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Ropes Crossing has had a long and famous history, from settlement by the Gomerrigal-Tongarra Aboriginal clan, through the First Fleet settlement of Anthony and Elizabeth Rope, to the present day. This timeline shows key events in the history of the local area and in particular Ropes Crossing.
Pre-European
The area that is now known as Western Sydney has been inhabited by the Darug speaking people for at least 20,000 years. The area around South Creek was occupied primarily by the Gomerrigal-Tongarra clan.
For the Aborigines, South Creek and Ropes Creek were an important natural resource, providing water for swimming, washing and fishing. The rich soil provided excellent conditions for plants to grow, and the water attracted animals for food.
The point at which South Creek and Ropes Creek meet is an important place for the Gomerrigal-Tongarra. The combination of the two creeks and the availability of stone suitable for making tools, just to the south, made the area ideal for the Aboriginal hunter-gatherer life. The creeks also provided a useful landmark by which the Aborigines were able to navigate the local area.
1787
The First Fleet sets sail from Britain. Among the convicts are Anthony Rope, onboard the Alexander, and Elizabeth Pulley on the Friendship. When the First Fleet sailed, Lt. Philip Gidley King was the 2nd Lieutenant on the Flag Ship Sirius and Aide-de-Camp to Governor Phillip.
1788
The First Fleet arrives and Governor Phillip sets about colonising New South Wales. Anthony Rope and Elizabeth Pulley marry in May and their son Robert, born on October 30, is the first European child born in Australia.
Late 1700s
Anthony and Elizabeth Rope moved around Windsor and Castlereagh eventually buying William Faithfull’s Estate at South Creek (St Marys). Anthony was the land holder from 1820-1843.
1800
Philip Gidley Kind returns from England as third Governor of NSW.
1804
Governor Kind makes land grants around South Creek and Ropes Creek, primarily to sell his family. Because of the rich alluvial soil and reliable water source, the new township, named South Creek, proves to have some of the best farming land in New South Wales.
Governor Kind makes first land grant at South Creek to reverend Samuel Marsden – who called the property ‘Mamre’. His homestead is now a popular tourist site and community hub “Mamre House”.
King Family Estate
By 1807, the land grants made by Governor King to his children, and by Governor Bligh to King’s wife Anna totalled 3,780 acres. The Kings returned to England almost immediately after the grants were made and the estate was managed by Rowland Hassall and William Hayes, who bred the celebrated racehorse ‘Traveller’.
Anna King returned to Australia in 1832 and the estate, which by now included a large house built in 1814, and was renamed Dunhaved, meaning “hill-head”, after an old castle in the town where Governor King was born. Phillip Parker King retired from the navy in the same year and moved in to the Dunhaved estate. Dunhaved was one of the largest estates in the colony and was reputed to employed between 80 and 100 servants. Dunhaved was said to have become “the pattern farm for the whole country”.
The property was sold in 1904 and its name began to change, first to Dunheaved, then Dunheved. In 1942, the majority of the estate became part of the munitions factory and, in 1947, Dunheved house was demolished. After World War Two, the southern part of the estate became the Dunheved Industrial Estate and the western end became the new suburb of Kingswood.
1817
Phillip Parker King marries Harriet Lethbridge in England and returns to the colony to finish charting the coast of Australia.
1820
Phillip Parker King, Governor King’s son and already major local landowner, is granted more land in the region, known as Triangle Farm.
1820s
The western part of the Rooty Hill reserve is put under the control of the Church of England. The Church is made responsible for providing education and the land is set aside for building schools. Gradually, the Church sells off the land it no longer requires.
1837 - 40
St Mary Magdalene Church is built on land donated by Phillip Parker King. His mother, Anna Josepha King, chose the site and Phillip Parker named the St Marys church after the church in Cornwall where he married Harriet(1817). The church became a landmark for travellers and the area was soon being referred to as St Marys. The name became official in 1885.
1842
Mary Putland, now Lady Maurice O’Connell, subdivides her land into smaller blocks which attracts local industry. Over the next fifteen years, many tanneries are established along with industries such as brick making, sawmilling, and wagon building.
1856
The first cattle saleyard opens in the area. By the end of the century, St Marys is second only to Goulbourn as a stockmustering town.
1871
The Church subdivides the remainder of the Rooty Hill Church and school estate into 46 lots and puts them up for auction. Lots 4 and 6 in the new subdivision are to become part of Ropes Crossing.
1885
The name “South Creek” is replaced by “St Marys” on railway timetables.
1877
William Roberts buys lots 4, 5 and 6 of the Church and Schools Estate.
1898
Phillip Gidley King, son of Phillip Parker King, subdivides the family land holding and sells 22 acres to George Beacroft. Beacroft’s land (south of Ropes Creek) will become part of Ropes Crossing.
Early 1900s
William Roberts’ land is passed to Elizabeth May. In the mid 1920s, she defaults her mortgage and Patrick Shalvey, a local butcher takes possession of the land. Shalvey rents the land to a succession of tenants to use as a butchery and slaughter yard. Remains of the Beacroft Slaughterhouse exist on site today within the Regional Open Space.
1941
During World War Two, the Federal Government decides to construct a munitions factory at St Marys. The site of Ropes Crossing, along with the land owned by the King family to the west, is compulsory acquired from owners.
1942
The St Marys Munitions Factory commences production. What will become Ropes Crossing is the Pyrotechnics Section, manufacturing flares, flame floats and sea markers. A railway line is built from St Marys station to the new Dunheved and Ropes creek stations, within the factory grounds.
1944
Four diesel locomotives were acquired to run on the line because stream engines were considered too dangerous in a munitions factory.
1945
At the end of the war, the Department of Defence Production keeps the munitions factory open but leases land, warehouses and factories to create income and sustain operations.
When the munitions factory closed after WW2 part of the factory was set up as a migrant hostel. This made a huge difference to the local area as hundreds of displaced people from Europe arrived.
These people working in the factories and contributed greatly to the community.
After the war Dunheved station was sold off as part of the new Dunheved Industrial Estate and the train services between Dunheved and Ropes Creek stations ceased operation.
1950
The Korean War starts and the St Marys factory goes back into full-scale production. The Government upgrades the facility to increase production capacity. During rebuilding work, one contractor uses roofing made from compressed straw – resulting in a crop of wheat growing from the roof!
1957
The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, opens the upgraded munitions factory on 17 December. St Marys is claimed to be “the most modern merchandised ammunition filling plant in the Free World”. As part of the upgrade, another station, Cochrane (named after the General Manager of the Government explosives factories), is added to the railway between Dunheved and Ropes Creek Stations. The Railway was unusual because its two stations were located on Commonwealth land and were never used by the public.
1965
The Vietnam War starts and St Marys again produces munitions for the Australian forces.
1966
The new decimal currency was stored on site prior to distribution to banks.
1975
The Vietnam War ends and production at St Marys gradually declines.
1986
As production slows, the Ropes Creek railway line is closed.
1988
As a result of $1 billion expenditure on the office of Defence production in the last five years, the Federal Government registers a new company, ADI Limited, to run St Marys and other munitions factories as commercial ventures.
1990
ADI decides that the St Marys factory is no longer commercially viable and seeks a rezoning from Blacktown and Penrith Councils to allow the site to be redeveloped.
1994
ADI selects Lend Lease as its joint venture partner in developing a new community on the site.
1995
The factory closes for good as ADI re-focus on munitions production in country Victoria.
2003
State Government releases the ‘Eastern Precinct’ of the St Marys development.
2004
The new precinct is named Ropes Crossing after the Rope-Pulley family and construction commences.
2005
The Ropes Crossing Sales and Information Centre opens and land sales commence.
2006
First residents move into the Ropes Crossing community.
2008
Ropes Crossing Public School opens it doors to the first 25 students.
Coles Village Centre opens for business.
Special thanks to Norma Thorburn President St Marys Historical Society and Lyn Forde, Secretary St Marys Historical Society (and descendant of the Rope-Pulley family) for their generous assistance in compiling this timeline.
For further information visit:
www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au
www.stmaryshistoricalsociety.org
www.stmarysregisters.com.au
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