The name Leumeah recognises both early settler John Warby, who called his farm
Leumeah, and the
Tharawal people who originally inhabited the area. It means "Here I rest" and comes from the
Tharawal language. Clans of the Tharawal roamed over a wide area from
Botany Bay to the
Shoalhaven River and inland to
Campbelltown. They lived a nomadic
hunter-gatherer lifestyle, eating local foods (
bush tucker) such as
kangaroo, fish,
yams and berries. They made tools out of stones, bones and shells to help them build bark shelters, canoes and possum-skin clothing. John Warby was a
convict explorer transported to Sydney on the
Pitt in February 1792. In 1802, he was given the job of protecting the cattle roaming free in the Cowpastures area, as the area south west of Sydney was then known. He befriended the Tharawals and learnt some of their language. In 1816, he was granted at what is now Leumeah where he built his house, a barn and stables. The barn still stands as part of the Colonial Motor Inn. The streets of Leumeah are named after famous dams, lakes of NSW, explorers and pioneer farmers. Continuing the theme from the suburb's own naming,
Campbelltown Stadium, home of
Macarthur FC, was originally called Orana Park after an aboriginal word for "welcome". == Heritage listings ==