Narellan, New South Wales

Narellan is a suburb of the Macarthur Region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia in Camden Council.

History
The area now known as Narellan was probably originally home to the Tharawal people, based in the Illawarra region, although the Western Sydney-based Darug people and the Southern Highlands-based Gandangara people were also known to have inhabited the greater Camden area. Very early relations with British settlers were cordial but as farmers started clearing and fencing the land affecting food resources in the area, clashes between the groups arose until 1816 when a number of indigenous people were massacred and the remainder retreated from direct conflict with the settlers.

In 1805, wool pioneer John Macarthur was granted 5,000 acres (20 km²) at Cowpastures (now Camden). After the land was cleared, it was used for farming for most of the next 200 years until Sydney's suburban sprawl reached the town of Camden and modern suburbs like Narellan were subdivided into housing blocks.

Sport and recreation
Narellan is home to the Oran Park Raceway motor racing circuit.

Churches

 * St Thomas' Anglican Church

Demographics
In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census, the suburb of Narellan had a population of 3,644 people. Like its neighbouring suburbs, Narellan is predominantly Australian born (83%) families with young children (53%) living in detached houses (90%). The number of people aged 65 and over (8%) is substantially less than the national average (13%).

Notable residents

 * Jimmy Sharman, boxing promoter
 * James Tyson, wealthy pastoralist

Governance
Narellan lies in the central ward of Camden Council, currently represented by Fred Anderson, Rob Elliott and Debby Dewbery. It sits within the state electorate of Camden, represented by Labor's Geoff Corrigan, the former Mayor of Camden, and the federal electorate of Macarthur, represented by Liberal's Pat Farmer, the former ultra-marathon runner.