The Longbottom Stockade
The Longbottom Stockade, at Parramatta Road and Loftus Street, Concord served many purposes in its lifetime
During its approximate 50 years of existence the Longbottom Stockade had many uses.
It was a government farm and timber mill, where timber was cut and sawn on-site and sent to Sydney by boat along the Parramatta River. Convict road gangs were housed on the site and mounted police were stationed there to deal with local problems, such a escaping prisoners and bushrangers. It was also used for police training and agistment. Prisoners were detained overnight on their 24k trek from Sydney to Parramatta.
The French-speaking Canadian Exiles were housed there until they were pardoned and allowed to return to Canada. One exile married an Australian and raised a family in Depto.
The Village of Longbottom, one of the early settlements in Concord, grew around the area.
In 1886 it was dedicated as a recreation area, known as St Luke’s Park, where various sports grounds were laid out for cricket, football, vigoro, hockey and more. In 1887 the first Rugby World Cup was played there.