Windsor is located in the Hawkesbury area, and it is the third-oldest British settlement in Australia.
The Darug Aboriginal People
Darug Aboriginal people have lived around Windsor and the greater Sydney region for thousands of years, although their lifestyle was very mobile.
The first Post Office in Windsor opened in 1828.
A local fair was held at the Market Place, Windsor, on Tuesday 10th June 1834.
Benevolent Society's Home was built in 1835.
The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1840.
The Scots' Presbyterian Church in George Street, Windsor, opened in 1842.
Sewerage works for Windsor in 1939.
1960s
Lost Forever
The old farmhouse on Freemans Reach Road, Windsor, known as Ridge Dairy finally collapsed in 2018. Built in 1865 by the Farlow family, this house was featured in many TV shows, advertising and film clips by Guy Sebastian, Missy Higgins and, most famously, as Rainbow Farm in "A Country Practice".
The Darug Aboriginal People
Darug Aboriginal people have lived around Windsor and the greater Sydney region for thousands of years, although their lifestyle was very mobile.
Academic Geoffrey Ford believes that evidence shows that the Aboriginal people living on the river at Richmond Hill were Darkinyung people, not Darug. The name, however, suggests that Aboriginal people thought of the Hawkesbury River as the river of yams
The British: 1788
Governor Arthur Phillip, after establishing the settlement at Sydney Cove in 1788, set off to find suitable farming land to help sustain the fledgeling colony and make it self sufficient.
"[July 14] The governor returned from his second visit to the river, which he named the Hawkesbury, in honor of the noble lord at the head of the committee of council of trade and plantations. He traced the river to a considerable distance to the westward, and was impeded in his further progress by a shallow which he met with a short distance above the hill formerly seen, and then named by him Richmond Hill,....."
Collins, David (1756-1810) Read here
In June 1789, Governor Phillip led a second exploratory trip to Broken Bay. It was during this trip that the first and second branches of the river (the Macdonald and Colo Rivers respectively) were discovered. Governor Phillip and his party reached the Windsor area on 6th July 1789, naming it Green Hills.
"On the banks here also we found yams and other roots, and had evident marks of the natives frequenting these parts in search of them for food. They have no doubt some method of preparing these roots, before they can eat them; for we found one kind which some of the company had seen the natives dig up; and with which being pleased, as it had much the appearance of horse-radish, and had a sweetish taste, and having swallowed a small quantity, it occasioned violent spasms, cramps in the bowels, and sickness at the stomach: it might probably be the casada root."
CHAPTER XIV. Traveling Diaries in New South Wales.
"In April, 1791, an expedition was undertaken, in order to ascertain whether or not the Hawkesbury and the Nepean, were the same river. With this view, we proposed to fall in a little above Richmond Hill, and trace down to it; and if the weather should prove fine, to cross at the ford, and go a short distance westward, then to repass the river, and trace it upward, until we should either arrive at some spot which we knew to be the Nepean, or should determine by its course, that the Hawkesbury was a different stream. 1791. Our party was strong and numerous: it consisted of twenty- one persons, viz. The governor, Mr. Collins and his servant, Mr. White, Mr. Dawes, the author, three gamekeepers, two serjeants, eight privates, and our friends Colbee and Boladeree. These two last were volunteers on the occasion, on being assured that we should not stay out many days, and that we should carry plenty of provisions. Baneelon wished to go, but his wife would not permit it. Colbee on the other hand, would listen to [P.113] no objections. He only stipulated (with great care and consideration) that during his absence, his wife and child should remain at Sydney under our protection, and be supplied with provisions."
The major settlement in the Hawkesbury region was located between Pitt Reach on the Hawkesbury River and South Creek tributary, where the soil was rich and suitable for growing crops to feed the growing colony.
Governor Macquarie, in a despatch to Earl Bathurst dated July 1822, listed various public buildings and works at the Hawkesbury. Such as: Burial ground, four acres, fenced. Barracks for fifty soldiers, with stockade. Government granary. Three-storey provision store and granary.
St Matthew's Church was consecrated by Reverend Samuel Marsden on 8 December 1822.
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| EARLY ABORIGINAL LIFE IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS. Hawkesbury, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938) |
The Aboriginal people called the river in the region, Venrubbin or Deerubin and drew artworks on the rocks along the riverbank.
Traditional stories tell of the creator of Dyarubbin (the Hawkesbury River) as being Gurangatty (an eel serpent). The movement of Gurangatty's body created the physical features of the landscape according to Aboriginal tradition, and it lived in the lagoons and the deepest parts of the river.
Aboriginal artefacts were found deep below the former Thompson Square site in Windsor demonstrating that Aboriginal people visited a sand dune beside the river there 33,000 years ago.
Evidence of Aboriginal occupation can be found in rock carvings, cave art, rock grooves and middens.
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| Aboriginal hunters, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Saturday 29 April 1871 |
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| Aboriginal rock art can be found on the shores of the Hawkesbury River traditionally know as Deerubun (Dyarubbin) |
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| One of the few surviving rock engravings of Gurangatty, the Great Eel ancestor spirit to the Darug people. |
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| — at Thompson Square |
The British: 1788
Governor Arthur Phillip, after establishing the settlement at Sydney Cove in 1788, set off to find suitable farming land to help sustain the fledgeling colony and make it self sufficient.
Phillip led the 1789 expedition, which travelled along the Hawkesbury River, and named the Hawkesbury settlement in honour of Charles Jenkinson, first Earl of Liverpool, Baron Hawkesbury.
Collins, David (1756-1810) Read here
1789
During April of 1789, smallpox, which the Darug called "gal-ga-la", had broken out among the Aboriginal people. A circumstance" wrote David Collins, "which seemed to indicate a preacqaintance with it." However, Aboriginal people had no evidence or marks from the virus on their skin.
Watkin Tench wrote: "how a disease, to which our former observations had led us to suppose them strangers, could at once have introduced itself and have spread so widely, seemed inexplicable."
For thousands of years, Eurasian populations were decimated by diseases spread from animals due to the development of farming livestock. Individuals who survived these diseases developed immunity which they passed on to their offspring. Aboriginals, however, did not farm animals (probably because the animals of Australia were not suitable).
Aboriginal people effectively had no immunity to diseases like smallpox, measles or flu, and their populations were severely impacted with European arrival. (Guns, Germs and Steel).
In an account given by Captain Hunter:
In the course of the little excursions of our boats’ crews this aftern
"In the Course of the little Excursions of our Boats Crews this afternoon, a native woman was discovered concealing herself from our sight, in the long grass, which was at this time very wet, and I should have thought very uncomfortable for a poor naked creature. She had, before the arrival of our boats at this beach, been with some of her friends, employed fishing for their daily food, but were upon their approach alarmed, and they had all made their escape except this miserable girl, who had just recovered from the small-pox and was very weak, and unable, from a swelling in one of her knees, to get off to any distance; she therefore crept off and concealed herself in the best manner she could among the grass, not twenty yards from the spot on which we had placed our tents. She appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and was covered with wet grass, having no other means of hiding herself. She was very much frighten upon our approaching her, and shed many tears, and with piteous lamentations, we soothed her distress a little, and the sailors were immediately ordered to bring up some fire, which we placed before her; we pulled some grass, dried it by the fire, and spread it round her to keep her warm; then we shot some birds, such as hawks, crows, and gulls, skinned them, and laid them out on the fire to broil, together with some fish, which she ate; we then gave her water, of which she seemed very much in want, for when the word "baa-do" was mentioned, which was their expression for water, she put her tongue out to shew how dry her mouth was. Before we retired for the night we saw her again, and got some firewood laid within her reach with which she might in the course of the night recruit her fire; we also cut a large quantity of grass, dried it, covered her well, and left her to her repose, which from her situation I judged was not very comfortable or refreshing. Next morning we visited her again; she had now got pretty much the better of her fears, and frequently called to her friends, who had left her, and who, we knew, could be at no great distance from her, she repeated their names in a very loud and shrill voice, and with much anxiety and concern for the little notice they took of her entreaties to return; for we imagined, in all she said when calling on them, she was informing them that the strangers were not enemies, but friends; however, all her endeavours to bring them back were ineffectual while we remained with her; but we were no sooner gone from the beach than we saw some of them come out of the wood, and as there were two canoes on the shore belonging to this party, they launched one into the water and went away."
Journey to Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River 6 to 16 June 1789 (read here)In a diary entry of July 1789, John Hunter saw Aboriginal people roasting "wild yams, about the size of a walnut" on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. He wrote:
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| John Hunter. Painted by John Jackson in 1813, after an original by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who exhibited his painting at the Royal Academy in 1786. Wikimedia Commons |
Many Darug people resisted European settlement, often called "The Blacks Wars" in the Hawkesbury area.
1791
"In April, 1791, an expedition was undertaken, in order to ascertain whether or not the Hawkesbury and the Nepean, were the same river. With this view, we proposed to fall in a little above Richmond Hill, and trace down to it; and if the weather should prove fine, to cross at the ford, and go a short distance westward, then to repass the river, and trace it upward, until we should either arrive at some spot which we knew to be the Nepean, or should determine by its course, that the Hawkesbury was a different stream. 1791. Our party was strong and numerous: it consisted of twenty- one persons, viz. The governor, Mr. Collins and his servant, Mr. White, Mr. Dawes, the author, three gamekeepers, two serjeants, eight privates, and our friends Colbee and Boladeree. These two last were volunteers on the occasion, on being assured that we should not stay out many days, and that we should carry plenty of provisions. Baneelon wished to go, but his wife would not permit it. Colbee on the other hand, would listen to [P.113] no objections. He only stipulated (with great care and consideration) that during his absence, his wife and child should remain at Sydney under our protection, and be supplied with provisions."
A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson (Author: Watkin Tench) Read here
Governor Hunter visited the district in 1795 and directed that a road be constructed from Parramatta to the Hawkesbury.
Soldiers barracks were in existence by 1796.
The Commandant's Cottage (later known as the Government Cottage) was being built in 1796. The Commandant's House was used by Governor Hunter during his many visits to the Hawkesbury.
A Government store was established in 1798, somewhere near the present Thompson Square, with William Baker in charge.
The Gist bridge (floating) was built over the South Creek in 1802.
Three land areas were established as Commons at the Hawkesbury in 1804.
A covered waggon travel service began three times a week between Windsor and Sydney, starting on 9th February 1805. William Roberts was the coachman.
Settlers and Farms1794
Conflict in the Hawkesbury region was intense and violent between 1794 and 1816.
Settlement of the Hawkesbury area began in 1794, under Lieut.-Governor Major Grose, around the area known as Green Hills.
As farms were established by the settlers, the Aboriginal people found that their access to water and sources of food blocked, and this resulted in conflict. This also led to military personnel being placed permanently in the Hawkesbury district for over half a century.
Two white men joined the Aboriginal resistance in the 1790s, John Wilson (Bun-bo-รจ), a former convict and William Knight, a runaway convict.
Wilson was regarded by the Aboriginals as being a ghost, and one member of the Darug believed that he was her dead son. Wilson and Knight showed the Darug that the English muskets, once discharged, were useless until reloaded, and this helped to remove a lot of the Aboriginal's fear of firearms.
Because the road system out to Windsor was undeveloped in the early days, goods and people were mostly transported on the Hawkesbury River, to and from Sydney.
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| Old Government House, Windsor, NSW, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Friday 9 December 1910 |
Two Aboriginal boys were killed in 1799 near Windsor, by five Hawkesbury settlers. A court-martial found the settlers guilty but sentencing was referred to the Secretary of State for Colonies, and the men were released on bail and later pardoned.
1800s
French Invasion!
One amazing story supported by documents at the French archives is Napoleon's proposed invasion of Australia by way of the Hawkesbury River.
One amazing story supported by documents at the French archives is Napoleon's proposed invasion of Australia by way of the Hawkesbury River.
In 1802, Napoleon sent ships to Australia for what was said to be a scientific expedition. However, the French secretly produced extremely detailed surveys and maps and noted places that would be suitable for military bases.
Later, in 1813, Earl Bathurst sent a report to Governor Macquarie detailing a proposed invasion of the Hawkesbury River by France. America was also to be involved, as both France and America were at war with England at this time.
By 1802, ships were being built at Sydney and the Hawkesbury.
In 1804, Governor King made grants to 75 individuals in the Hawkesbury area.
The Windsor area soon became known as the granary of the colony, as it produced large amounts of barley, wheat and maize to feed the increasing population. Although the land was fertile, flooding was a problem. Homes and crops were swept away causing financial hardship and ruin.
In the year 1805, a Church of England school-church was built by the residents on the north bank of South Creek, near the site of the first bridge.
A detachment of the NSW Corp was sent to safeguard the area.
Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived in the colony in 1810 with orders to bring about control and uniformity.
The Macquarie Arms was built with the plan that it could be converted into a military garrison, as Macquarie was suspicious of French intentions to invade Australia. As it turned out, he was right, as a French armada set sail for New South Wales in 1814. (Read, Napoleon's Australia: The Incredible Story of Bonaparte's Secret Plan to Invade Australia) and Read
The Hawkesbury River, depicted in 1813 by Philip Slaeger, shows a river busy with boats.
A turnpike road from Parramatta to Windsor was constructed in 1814. There were two toll gates, one at Parramatta Bridge, and the other at Rouse Hill.
The Sydney Gazette of 29th July, 1815, reported:
"That spacious and commodious new Inn at Windsor, called The Macquarie Arms, was opened by the GOVERNOR, on Wednesday the 26th instant, when HIS EXCELLENCY entertained at dinner the Magistrates and other principal Gentlemen residing at Windsor, and in that neighbourhood. Mr. Ransom, who has taken on himself the duties of Innkeeper, is, from his experience in the avocation, thoroughly competent to the undertaking, which we are convinced will be conducted on a liberal footing. Its necessity has long been manifest as there was no house of public reception at Windsor capable of accommodating large and genteel companies, whereas the Macquarie Arms from its extent, plan of building, and adequate number of apartments will be doubtless found worthy of the most liberal patronage and support."
1816
St Matthew's Anglican Church was the fourth building to be used as a church in Windsor between 1803 and 1817.
Convicts were producing 2,000 bricks per day at Windsor.
In April 1805, the Aboriginal warrior, Branch Jack, led an attack and three settlers were killed on their farms on the Lower Half Moon Reach. In this same month, fighting between Aboriginals and settlers was widespread across the Sydney Plain. (2.)
A peace conference at Prospect followed and some Hawkesbury warriors were identified: “Talboon, Corriangee, & Doollonn, Mountain natives; Moonaning & Doongial, Branch natives; and Boon-du-dullock, a native of Richmond Hill” (Sydney Gazette, Sunday, 21st April 1805).
In 1806 Hawkesbury River flooded three times and many farmers experienced financial difficulties.
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| The settlement on the Green Hills, Hawksburgh [Hawkesbury] River N.S.Wales, 1809, George William Evans (possibly) Watercolour |
Governor Lachlan Macquarie Arrives
Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived in the colony in 1810 with orders to bring about control and uniformity.
On the 6th December 1810, Macquarie "marked out the district of Green Hills, which he ... called Windsor" after Windsor on the Thames in the United Kingdom.
Not only did Macquarie bring about the end of the Rum Rebellion; he also toured the colony and visited the Hawkesbury area. Later, he directed the settlers to move their houses and stock to higher ground, leaving only their crops on the lowlands, as flooding was a problem on the low lying flatlands.
The Windsor Charitable Institute was established to assist the elderly and infirm in 1811.
Macquarie was behind the construction of three Georgian buildings in Windsor: the Macquarie Arms Inn, St Matthew's Church and the courthouse, all of which still exist. A gaol existed in the town before the courthouse was constructed, built about 1812.
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| A view of part of the town of Windsor in New South Wales, taken from the banks of the River Hawkesbury [picture] / drawn and engraved by P. Slager, Sydney : A. West, 1813 June 4 |
"That spacious and commodious new Inn at Windsor, called The Macquarie Arms, was opened by the GOVERNOR, on Wednesday the 26th instant, when HIS EXCELLENCY entertained at dinner the Magistrates and other principal Gentlemen residing at Windsor, and in that neighbourhood. Mr. Ransom, who has taken on himself the duties of Innkeeper, is, from his experience in the avocation, thoroughly competent to the undertaking, which we are convinced will be conducted on a liberal footing. Its necessity has long been manifest as there was no house of public reception at Windsor capable of accommodating large and genteel companies, whereas the Macquarie Arms from its extent, plan of building, and adequate number of apartments will be doubtless found worthy of the most liberal patronage and support."
1816
Problems between Aboriginal people and settlers continued.
Then in May 1816, Governor Macquarie banned armed Aboriginal people from being within one mile of any settlement bearing warlike weapons including "Spears, Clubs, or Waddies", and no more than six Aborigines could "lurk or loiter" near any farm. Assemblies for ritual battles are "wholly abolished". Source: Macquarie, Proclamation, SG 4 May 1816 info
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Hawkesbury flood, in 1816 taken from [?]rofton Cottage Windsor No.41816 BY ARTIST UNKNOWN |
1820
"IT was not until the arrival of Governor
Macquarie that a hospital was established
in the Hawkesbury district. He sanctioned
the purchase of a brewery from the
estate of Andrew Thompson, and had it
converted into a hospital." (1.)
Macquarie that a hospital was established
in the Hawkesbury district. He sanctioned
the purchase of a brewery from the
estate of Andrew Thompson, and had it
converted into a hospital." (1.)
The original Hawkesbury Hospital was erected as barracks for convict workers in 1820.
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| HAWKESBURY DISTRICT HOSPITAL—ERECTED IN 1820. Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), |
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| The old Barracks, Windsor, NSW, convict built, constructed between c. 1818 and occupied by 1820 Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Tuesday 13 October 1925 |
In 1820, the barracks at Thompson Square housed one sergeant, three acting sergeants and ten privates, along with 94 convicts who were mostly involved in the construction of the town.
The major settlement in the Hawkesbury region was located between Pitt Reach on the Hawkesbury River and South Creek tributary, where the soil was rich and suitable for growing crops to feed the growing colony.
Most of the Hawkesbury settlers were emancipated convicts who took up farming. However, other settlers would establish tanneries, flour mills and other manufacturing industries.
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| Historic St. Matthew's Church,Windsor, NSW, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), |
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The rectory at Windsor, NSW, where Rev. Samuel Marsden died.Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Tuesday 13 October 1925 |
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| Back view of the Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor showing Sydney Mail Coach as in ca. 1825 / watercolour on silk by Alfred T. Clint. SLNSW |
The first Circuit Court was opened in Windsor in 1829.
The Presbyterian minister, Reverend John McGarvie, collected a list of more than 170 Aboriginal names for places on the Hawkesbury River in 1829.
In 1832, Windsor was described in the New South Wales Calendar and Directory as having many of its houses built of brick.
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| WINDSOR GAOL, NSW - ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED IN 1829. Demolished 1936 |
1830s
In 1833 four tanneries were operating at Windsor and by 1888, there were six.
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| Thomas Cambridge Senior / First Postman at Windsor, NSW, 1835-1861, Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 31 May 1947 |
In 1837 the population of Windsor was 1,145.
1840s
In 1841 the population was 1,440.
In the 1840s Windsor ceased to be a military settlement.
Flour-mills, tanneries and many hotels existed.
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| World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955) |
The Windsor District Council was established in 1843.
Windsor Public School was constructed in 1869.
A fire brigade was established in 1872.
The Windsor Bridge was constructed in 1874 to enable the crossing of the Hawkesbury River.
Tebbutt Observatory was built in 1879, by John Tebbutt an early pioneer of astronomy.
The paddle-wheel steamer, Alma, owned by John Jurd, travelled between Windsor and Central Macdonald from 1881.
In 1891 the population was 2,026.
See Hawkesbury Aboriginal Cricketers here
WWI
The Windsor Express and Richmond Advertiser, newspaper, established in 1843.
The Windsor to Sydney mail coach was "stuck up" twice by bushrangers in 1843.
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| TRAVELLING IN STYLE in the Windsor district, with an escort against bushrangers. Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954) |
The first Hawkesbury Agricultural Show was held at Clarendon in 1845. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald says that Windsor was empty and the roads from Windsor to Clarendon were filled with people on horseback, in carts and gigs or walking to the show. “Upwards of 3000” attended the show.
In 1848 the population was 1,679, served by a daily stage-coach to Sydney.
The South Creek bridge was replaced in 1853 by the Fitzroy Bridge.
A Mechanics' Institute, Y.M.C.A. and a Horticultural and Agricultural Society existed.
In 1862 a loan was authorised for the “a horse railway from Blacktown to Windsor and Richmond". The first country branch line to be built in NSW.
In 1848 the population was 1,679, served by a daily stage-coach to Sydney.
1850s
Bushranger Born at Windsor
Frederick Ward (1835-1870), a bushranger known by the alias, "Captain Thunderbolt", was born at Windsor.
Ward was an expert horseman and worked as a horsebreaker and drover, while a young man. But he was arrested in April 1856 for attempting to drove forty-five stolen horses to the Windsor sale yards.
After this, Ward was found guilty and he spent four years imprisoned at Cockatoo Island, Sydney Harbour. Later, after another stint on Cockatoo Island, he went on a crime spree and became a professional bushranger.
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| Frederick Ward, Captain Thunderbolt |
Windsor Debating Society was formed in 1857, connected with a Literary Society, which for a period, even produced a local magazine called "Windsor Review".
1860s
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| Windsor School of Arts, NSW, erected 1861, Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961) |
Windsor Railway Station on the Blacktown-Richmond line, opened in 1864.
The Great Flood
In 1867 the Hawkesbury region experienced a catastrophic flood when floodwater rose 19 metres above the regular level, which claimed the lives of 20 people. The flood created an inland sea up to 30 kilometres across, from Pitt Town to Kurrajong and Riverstone to the Blue Mountains.
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| Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers (Melbourne, Vic. : 1867 - 1875), Saturday 27 July 1867 |
1870s
Thompson Square was established in 1795 and named after a "founding father" of Green Hills (later to become Windsor), Andrew Thompson.
Thompson was transported to the colony for stealing cloth in 1792, sailing aboard the Pitt. In 1796, He was appointed constable at Green Hills by Governor John Hunter. Thompson was pardoned in 1798, and he went on to become a successful businessman and landowner.
Thompson Square, the only remaining civic space laid out by Governor Macquarie, had a major roadway bulldozed through it in 2018: Australia's oldest public space.
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| Andrew Thompson's property at McGrath's Hill, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 6 January 1937 |
Old Government House in Windsor was erected in 1876 as instructed by Governor John Hunter. It was used as a temporary residence for various Governors (including Governor Macquarie) when visiting the Windsor region.
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| Old Government House Windsor - 1879 - John Sharkey. Old Government House in Windsor was erected in 1876 as instructed by Governor John Hunter. It was used as temporary residence for various Governors (including Governor Macquarie) when visiting the Windsor region . Other locations for Government Houses were Parramatta and Sydney. The building in the photograph was left to fall into disrepair over the years and eventually it was demolished in 1920. |
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| The New Bridge, Windsor, built 1874 (circa 1900-1927) |
The Great Fire of Windsor occurred on the 23 December 1874, damaged major parts of George & Macquarie Streets, and three whole blocks of the town centre.
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| The Big Fire GREAT DISASTER IN WINDSOR APPALLING CALAMITY OF 1874, NSW, Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961) |
1880s
A Gaslight Company established in 1883 replaced the street oil lamps, which had been installed only a few years ago.
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| Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Saturday 2 October 1886 |
1890s
Hawkesbury Agricultural College, the first agricultural college in New South Wales, was established on 10 March 1891.
The Commercial Hotel was built in 1891 by George Cobcroft.
Richmond's water supply works built in 1892.
A new railway station building was constructed in 1883.
The Windsor Butter Factory operated from 1892 to 1920 and became a co-operative in 1922.
Sackville Reach Aboriginal Reserve was located on the Hawkesbury River near Windsor. It was established in 1889 by the NSW Aborigines Protection Board.
Jerome Locke of British and Darug Aboriginal background was a member of the Windsor Volunteer Corps in 1889. (read and see photos here)
According to the 1911 census the population was 1,674.
1900s
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| WINDSOR, RICHMOND, PENRITH, AND PARRAMATTA RIFLES AND DETACHMENT OF A.M.C. MARCHING PAST MAJOR-GENERAL FRENCH. Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Saturday 12 October 1901 |
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| George Street, Windsor, NSW, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 19 August 1905 |
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| Bullock team hauling a load of timber in Windsor, very early 1900s. Thompson Square was on the right. Public domain. Aussie~mobs |
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| "THE ASTRONOMER OF WINDSOR." Mr. John Tebbutt, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 21 April 1909 |
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| GEORGE STREET, WINDSOR,SHOWING THE OLD OFFICERS' MESS HOUSE, AFTERWARDS ROBERT FITZGERALD'S MANSION, NOW ROYAL HOTEL ; ALSO PART OF THOMPSON'S SQUARE. Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 - 1930), Sunday 28 March 1909 |
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| Hawkesburv Condensed Milk Cov. Ltd, Windsor, NSW. Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), Saturday 4 March 1911 |
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THE SHADLOWS OF WINDSOR, N.S.W. TROOPER C. SHADLOW, Field Artillery. TROOPER L. R. SHADLOW, Four Times in Hospital. PTE. R. FREEBURN, At the Front. PTE. C. H. SHADLOW, Wounded in France. PTE. S. SHADLOW, Killed at Gallipoli. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 28 February 1917 |
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| France sent a commemorative mission to Australia in 1918 - before the armistice which officially brought World War I to an end was signed. The Beautiful Hawkesbury River District, official welcome at Windsor, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 25 September 1918 |
1920s
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| Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), Friday 2 May 1924 |
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| 'Tom The Mailman, WINDSOR- SACKVILLE COACH.-VETERAN DRIVER RETIRES, Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), Friday 23 May 1924 |
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| George St., Windsor, NSW, circa 1900-1927 |
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| George St., Windsor, circa 1900-1927 |
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| Scene at Windsor looking toward Freeman's Reach, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 1 July 1925 |
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| Hundreds of cars visited Windsor yesterday, and ploughed through the mud so that the occupants might see something of the flood damage. Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Monday 29 June 1925 |
The Royal Picture Theatre was opened on 1st April 1926.
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| Windsor Fire Brigade, NSW, Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), Friday 17 December 1926 |
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| Flooding Windsor Bridge, NSW, Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 13 February 1929 |
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| Windsor, NSW, floods, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Wednesday 16 October 1929 |
1930s
Bussell Bros grocery and general store opened its doors in George Street, Windsor, in November 1930.
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| THE LATE MRS. GEE. In flood times, she had more than once to climb along the fences on the Wilberforce road with water up to her armpits to reach her home. When her husbaind was bed-ridden, she drove a mail coach between Sackville Reach and Windsor, NSW, Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), Thursday 22 May 1930 |
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| Windsor, NSW, Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954), Friday 25 July 1930 |
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| WINDSOR'S MEMORIAL GATES, NSW, Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), Friday 1 May 1931 |
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| Bush Galleries of Aboriginal Art: The sandstone caves of the Hawkesbury, and its scores of tidal tributaries and mangrove-belted inlets, are rich in Aboriginal carvings, Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Sunday 20 November 1932 |
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| The Mayor, Rev. Norman Jenkyn (in white coat), superintending the erection of bunting yesterday in George-street, Windsor. Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 22 November 1932 |
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| ON THE BANKS OF THE HAWKESBURY RIVER AT WINDSOR, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 30 November 1932 |
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| Some of the boys who left Central Station yesterday for the Scheyville training farm, near Windsor, where they will undergo a three months" course of instruction in farm work Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 13 September 1933 |
1940s and WWII
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| Windsor, NSW. 1940. Members of the Australian Women's Flying Club, forerunner of both the Women's Air Training Corps (WATC) and the WAAAF, about to prepare a meal outdoors at a training camp. Fifth from left holding stick Miss Eleanor Platt, seventh from left is Miss Marie Breckenridge. (Donor G. Caldwell) |
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| PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND. 1943-05-08. PORTRAIT OF 2058 FLIGHT LIEUTENANT J. B. JEWELL DFC, OF WINDSOR, NSW, NAVIGATION OFFICER OF NO. 10 (SUNDERLAND) SQUADRON RAAF BASED AT RAF STATION MOUNT BATTEN. AWM |
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| Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 25 March 1941 |
1950s
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| Windsor and Richmond Gazette (NSW : 1888 - 1961), Wednesday 11 October 1950 |
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| GEORGE STREET, the main street off Windsor, showing modern bank buildings on the left. Windsor was on important social and administrative centremore than a century ago. Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954), Friday 25 December 1953 |
The Dharruk Boys Training School and Daruk Training Farm were built in 1960 at Windsor.
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| Xuyen Moc, South Vietnam. 1969-05. Corporal Bob Lane of Windsor, NSW, a member of A Squadron 3 Cavalry Regiment, Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC), helps some of the local children from the village draw water from a well and pour it into cans. AWM, Vietnam, 1962-1975 |
Lost Forever
The old farmhouse on Freemans Reach Road, Windsor, known as Ridge Dairy finally collapsed in 2018. Built in 1865 by the Farlow family, this house was featured in many TV shows, advertising and film clips by Guy Sebastian, Missy Higgins and, most famously, as Rainbow Farm in "A Country Practice".
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| The former Ridge's Dairy farmhouse at 353 Freemans Reach Road, Windsor, NSW, collapsed in April 2018 (MM) |
Windsor is brimming with important heritage buildings; some designed by the convict architect, Sir Francis Greenway. The area, however, needs help from the government to restore its fragile and irreplaceable heritage, before it is too late.
Around Windsor
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| RIP the oldest public square in Australia, Windsor, NSW, laid out in 1811 |
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| A brick cottage built by George Cunningham in 1865, Windsor, NSW |
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| Claremont Cottage is one of the oldest remaining houses in the Windsor district and is a good example of an early colonial farm cottage. Constructed: 1807-1822 |
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| George Street, Windsor, New South Wales |
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| Located at Bridge street, Windsor, NSW. One of only two intact toll houses remaining in NSW, circa 1835 |
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| The historic waterwheel located in Windsor Mall is based on a waterwheel used by James and Benjamin Singleton to power their mill to process grain, Windsor, NSW |
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| The John Tebbutt Observatory, located on Palmer Street, circa 1890-1900, Windsor, NSW |
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| In 1875 a single storey post office building was erected in Windsor Street and a second storey was added to the building in 1888 and in 1906 the walkways were filled in. Hawkesbury blog, Windsor, NSW |
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| Old colonial building, Windsor, built with sand stock bricks, Windsor, NSW |
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| Fitzroy Cottage, Windsor NSW, circa 1870s |
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| Historic building near Thompson's Square, Windsor, NSW |
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| Historic building which was slated for demolition. Recent plan is to construct a brick wall in front of it. The owners of this property had the heritage title stripped, and were handed a "notice of acquisition", Windsor, NSW |
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| The Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor. NSW, was first established in 1853 |
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| Claremont Cottage, Claremont Crescent, circa 1822, Windsor, NSW |
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| Heritage building used as a shop at 319 George St, Windsor NSW |
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| Macquarie Arms Hotel, Windsor NSW, circa 1815. Australia's Oldest Pub |
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| Former Bell Inn, Little Church Street, circa 1841, Windsor, NSW |
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| Originally an inn called The Lord Nelson, built in 1819, occupied the site of Doctor's House, circa 1840's, Windsor, NSW |
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| Heritage building at 7 Thompson Square, part of the Hawkesbury Regional Museum, Windsor, NSW |
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| Former Ridge's Dairy farmhouse at 353 Freemans Reach Road collapsed in April 2018 (MM), Windsor, NSW |
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| Fairfield House, a Victorian house which is believed to have incorporated an earlier Georgian residence (circa, 1833). Built by William Cox and was extended in the Victorian Filigree style by Henry McQuade. Windsor, NSW |
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| Heritage buildings at Fitzgerald St, Windsor, NSW |
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| George Loder House Windsor, circa 1834, Windsor, NSW |
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| Three level building built in 1880, Windsor, NSW |
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| St Matthew’s Anglican Church, Windsor, NSW, is the oldest Anglican Church in Australia, Governor Lachlan Macquarie laid the foundation stone on October 11, 1817. Designed by Francis Greenway |
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| Windsor court house was designed by Francis Greenway and built in 1822. The Windsor Court House was constructed by local magistrate William Cox in 1822 and within is a portrait of Governor Lachlan Macquarie subscribed for by the local citizens in 1821 to mark their gratitude for his sponsorship, Windsor, NSW |
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| Woodside, built 1854, 39 Mileham Street, Windsor, NSW |
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| St. Matthew's Anglican Rectory, (c1822 - attributed to Standish Harris. Reverend Samuel Marsden died in the eastern front room of the rectory in 1838, Windsor, NSW |