Richmond

Richmond, New South Wales, Australia

Richmond, town, part of the Hawkesbury local government area, east-central New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on a hill on the Hawkesbury River.

The district was explored in 1789 by Gov. Arthur Phillip, who named the hill Richmond Hill. A township was established there in 1810 by Gov. Lachlan Macquarie, who chose the site because it was safe from flooding, which had recently damaged nearby farms. Proclaimed a municipality in 1872, Richmond later became a suburb of Sydney (about 35 miles [56 km] southeast).

Fertile riverine flats surrounding the town yield vegetables, corn (maize), turf, and dairy products, much of which is processed in Richmond. The Hawkesbury campus of the University of Western Sydney (founded in 1888 as Hawkesbury Agricultural College) and a Royal Australian Air Force base are nearby. Pop. (2006) Hawkesbury local government area, 60,561; (2011) Hawkesbury local government area, 62,353.