Heckenberg

The suburb of Heckenberg was officially gazetted on 7 April 1972. The suburb was one of six suburbs that formed the Green Valley Housing Estate created by the Housing Commission of New South Wales during the affordable housing crisis of the 1960s. Built between 1961-1965, the first sod was turned on the 3rd of August 1961.

The Heckenberg Family

The Heckenberg family, after whom the suburb is named, were renowned in New South Wales as champion woodchoppers. The Heckenberg family were descendants of Captain Casper Theodore Heckenberg who arrived in Sydney and settled there in 1840.  Casper was a master mariner and operated ships between Sydney and Port Stevens in the logging trade. His son William and his wife Virginia settled in the Liverpool area in 1865. They had eight sons, all noted as being very large men. They reputedly had an average height of 6’1” (185cm) and all weighed more than 100kg. Two of the brothers were police officers, and three were garrison police. The Heckenberg home was located in the area of today’s Busby, not in Heckenberg, and was surrounded by timber. All the brothers were renowned for being excellent wood choppers, holding 11 championships between them. The eldest son, Jim, held a championship for 15 years, and enjoyed some success as a boxer.

Buildings

Heckenberg Post Office opened on 1 July 1965 and closed in 1986.