Baulkham Hills Shire occupies an area of 380 square kilometres stretching from Oatlands in the south to Wisemans Ferry in the north. The Shire is one of the larger and fastest growing Local Government areas in Sydney with two thirds being rural land used for farming and other agricultural industries.
Residents enjoy a special mix of urban and rural lifestyles creating interesting contrasts from superb restaurants and modern shopping facilities to roadside stalls and peaceful bushland areas.
The Shire was proclaimed in March 1906 and consisted of farms and scattered villages. Agriculture was the dominant industry with sheep and wheat farming gradually giving way to the successful growing of fruit trees including citrus and stone fruit.
The Shire has experienced strong population growth since the mid 1950s. In 1851 the population of Baulkham Hills Shire was 436 and the number of houses 87. As late as 1956 the population had only grown to 15,000.
It was not until the 1960's that urban development increased in the Shire. Houses were built in Carlingford and Baulkham Hills followed by development in Castle Hill during the 1970s and Glenhaven in the early 1980s. Since the late 1990s Kellyville and Rouse Hill have been the growth areas in residential housing in the Shire.
Today Baulkham Hills Shire is made up of 29 suburbs, 4 localities and has a population of approximately 165,931 residents. By 2025 the population is projected to be 238,000.
It is believed that the name 'The Garden Shire' was given to the Baulkham Hills Shire in the late 1960s early 1970s. Councillor Eric Mobbs was a keen gardener and well known for his horticultural expertise. The Shire entered a Sydney Morning Herald Garden Competition in the late 1960s and the Garden Shire tag is one that has stayed.
The 'Garden Shire' image is maintained and projected today through agriculture, rural vistas, nurseries and parks. Employment and business development is successfully illustrated in Baulkham Hills Shire in benchmark initiatives such as Norwest Business Park.
Baulkham Hills Shire Council is committed to preserving the amenity of the Shire and the high quality of life that residents enjoy.
The City of Blacktown is situated approximately 35 kilometres from Sydney on the Cumberland Plain in the heart of Western Sydney. Blacktown City LGA occupies 246.9 square kilometres and in the 2006 Census had a population density of 1103 persons per square kilometres. Large scale urban development and the development of new estate areas have lead to the establishment of forty-seven (47) suburbs within the City of Blacktown.
This LGA has sustained rapid growth over the last few decades, and this growth is set to continue. In its present status it is the most populous City in NSW, the third largest in Australia behind Brisbane City and the Gold Coast, and the eighth largest growing City in Australia.
Large scale urban development has contributed to Blacktown's continued population growth and to the development of new estate areas which has lead to the establishment of 47 suburbs to date. Blacktown therefore encompasses a mix of older established areas and new developing areas.
Today Blacktown City is made up of 47 suburbs, 5 localities and has a population of approximately 284,692 residents. By 2021 the population is projected to be 356,663.
Blacktown's diverse land use also continues to attract developers and retailers to the largest quantity of zoned and serviced industrial and commercial land throughout NSW.
Access into and out of Blacktown is provided by the transport links inclusive of the Western Railway Line from Sydney, the Great Western Highway, Richmond Road and the M2 and M4 Motorways There are 1019km of local roads and 100km of Regional roads within Blacktown.
Eastern Creek, Ropes Creek, South Creek, and Prospect Creek provide a natural buffer between areas of urban development.
A total of eight creeks and tributaries form part of the two major catchments of the area including the Nepean Hawkesbury Catchment and the Upper Parramatta River Catchment.
Blacktown's Central Business District/City Centre provides residents with numerous shopping facilities and services and is the Commercial Centre for government departments and local business.