeans in the area date back to 1795 when white settlers followed the First Fleet’s straying cattle. In 1821 there were still only 36,000 Europeans in the colony.  Convicts made up around 40% of the colonial population until the 1820s when free settlers began to occupy most of what is now rural New South Wales. 

Since the beginnings of the three towns, as with many regional towns in Australia, the development of transport and infrastructure have been key in the growth of these towns. The development of the Great Southern Road, which later became the Hume Hwy, and the Canberra to Sydney rail line, saw an injection of development into the towns with the changes and growth readily visible as we look at the historic maps. Many of the historic buildings in the area, many of them now heritage listed, developed along those arterial rail and road routes. The Cobb & Co coach company also travelled through the area. Not far from Bargo, the development of the Nepean and Avon Dam’s were also significant in the growth of these towns.  

The original inhabitants of the Wollondilly area were the Gundungurra, Dharawal and Darug peoples whose living culture can be traced back tens of thousands of years. During the early colonial years in the Macarthur region, between illness and massacre the local indigenous population was significantly impacted. Descendants still live locally and we invite local elders and members of the indigenous community to tell their stories of the three towns.