a few small houses built on the lots. In the next Great Depression of the 1930s, the area became popular with the homeless who made makeshift huts, not unlike those of the earlier Darug people. After World War II, the village grew steadily. A public school was opened in 1958 and by 1971, the population reached 3700. In the mid-1970s, a large Housing Commission development was built on the east side of town and given the suburb names of Bunbury (later Guise) and Curran after the local creek. Residents of the privately owned areas of Macquarie Fields were strongly opposed to the new developments being included in their suburb and this continued well into the 1980s. Since that time, local authorities have tried to blend the area into a single suburb. Private housing developments sprung up further around and the weight of population contributed to a larger town centre. 21st century In 2005, riots were sparked by a high-speed police pursuit on 25 February through the Glenquarie housing estate in Macquarie Fields. The chase resulted in the driver, 20-year-old Jesse Kelly, crashing the stolen vehicle into a tree and killing his two passengers, 17-year-old Dylan Raywood and 19-year-old Matthew Robertson. Heritage listings Macquarie Fields has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Quarter Sessions Road: Macquarie Field House Population According to the 2016 census, 13,714 people live in Macquarie Fields . Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.1% of the population. 53.6% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were Bangladesh 5.2%, India 4.3%, New Zealand 3.0%, Fiji 2.6% and Philippines 2.6%. 51.8% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Bengali 7.1%, Arabic 4.2%, Hindi 3.4%, Samoan 3.3% and Marathi 2.3%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 19.8%, No Religion 16.3%, Islam 12.8% and Anglican 12.1%. The most common occupations Clerical and Administrative Workers 15.6%, Labourers 14.6%, Professionals 14.2%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 14.2%, and Technicians and Trades Workers 12.5%. Transport Macquarie Fields railway station is serviced by the Airport & South Line of the Sydney Trains network. Macquarie Fields is serviced by four Interline bus routes: 870 Campbelltown Hospital to Liverpool Station 871 Campbelltown Hospital to Liverpool Station 872 Campbelltown Hospital to Liverpool Station 876 Eucalyptus Drive to Macquarie Fields Station Sport and recreation The town is home to Macquarie Fields Leisure Centre, which contains