The European Discovery of Penrith: Watkin Tench and the Nepean River

The European Discovery of Penrith: Watkin Tench and the Nepean River

The European Discovery of Penrith: Watkin Tench and the Nepean River

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The recorded history of Penrith began on June 26, 1789, when an exploration party led by Captain Watkin Tench set out to investigate the area further, following earlier discoveries by Governor Arthur Phillip. On June 27, Tench and his team reached a vast river, which he later described as “nearly as broad as the Thames at Putney and apparently of great depth.” This moment marked the first recorded European sighting of what is now the City of Penrith.

Shortly after, Governor Phillip named the river after Evan Nepean, the under-secretary of state in the Home Office, who played a crucial role in organizing the First Fleet. This discovery laid the foundation for European settlement in the region, which initially began along the Hawkesbury River before expanding southward along the Nepean.

The European arrival in Penrith marked a significant turning point in the area’s history, transforming it from an Indigenous homeland into a growing colonial settlement that would later become a vital part of Greater Western Sydney.