Clarendon, NSW 2756

Clarendon is a tiny semi-rural suburb of just 147 residents (2021 census, median age 40) lying on the Richmond railway line between the historic towns of Windsor and Richmond, about 57 km north-west of the Sydney CBD. Despite its size it is one of the Hawkesbury's best-known names: the suburb is home to Hawkesbury Racecourse and the Hawkesbury Showground, and its railway station — opened in 1870 as 'Hawkesbury Racecourse' station — exists largely to serve race and show crowds. Land use is a mix of rural holdings, horse properties and acreage homes gathered around the racecourse/showground precinct, giving the suburb a mixed rural/residential character; its south-western edge borders RAAF Base Richmond. The suburb spans about 5.2 km² and is mostly open country — parks cover roughly 19.5% of its area.

At a Glance

Transport

Clarendon railway station is in the suburb on Racecourse Road: it opened in 1870 under the name 'Hawkesbury Racecourse', was electrified in 1991 and sits on the Richmond branch of the Sydney rail network, served by Sydney Trains T1 line services (stopping pattern Richmond–East Richmond–Clarendon–Windsor toward the city) with additional late-night T5 services; it is 57.21 km from Central station. The Hawkesbury Showground's own website notes the showground is 'conveniently serviced by the adjacent Clarendon Train Station', and the station has bus connections on the local network. Road access is along Hawkesbury Valley Way, the main Windsor–Richmond road that runs through the suburb past the racecourse and showground (StMate listings).

Schools

Clarendon has no school within its boundaries — with a resident population of just 147 at the 2021 census, no NSW government or private school is located in the suburb. School-age children are served by schools in immediately adjacent suburbs: Windsor Public School (government primary, Dight Street, adjacent Windsor), Richmond Public School (government primary, adjacent Richmond) and Richmond High School (government Years 7–12, 140 Lennox Street, adjacent Richmond — a partially selective school with an agricultural-college heritage) (school websites; NSW Department of Education).

Universities

Western Sydney University's Hawkesbury campus — the university's agricultural, horticultural and science campus, about 60 km north-west of the CBD — sits on the corner of Bourke Street and Londonderry Road in the immediately adjacent suburb of Richmond (WSU; Hawkesbury Chamber of Commerce).

Shopping & Amenities

Clarendon has no retail centre of its own — the suburb's facilities are its two large event venues. Hawkesbury Showground at 40 Racecourse Road is home of the annual Hawkesbury Show (three days each April — the 2026 show ran 24–26 April) and hosts markets and community events, and it sits directly beside Clarendon railway station (Hawkesbury Showground; What's On Sydney). Hawkesbury Racecourse — the course of Hawkesbury Race Club at 1 Racecourse Road — is one of NSW's most historic racing venues, hosting thoroughbred race meetings through the season (Hawkesbury Race Club; Racing and Sports). Everyday shopping, cafes and services are found in the adjacent towns of Windsor and Richmond.

Parks & Outdoors

Clarendon is a low-density rural suburb of about 5.2 km² where open space dominates — its 6 parks cover roughly 19.5% of the suburb's area. The wide green grounds of the racecourse track and showground are the suburb's main open space and host race days, the annual show and event traffic, while the surrounding horse paddocks and rural blocks stretch toward the RAAF Richmond boundary.

Property Market

The median house price in Clarendon was around $1,311,513 (AVM median house value, Cotality data via OnTheHouse, as at 31 Jul 2026) (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Clarendon is an extremely thin market: only 68 properties in total and just one house sale recorded in the 12 months to 31 July 2026, so the median figure above is an AVM estimate rather than a robust sales-based median — most trackers (e.g. StMate) publish no sales median for the suburb at all. Typical stock is acreage, horse properties and large rural holdings rather than suburban houses: recent listings have ranged from a ~$925k five-acre equine property adjoining Hawkesbury Racecourse to ~$1.1–1.4M+ rural estates and R2-zoned parcels on Hawkesbury Valley Way (StMate listings), broadly consistent with the $1.1–1.5M expectation for acreage-style holdings.

New Developments

Clarendon's development activity is modest and tied to its rural-residential zoning: recent supply consists of acreage and estate sales, including R2-zoned parcels along Hawkesbury Valley Way marketed for dual-income potential (211 & 211A Hawkesbury Valley Way, Ray White via StMate) and equine acreage adjoining the racecourse (Home and Acres Realty via StMate). The suburb's population grew 20.5% across 2016–2021 as rural holdings gradually converted toward residential acreage.

Jobs & Local Economy

Clarendon's local employment is anchored by the equine and events sector — Hawkesbury Race Club's racing operations and the Hawkesbury Showground — plus agriculture on the surrounding rural holdings. The suburb borders RAAF Base Richmond, the Royal Australian Air Force's transport-aircraft base established in 1923, which is a major employer for the wider Hawkesbury district. With only a handful of resident workers, most employed residents commute to Windsor, Richmond and the Blacktown/Parramatta corridor along Hawkesbury Valley Way and Windsor Road.

Nearby Suburbs

Cornwallis, Richmond, South Windsor, Windsor

Sources & method

Researched 5 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.

Sources cited in this guide:

• Wikipedia — Clarendon railway station
• NSW Government

Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.

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