About Us

Our History

Our society was established in 1959 by a small group of residents who were from old Liverpool families such as Fitzpatrick, Collimore, Rowe, Kelly, Hill and Havard. They were proud of Liverpool’s history and were committed to preserving and promoting its unique story. Their first meeting was held at the old Liverpool Town Hall on Moore Street in 1959 and was presided over by the then Mayor Ron Dunbier who was also a member. Since then, the society has led a nomadic existence in its search to find a home. From the old Liverpool Hospital/TAFE to the now demolished Colonial Hall to the Old Court House to our once home at the Bi-centennial Museum.
In 2024, we started afresh in our new home, the Liverpool Historical Society Centre in the former Liverpool Senior Citizen Association Hall on 185 Bigge Street Liverpool. It is a location befitting the society as it was the site of Liverpool’s very first public building built in 1812, the multi-purpose Court House, School House, place of worship and meeting place.
Our home is also multi-purpose serving as storage for much of our collection of 10,000 items, our museum, office, workroom and meeting place We hope that residents and visitors to Liverpool can enjoy, learn and understand our rich and unique history.

  • 1810 On 7 November Governor Lachlan Macquarie founded Liverpool and named it after the Earl of Liverpool, then Secretary of State for the Colonies.
  • 1811 Liverpool’s first school house probably built in 1811. It was a two-storey building whose upper storey served as a courthouse for a time. Church services were conducted here until St Luke’s was built. The military barracks were nearing completion.
  • 1813 The road from Sydney to Liverpool was completed.
  • 1818 Foundation of St Luke’s Church laid by Governor Macquarie.
  • 1819 Commissioner John Bigge was sent to the Colony to investigate the administration of Governor Macquarie. Bigge Street and Bigge Park were named after him.
  • 1822 Governor Macquarie left the colony and commented that when he first came to Liverpool in 1810 it was a thick forest, it now contained “a handsome neat brick-built church, a brick-built hospital, a provision store, barrack, school-house, parsonage house, gaol and several other government buildings”. He also mentioned “a wooden wharf or quay, in the centre of town, to which vessels of 50 tonnes can come to load and unload, which trade from Sydney to Liverpool, by way of  Botany Bay.”
  • 1836 On 26 January the Lansdowne Bridge, designed by David Lennox was opened by Governor Bourke. It had been built with convict labour. The Liverpool Weir, also designed by Lennox may have been opened later this year
  • 1843 Liverpool was incorporated as a District with Samuel Moore as Warden, and six Councillors.
  • 1848 The District Council of Liverpool was formed in January.
  • 1853 The Benevolent Society of New South Wales took over the Hospital to be an ‘Asylum for Destitute and Infirm Men.’
  • 1855 On 20th November, J.H. Atkinson of Sophienberg turned the first sod for the Railway at Liverpool Sir William Denison declared open the line from Granville to Liverpool. The foundation stone was laid for the Collingwood abattoirs. Moore Theological College was founded in Liverpool.  This was later moved to its present site near Sydney University.
  • 1868 The Paper Mill at Collingwood, possibly the first in Australia, was built.
  • 1872 Liverpool was proclaimed a municipality on 27 June 1872.  148 residents petitioned for this move, even though it meant that in future they would have to pay rates on their properties. Richard Sadleir became the first Mayor of Liverpool.
  • 1890 The gas works opened in July 1890 and the lighting of the first lamp was a cause of much celebration.
  • 1912 883 acres was acquired by the Commonwealth Government at Holsworthy for a Remount Depot and Veterinary Hospital.
  • 1913 A further 16,868 acres were acquired for the Army at Holsworthy. Liverpool Council met on alternate Thursdays at the Town Hall in Moore Street. The Council’s telephone number was “7 Liverpool’ and the office was open for five hours on weekdays and two on Saturdays.
  • 1914 With the outbreak of World War I an internment camp (the GCC or German Concentration Camp) was set up at Holsworthy for POWs.  Later some  POWs were also interned here. A training camp was set up at Holsworthy for soldiers preparing to go to the front. Initially this camp consisted of tent accommodation. In September the 3rd Light Horse was transferred to ‘Holdsworthy’ (as it was then called).
  • 1916 In February an army riot began at Casula Camp with the rioting soldiers later joined by those from Liverpool Camp.  Troops broke into hotels and later commandeered a train to the City where the riot continued.  One man was shot dead and six injured.  This event resulted in ‘six-o’clock closing’ being brought into New South Wales hotels. Publication of William Freame’s Early Days of  Liverpool.
  • 1919 Returned Soldier Settlement Scheme farms set up at Chipping Norton and Hillview. Influenza epidemic – many internees died at the German Concentration Camp.
  • 1925 Electricity switched on in Liverpool for the first time.  Power was purchased from the Department of Railways and the main substation was at Warwick Farm.  Australian Gas Light Company took over the Liverpool gas works and soon after supplied all Liverpool’s gas needs from the city mains.
  • 1932 Archdeacon R.B.S. Hammond set up Hammondville to provide housing for families whose breadwinner was out of work. In June of the same year the Green Valley Progress Association was formed.
  • 1942 American troops quartered on the Warwick Farm Race Course, Hargrave Park.
  • 1944 Commencement of the building of HMS Golden Hind, a British Naval establishment at Hargrave Park. By this time at least 6780 Australians, mostly of Italian origin were interned at a camp on the Anzac Rifle range – the previous internment camp had earlier been taken over for other uses.
  • 1946 HMS Golden Hind taken over for temporary housing at what became the Hargrave Park housing settlement.
  • 1958 The ‘new’ Liverpool Hospital was opened.
  • 1959  Formation of the Liverpool and District Historical Society Inc.
  • 1960 Liverpool declared a city on 9th November 1960.
  • 1961 The Minister for Housing the Hon. A. Landa turns the first sod for the Housing Commissions Green Valley Housing Project on the 3rd August.
  • 1969 The Hume Highway diversion was completed, bypassing Macquarie Street and the town centre.
  • 1971 The opening of the new Liverpool Shoppingtown (Westfield)
  • 1972 11 October, the Big W department store burns down. The Federal member for Werriwa Gough Whitlam becomes Prime Minister of Australia.
  • 1976 The population of Liverpool is 89,656
  • 1983 The opening of the Whitlam Leisure Centre
  • 1994 The opening of the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Macquarie Street Mall
  • 2003 The Liverpool to Parramatta bus rapid transit T-Way completed
  • 2004 Liverpool Council sacked and an administrator, Gabrielle Kibble, appointed.
  • 2006 Population of Liverpool 164,000.
  • 2010 The Liverpool City Council chambers on Hoxton Park Road are destroyed by fire.
  • 2015 Liverpool’s first Skyscraper residential tower block development, the 30 story ‘SkyHaus’ commences on Macquarie Street.Leppington Railway line opened as part of the Southwest Rail Link.
  • 2016 Population of Liverpool 204,326.
  • 2017 The University of Wollongong Liverpool Campus opened.
  • 2018 The University of Western Sydney’s Liverpool Campus opened.