About the Hawkesbury Ulysses Branch ....

The Hawkesbury Ulysses Branch, a subsidiary of the Ulysses Club Incorporated, was formed in 1997 and now comprises approximately 80 members. The Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the Richmond Golf Club, Bourke Street, Richmond at 7:30pm (adjacent the East Richmond Railway Station).

An Overview of the City of Hawkesbury ....

The Hawkesbury City lies to the north-west of Sydney, it cover's an area of 2,772 square kilometres. The area has two main centres of population; Richmond and Windsor, and thirteen other hamlets many of which are relatively isolated. The estimated population of the Hawkesbury area, as at June 30, 1998, was 60,884 people.

The mainstay of the local economy is small business, tourism and agriculture. Major employers include the Royal Australian Air Force, the University of Western Sydney, TAFE (Technical and Further Education), Local Government and commercial ventures.

Historic Water Wheel, Windsor Mall, Windsor, New South Wales.

Historical Background of the Hawkesbury District ....

The Daruk aboriginal people occupied the present area known as the Hawkesbury for many thousands of years. The Daruk population slowly decreased following European settlement. The Aboriginal Sites Register of the National Parks and Wildlife Service indicates that a total of 193 aboriginal sites are located within 5km of the Hawkesbury River between Windsor and Wisemans Ferry. Whilst actual figures on the total number of sites in the City are unknown, McDonald (1989) estimates the potential number of sites in the area along the Hawkesbury River between Windsor and Wisemans Ferry to be as many as four thousand.

Hawkesbury River Bridge, Windsor, New South Wales.

In 1789, Governor Phillip explored the Hawkesbury in search of farming land. Settlement developed throughout the Hawkesbury and the area soon became know as the "Granary of the Colony" because of the large amounts of wheat and maize grown.

In 1801, Governor Macquarie established the five Macquarie Towns of Castlereagh, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Windsor. By 1856, Windsor was the sixth largest town in New South Wales with a population of 1,781. Farming continued to be the prominent activity in the Hawkesbury. Agricultural based ventures included dairy farming, horse breeding, wheat, citrus and vegetable crops.

In 1864, the rail line from Sydney was opened in Richmond and Windsor (later through to Kurrajong). The opening of the railway allowed supplies to reach Sydney by rail and in return opened the Hawkesbury up to Sydney. The Hawkesbury College was established in 1890.

In 1923, the Ham Common at Clarendon (land between Windsor and Richmond) was purchased by the Federal Government for the Royal Australian Air Force. During WWII the base was used as part of Australia's defence system, and is still used today as a strategic and tactical transport base as well as a maintenance and surface-finishing facility. Richmond is the home of the RAAF's C130 Hercules and Boeing 707 fleet.

On the first of January 1981, Windsor Municipality and Colo Shire were amalgamated to create the Hawkesbury Shire. In 1989, Hawkesbury Shire was declared a city.

Ninety percent of the population live in the area based around Richmond and Windsor which occupy the most south-easterly section of the region.The other 10% of the population live in small and geographically diverse hamlets from St Albans and Wisemans Ferry in the north to Maraylya in the east and Kurrajong and Bilpin in the west.