View source for Wilberforce, New South Wales

{{bdm}}
{{Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
| name     = Wilberforce
| state    = nsw
| image    = 
| caption  = 
| lga      = [[City of Hawkesbury]]
| postcode = 2756
| est      = 
| pop      = 3,004 (2006 Census)
| elevation= 
| maxtemp  = 
| mintemp  = 
| rainfall = 
| stategov = 
| fedgov   = [[Division of Macquarie|Macquarie]]
| dist1    = 62
| location1= Sydney CBD
| near-nw  = [[East Kurrajong, New South Wales|East Kurrajong]]
| near-n   = [[East Kurrajong, New South Wales|East Kurrajong]]
| near-ne  = [[Ebenezer, New South Wales|Ebenezer]]
| near-w   = [[Glossodia, New South Wales|Glossodia]] and [[Freemans Reach, New South Wales|Freemans Reach]]
| near-e   = [[South Maroota, New South Wales|South Maroota]]
| near-sw  = [[Freemans Reach, New South Wales|Freemans Reach]]
| near-s   = [[Pitt Town, New South Wales|Pitt Town]]
| near-se  = [[Maraylya, New South Wales|Maraylya]]
}}

'''Wilberforce''' is a small town in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], in the [[Local Government Areas in Australia|local government area]] of the [[City of Hawkesbury]]. It is just beyond the outer suburbs of north-west [[Sydney]] and lies on the western bank of the [[Hawkesbury River]].
==History==
Wilberforce is one of the original settlements established as a township by [[Lachlan Macquarie]], colonial governor of New South Wales 1810-21, and accordingly is locally known as a "[[Macquarie Towns|Macquarie Town]]"<ref>http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/macquarie/governor/towns.html</ref>, a title given to townships established by Governor Macquarie on 6th December 1810 <ref>http://www.hawkesburyhistory.org.au/articles/macquarie_town.html</ref>in and around the Sydney metropolitan area.
It was named after [[William Wilberforce]] (1759–1833) who was a British politician, philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.

Wilberforce currently boasts Rose Cottage; the oldest timber slab cottage in Australia standing on its original site<ref>http://www.rosefamilysociety.org.au/cottage.asp</ref>.

The historic St John's Anglican Church was designed by Edmund Thomas Blacket<ref>http://www.wilberforce.anglican.asn.au/html/st_johns.html </ref> and built by J. Atkinson of [[Windsor, New South Wales|Windsor]]. Construction was started in 1856 and the building was not completed until 1859 at a cost of £1500. The grounds of the church and contains the Old School House building (''Built 1819''), which was used as a school, a church, and a residence of the school master until the church was completed. The school house was replaced in 1880 by a Public School<ref>{{cite book
|last=Baker
|first=Helen
|title=Historic Buildings. Windsor and Richmond
|origyear=1967
|edition=1st
|publisher=The State Planning Authority of New South Wales
}}
</ref>. The original church building is still used for the church's 8am service with the modern education centre used for later services.

==Notable residents==
Wilberforce is the birthplace of [[bushranger]] [[Captain Thunderbolt]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Hawkesbury suburbs}}
{{Coord|-33.55944|150.84055|format=dms|type:city_region:AU-NSW|display=title}}

[[Category:Wilberforce, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Suburbs of Sydney]]
[[Category:City of Hawkesbury]]
[[Category:Established in 1810]]
[[Category:Hawkesbury River]]

{{Sydney-geo-stub}}


{{usedwp|Wilberforce, New South Wales}}