The Macquarie Towns
In November, 1810, Governor Macquarie set out to inspect the outer western Sydney districts. He travelled with Mrs Macquarie and a group of aides and surveyors, including Captain Antill, Dr Redfern and Mr Evans.
The ‘tour of inspection’ followed the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers. Macquarie surveyed the available land and designated and named five settlements which would become known as the ‘Macquarie Towns’ – Windsor, Richmond, Castlereagh, Pitt Town and Wilberforce.
> Read an extract from Macquarie's journal of the tour of inspection
The 1822 map below shows the location of the five Macquarie Towns on the borders of the Counties of Cumberland and Northumberland.
Colony of New South Wales Drawn & engraved for Dr. Playfair's Atlas, [1822], engraved by T. Clerk
Map, hand coloured, ZM2 810/1822/1
