Pest Control Around Blacktown Council

Before the First Fleet’s arrival in 1788, the area now known as Blacktown was home to various groups of the Darug people, including the Warmuli near Prospect, the Gomerigal from South Creek, and the Wawarawarry from Eastern Creek. Tragically, the introduction of smallpox and other diseases resulted in significant loss of life among the Darug, with estimates ranging from fifty to ninety percent succumbing to these illnesses within a few years of British arrival. In 1791, Governor Arthur Phillip began allocating land to white settlers in the region. Notably, Governor Lachlan Macquarie granted land to Indigenous men Colebee and Nurragingy in 1819 as recognition for their assistance with the construction of a road over the Blue Mountains and handling Aboriginal affairs.

In 1823, the Native Institution, a school for Aboriginal children, relocated from Parramatta to the site where Richmond Road intersects with Rooty Hill Road North, known then as “The Blacks Town.” Although the institution closed in 1833, the road leading to it became Black Town Road. In 1860, the railway station at the junction of the railway and Black Town Road was named Black Town Road Station, eventually shortened to Blacktown by 1862.

The advent of the railway spurred the development of a town around the station. A post office opened in 1862, followed by a school in 1877. The Shire of Blacktown was established in 1906, with electricity introduced to the town in 1930. By 1933, the population had reached around 13,000. The 1950s and 1960s saw significant suburban expansion, prompting civic developments such as the opening of a hospital in 1965, a courthouse and police station in 1966, a library in 1967, and a TAFE college in 1969. The Westpoint shopping center opened in 1973, followed by a cinema complex soon after.