Whalan, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids WhalanSydney, New South Wales |
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Whalan Community Centre
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| Population | 5,973 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2770 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 47 m (154 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 45 km (28 mi) west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Blacktown | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Londonderry | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Chifley | ||||||||||||||
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Whalan is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Whalan is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
History
Whalan takes its name from James Whalan, who was granted 300 acres (1.2 km2) at Mount Druitt by Governor Ralph Darling in 1831. His father was Sergeant Charles Whalan who was Governor Lachlan Macquarie's orderly sergeant and in charge of the Light Horse Guard. James Whalan explored the areas around Jenolan Caves and the Blue Mountains and discovered the rock formation known as Grand Arch pursuing the bushranger McKeown.
Parks and recreation
Whalan has an extensive reserve that is made up of four soccer fields and four football fields. It also has numerous parks and a large go-cart track that is available to use every Saturday. As well there are numerous smaller parks and reserves dotted around the leafy suburb including RAAF Park on the eastern boundary. This park is a memorial to the RAAF camp that was on the site during WW2. There was also an airfield nearby with the runway still in existence as the main road access to Whalan Reserve. The old Mt Druitt motor racing track used to run along this runway and parts of Luxford Road and Kuringai Ave prior to the NSW Housing Commission developing the area in the mid-1960s.
