Sutton Forest is a small village in the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, Australia in Wingecarribee Shire. It is located 5 km southwest of Moss Vale on the Illawarra Highway. Sutton Forest was originally granted, then owned by Navy Chief officer, Captain John Nicholson who recently immigrated from Scotland to Australia. This privately owned estate was originally 700 acres, this is where John Nicholson lived and died. Sutton Forest is located in an agrarian setting and is surrounded by farms, vineyards and is home to manor homes and estates. It is in one of the oldest areas settled by Europeans in Australia after Sydney and is somewhat reminiscent of an English village due to the temperate Southern Highlands climate and high rainfall. Sutton Forest comprises two churches, an inn, and two specialty shops. In 2004, a proposal to locate Sydney's second airport in Sutton Forest met with fierce opposition from locals. It was one of the first colonial settlements outside Sydney and thus has many heritage buildings such as the Hillview Heritage Hotel which was built in 1850s. Etymology In 1819 it was named by Governor Lachlan Macquarie after Charles Manners-Sutton, 1st Viscount Canterbury, a speaker of the House of Commons. The surrounding area is part of the lands administrative unit of the Sutton Forest Parish. Population According to the , Sutton Forest had a population of 477. 81.2% of people were born in Australia and 88.4% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were Anglican 33.5%, Catholic 23.5% and no religion 22.0%. At the 2021 census, 504 people were recorded at Sutton Forrest. Churches All Saints' Anglican Church and Churchyard St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church and Churchyard Hotels Sutton Forest Inn and Bistro Peppers Manor House, Sutton Forest also known as Mount Broughton. School Sutton Forest Public School Heritage listings Sutton Forest has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Golden Vale Road: Golden Vale Old Illawarra Highway: Hillview 217 Oldbury Road: Whitley Notable residents Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban own Bunya Hill, a 45 hectare estate and cattle stud farm within the village. References Exploring the ACT and Southeast New South Wales, J. Kay McDonald, Kangaroo Press, Sydney, 1985 External links Sutton Forest Towns of the Southern Highlands (New South Wales) Hume Highway Wingecarribee Shire