Mount Druitt

Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 38 kilometres (24 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.

For other uses, see Mount Druitt (disambiguation).

Mount Druitt
Sydney, New South Wales
The Manse (mid-1880s)
Population16,726 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2770
Location38 km (24 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)City of Blacktown
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)Chifley
Suburbs around Mount Druitt:
Dharruk Whalan Hebersham Plumpton
North St Marys Mount Druitt Rooty Hill
Oxley Park Colyton Minchinbury
Mt Druitt Court House, North Parade

There are numerous encompassing, smaller suburbs nearby including Bidwill, Blackett, Dharruk, Emerton, Hebersham, Lethbridge Park, Whalan, Shalvey, Tregear and Willmot.

History

Major George Druitt (1775–1842) was granted 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) in the area by Governor Macquarie. He named his grant, where he died in 1842, Mount Druitt.[2]

Rail services to Mount Druitt commenced on 19 August 1881. The railway station operated as the post office between 1885 and 1918. The station had two platforms and a level crossing at the western end and included small goods yard, servicing a small mill. A railway gatekeeper's lodge was built circa 1867, and was later converted to the station master's cottage. It was later sold and converted to commercial use.

Electric train services to Mount Druitt commenced in 1955, at a service presided by then Premier of New South Wales, Joseph Cahill. In 1975, the railway station was relocated approximately 500 metres east to service a new shopping centre that was locally known as "The Great Western" and is now owned by Westfield. The old railway station was demolished almost immediately, although the level crossing remained until a road bridge carrying Carlisle Avenue over the railway line was completed. A footbridge was also built for pedestrians.

Mount Druitt Hospital was opened in 1982 by Queen Elizabeth II. The 200-bed hospital was opened following significant fundraising and political agitation from the local community due to perception that the community was unable to access medical services at either Blacktown or Nepean Hospitals.

In April 2006, the Attorney General's Department of New South Wales opened a new court house at a cost of A$12 million. This was to become the first metropolitan area courthouse to utilise "circle sentencing", with aims to reduce over representation of Indigenous Australians in custody. [3][4]

A local landmark is the Georgian cottage known as The Manse, situated in The Avenue. It was probably built by John Harris in the mid-1880s; the land on which it was built was originally part of Druitt's property. Later it was sold to Robert Kennedy. Kennedy left it to the Presbyterian Church when he died, and it was used for some time as a manse. It was acquired by Blacktown City Council in 2000 and restored. It is now the headquarters of the Mt Druitt Historical Society and is open to the public. It has both a local government and state government heritage listing.[5]

Heritage listings

Mount Druitt has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Commercial area

The Mount Druitt township was serviced by a relatively small shopping area known as Mount Druitt Village.

In 1975, a new shopping centre, known locally as "The Great Western", was opened approximately 500 metres to the east when the railway station was also relocated and a large bus/rail interchange was built. The Westfield corporation took over the shopping centre, which is now known as Westfield Mount Druitt, located on the corner of Carlisle Avenue and Luxford Road, both major roads in the area. The complex has over 200 stores, ranging from discount department stores to specialty shops. Shopsmart is another shopping centre located in the suburb. Other services such as a hospital, coffee shops, small bars, council-operated swimming pool and library are all located within walking distance of the railway station.

The area is under a Blacktown council redevelopment Plan.

Much of the Housing commission has been sold off to Developers and the area is being revitalized - with Mixed use developments taking place. The area is becoming extremely popular with the Chinese, Thai and Filipino community. Due to the affordability, excellent schools, parks and transport links.

Crime

Mount Druitt has been one of the main hotspots for gangs and violent crime in Sydney in recent years. The suburb is known for its high rates of robbery, drugs offences and murder. Police figures for 2016-2017 included 562 incidents of violence and sexual offences and 641 incidents of antisocial behaviour. In this period, police abandoned more than 41 percent of cases as no culprit was identified.

Gang culture

A large number of street gangs are based in Mount Druitt. Sons of Samoa, a Crips-affiliated street gang, are also reported to operate in Mount Druitt, despite being based in Long Beach, California.

Members of local gangs are mostly in their late teens or early 20s, with gang leaders usually being childhood friends. Brought up in one of Sydney's poorest suburbs, some gang members reportedly move from house to house on an almost nightly basis, making it harder for the police to track them.

Gangs in Mount Druitt have been known to have an ongoing rivalry with gangs from Doonside and Blacktown, which have resulted in numerous shootings, stabbings and kidnappings.

Gang wars in Mount Druitt and surrounding Western Sydney suburbs have led to many deaths, most notably that of Tino Henry, who was stabbed to death aged 20 in October 2018 by a 17-year-old Mount Druitt gang member.[8]

Gun crime

Mount Druitt suffers from high rates of gun crime. In 2018, it had the highest rate of gun crime of any suburb in Sydney, with 87 individual reports of gunshots. Neighbouring Doonside witnessed a huge increase in shootings from around 2014, becoming the highest murder rated suburb in Sydney by 2016. This contributed to Mount Druitt's reputation as one of the most dangerous places in Sydney, as most perpetrators were associated or lived in Mount Druitt.

In 2017, firearm offences rose by 7 per cent in Sydney, totalling 3,459 "gun-enabled" crimes, including 27 gun murders of which eleven victims were aged 18 or under. A series of gun crimes in Western Sydney, most notably Mount Druitt, Doonside and Blacktown, including the murders of four boys in one week, led some media commentators to call the region "gun capital".

Some neighbourhoods in Mount Druitt have become infamous for drug-dealing. For many years, Mount Druitt has been a stronghold for an organised crime ring known as the Honoured Society, who are rumoured to control more than 90% of Australia's heroin market.

Transport

Mount Druitt railway station is located on the North Shore & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network. There is an express service which runs all day taking 30 minutes to get to Parramatta and 55 minutes to Sydney. It features an interchange with bus routes operated by Busways with routes to all suburbs in the Mount Druitt area, Blacktown and Glendenning.

The Council is embarking on a feasibility to install a new light rail which will link Mount Druitt to the other Blacktown Shire suburbs.

Education

Mount Druitt High school was established in the 1960s.[9] The school is currently located within the suburb of Dharruk, adjacent to the local Emerton Shopping Village. It later rebranded as Chifley College Mount Druitt Campus, educating years 7–10. Chifley College Senior Campus educates the senior classes (years 11–12), and is within walking distance from Mount Druitt Station. A number of private schools such as the Church of England Grammar school have acquired parklands in the area. There are plans to build a 2000 student private school in the area adjacent to Wilmot. This is in partnership with the State Government who are selling off the failed public housing estate in the area.

Demography

According to the 2016 census of population, there were 16,726 people in Mount Druitt.

  • The most common ancestries were Australian 11.9%, Filipino 11.9%, English 10.2%, Indian 6.9% and Pakistani 5.5%.
  • 40.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Philippines 11.3%, Pakistan 5.9%, Iraq 4.9%, India 4.2% and Fiji 2.6%.
  • 34.4% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Urdu 8.5%, Arabic 7.6%, Tagalog 7.2%, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic 4.0% and Filipino 3.5%.
  • The most common responses for religion were Catholic 31.0%, Islam 22.2% and No Religion 9.3%.
  • The most common occupations included Machinery Operators and Drivers 15.6%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.7%, Labourers 13.7%, Professionals 13.7%, and Technicians and Trades Workers 12.9%.[1]

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mount Druitt (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. "Mount Druitt". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  3. "Mount Druitt Court opens". Attorney General's Department of New South Wales. 26 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2 July 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2006.
  4. Erin O'Dwyer (16 October 2005). "Court circle of shame helps beat black crime". The Sun-Herald. Archived from the original on 27 December 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  5. State Heritage Website
  6. "Neoblie". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00245. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  7. "The Manse". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00206. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. Chifley College - Mount Druitt Campus - Celebrating 40 Years of Education Archived 13 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Beki Lee". Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012. Lee grew up in Mt Druitt in Western Sydney

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