The first land grant at Stonequarry (Picton) was made in 1822 to Major Henry Antill whose property was named Jarvisfield' after Jane Jarvis, Governor Macquarie's first wife. The homestead on the property has been recycled' and is now the clubhouse for the Antill Park Golf Club.
The name Picton was not used until 1845 when Governor Brisbane gave the name to Stonequarry and two other villages amalgamated with it. Brisbane had served under General Sir Thomas Picton at Waterloo and named the town in honour of this military hero.
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| Riding across the old Victoria Bridge (1897) at Picton. Pic: Ed Krause |
The coming of the railway in 1863 contributed greatly to the town's development and the station master's residence, the station, the first viaduct and the gatehouse, which still stand in Picton, all date from this period. The first railway tunnel was used for growing mushrooms when it became redundant in 1919 and was used by the army during the Second World War for storing cannon shells.
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| Old Razorback Inn, now Common Ground Bakery (supplied) |
Picton was not only a major junction on the Sydney rail line, from 1863 but was also a coach stop on the Old South Road. After the ride over the Razorback Range between Camden and Picton the sight of the Razorback Inn must have been a welcome one. Apart from its many inns Picton also had a creamery (1899), and a feather and fur factory (1920) which made tippets, boas and feathered cockades for the slouch hats of the Mounted Lancers.
Picton today is a town of beautiful parks and historic landmarks..and a brewery based in the George IV Inn that brews 'real ale' in the traditional German manner.
MORE: Aussie Towns - Picton by former Fairfax journalist, Bruce Elder
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| MORE: History on the Hume series |
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| Text source: Readers Digest Guide to Australian Places 1995 |
