The area now known as Elderslie was probably originally home to the
Tharawal people, based in the
Illawarra region, although the
Western Sydney-based
Darug people and the
Southern Highlands-based
Gandangara people were also known to have inhabited the greater Camden area. Very early relations with British settlers were cordial but as farmers started clearing and fencing the land affecting food resources in the area, clashes between the groups arose until 1816 when a number of indigenous people were massacred and the remainder retreated from direct conflict with the settlers. In
1795, a group of lost cattle was discovered in the area, earning it the name Cowpastures. In
1805, a small hut was built at Elderslie near the ford on the
Nepean River to house two constables assigned to keep an eye on the cattle. This was the first house built by British settlers in the Camden region. Later the same year, wool pioneer
John Macarthur was granted 5,000 acres (20 km²) at Cowpastures. After the land was cleared, it was used for farming for most of the next 200 years until Sydney's suburban sprawl reached the town of Camden and modern suburbs like Elderslie were subdivided into housing blocks. Elderslie Post Office opened on 1 January 1839 and closed on 30 April 1841 when it was replaced by the nearby
Camden office. It reopened on 1 August 1876 and closed in 1969. ==People==