| Appin New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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 Northern entry to Appin | |||||||||||||||
  Appin | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°12′S150°47′E /34.200°S 150.783°E /-34.200; 150.783 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 2,633 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2560 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 150 m (492 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Wollondilly Shire | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Macarthur | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Wollondilly | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Macarthur | ||||||||||||||
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Appin is a town inNew South Wales,Australia inWollondilly Shire. It is situated about 16 kilometres south ofCampbelltown and 35 kilometres north west ofWollongong. In 2006, there were 1,423 people living in Appin. The fifth village settled in Australia, it is now on the fringe of the Sydneyurban area.[2]
The town was named by GovernorLachlan Macquarie in 1811 after asmall village on the coast ofScotland where his wife was born.[2] One of the first settlers was John Hume, whose sonHamilton Hume became a famous Australian explorer. Hamilton Hume explored the local area and was given a grant of 300acres of land at Appin as a reward.[2] When he made his famous journey toVictoria withWilliam Hovell in 1824, they started the journey from Appin.[2]
Appin is the birthplace of John Fuller (1830-1865), the Australian bushranger also known asDan Morgan.[3]
Cataract Gorge is about 10 km south east of Appin. It is now has a dam built in 1906 which is the oldest dam in theSydney water supply system.[2] On 17 April 1816, the British army killed manyAboriginal men, women and children, of the Dharawal Nation at the gorge.[2][4] They had been fighting the European settlers who were moving into the area.
TheRoman Catholic church at Appin, St. Bede's, was built from 1837-1843.[2] The design was by FatherJohn Therry (1790-1864), who became Australia's first Catholicpriest in 1820.[5] St. Bede's is the oldest Catholic church still in continuous use.[6] It was named afterSt. Bede, the founder of theBenedictines.[source?]
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