Richmond, New South Wales

Richmond is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Richmond is located 63 kilometres north-west of Sydney in the Local Government Area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. It is 19 metres above sea-level and a latitude 33° 35' 54" South and longitude 150°45' 04" east. It is 53 km in a direct line, and about 65 km by road from Sydney. It is adjacent to Windsor.

History
The Darug people were the native people to the area in 1788. The area was originally explored by British settlers in 1789 and was known by the colonialists as 'Richmond Hill'. This name was given by Governor Phillip, in honour of Charles Lennox, the third Duke of Richmond who was Master General of Ordnance in the Pitt administration. The local area was the third area to have European settlement in Australia after Sydney and Parramatta. The first 22 settlers came to the area was settled in 1794. They came to farm a total of 30 acres (121,000 m²) in modern day Pitt Town Bottoms to help overcome the desperate need for good farming land and food in the new colony. By 1799 this region was producing about half the grain produced in the colony.

The Battle of Richmond Hill took place in May or June 1795 between the Darug people and the European settlers. It is perhaps the first time that the colonial authorities sent in the troopers and expressly stated their intent to 'destroy' the whole local Aboriginal population of an area.

Around 1811 Macquarie established five Macquarie Towns in the area. They are Windsor, Richmond, Castlereagh, Wilberforce and Pitt Town. One of the early settlers, James Blackman, built Bowman Cottage from brick nog, a common construction technique in the colony, using money borrowed from William Cox. The house was constructed between the years 1815 and 1818. James was unable to pay his debts and was forced to sell the property to George Bowman. The building was restored by the NSW Public Works Department.

During WWII the RAAF operated a top secret operations bunker which was located somewhere in the suburb of Richmond. The bunker was either semi or completely underground. The location of this bunker is unknown. It has been reported that this bunker was identical to the Bankstown Bunker which is currently buried under a public park in Bankstown. It has also been reported that this bunker could still be intact.

Geography
The expansion of the Sydney suburban area has almost reached Richmond and it is now considered to be an outer suburb of Sydney. Bells Line of Road which leads into, over and across the Blue Mountains, finishing in Lithgow, starts in Richmond. Richmond railway station is the terminus of the Richmond branch of the Western Line of the CityRail network.

Hawkesbury Agricultural College was established in Richmond, in 1891 as the first agricultural college in New South Wales. In 1989 the college was incorporated into the University of Western Sydney.

RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force base at Richmond which was established in 1923. The air base is currently the home to the RAAF's transport squadrons. During the Vietnam War, logistic support and medical evacuations were supplied by the C-130 Hercules aircraft from RAAF Richmond.

Education
Richmond is the home to a range of educational facilities, from Primary and High Schools to Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and University campuses.

There are three primary schools in Richmond (although there are many more in the Richmond/Hawkesbury area) Richmond Public School, Hobartville Public School and St Monica's Primary School, a comprehensive Catholic school. Richmond High School is the only High School in the town of Richmond, as Colo High School draws from the area west of Richmond and Windsor High School to the east.

Tertiary Education
TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute - Richmond College. A major centre for agriculture, animal care, and horse and horticulture education. Other program areas include information technology, business and administration services, tourism, general education, sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, floristry, food technology, and environmental studies. The site spreads over 50 hectares.

University of Western Sydney - Hawkesbury Campus. The campus's history dates back to 1891 when the New South Wales Department of Agriculture established the Hawkesbury Agricultural College. By car the campus can be entered from Bourke St, Blacktown Rd or Londonderry Rd in Richmond. The site spreads over 1300 hectares.