Strathfield, New South Wales

Strathfield Sydney,
Strathfield Council Chambers
Population	25,915 (SAL 2021)
Established	1868
Postcode(s)	2135
Location	14 km (9 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Municipality of Strathfield City of Canada Bay
State electorate(s)	Strathfield
Federal division(s)	Lowe
Suburbs around Strathfield: Homebush North Strathfield Concord Rookwood Strathfield Burwood Greenacre Strathfield South Enfield

Strathfield is an Inner West suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Strathfield is located 14 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Part of the suburb also sits in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay. North Strathfield and Strathfield South are separate suburbs, to the south.

Strathfield is bounded by the suburbs of Burwood to the east, Concord, North Strathfield and Homebush to the north, Enfield, Strathfield South to the south and Rookwood Cemetery to the west.

History

Strathfield was originally named 'Redmire' (later Redmyre), which was name of the large estate on which much of the suburb is built. The 'Redmire Estate' was land first granted to James Wilshire in 1808 and later the property of wealthy ex-convict Samuel Terry, who named the land 'Redmire' after his birthplace in England. The first property "Seven Oaks Farm" was built in 1868 on the Redmire Estate.

Strathfield was adopted in 1885, when the Council of the Municipality of Strathfield was incorporated. The name 'Strathfield' was the name of one of the large homes of the local area.

Today, Strathfield is a prestigious and sought after suburb. Many wealthy families have built their lives in the suburb, attracted by the leafy environment and proximity to Sydney city.

The Strathfield Massacre was an infamous event in the suburb's history which occurred on 17 August 1991. It involved a shooting rampage at Strathfield Plaza that left eight dead, including the gunman, and six more wounded.

See also History of Strathfield, New South Wales

Commercial Area

Strathfield is known as a regional centre for education and Strathfield railway station is a transport hub. Strathfield town centre contains Strathfield Plaza shopping centre and a small strip of shops, restaurants, cafes and a Police shopfront.

The square precinct has become a relatively regular shooting location for the ABC comedy's The Chaser's War on Everything vox pop interviews.

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  Strathfield Square
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  The Boulevarde
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  Whelans Hotel, Everton Road

Transport

Strathfield railway station is a major interchange on the CityRail network and for buses serving the inner west. The M4 Western Motorway begins at Strathfield and heads west to Parramatta, Blacktown and Penrith. Parramatta Road links Strathfield east to Burwood and the Sydney CBD and west to Parramatta.

Schools

The suburb is home to a significant number of schools. Independent schools include:

• St Patrick's College (5-12)
• Santa Sabina College (7-12)
• Santa Maria Del Monte, the junior school of Santa Sabina College (K-6)
• Meriden Anglican School for Girls (K-12)
• St Martha's Catholic Primary School (K-6)
• Sydney Adventist College (7-12)
• Trinity Grammar Preparatory School (K-6)

There are also a number of state schools in the area:

• Strathfield Girls High (7-12)
• Strathfield South High (7-12)
• Strathfield South Public School (K-6)
• Homebush Boys High (7-12)
• Homebush Public School (K-6)

The suburb is also home to two tertiary institutions, a campus of Australian Catholic University, the former home of the Christian Brothers novitiate and Catholic Teachers' College. The Catholic Institute of Sydney, where priests for the Archdiocese of Sydney are trained, is located on the site of the old Australia Post training centre.

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  Santa Sabina College
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  Holyrood, Santa Sabina College
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  Santa Sabina College
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  Santa Sabina College
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  Brunyarra, Santa Maria Del Monte
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  Lauriston, Santa Maria Del Monte
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  Meriden Anglican School, Redmyre Road
• St Patrick's College from Kessel Square
  St Patrick's College from Kessel Square

Churches

Churches located in Strathfield include St Marthas Catholic Church, St Davids Presbyterian Church and St Annes Anglican Church.

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  St Annes Anglican Church
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  St Marthas Catholic Church, built 1904
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  St Marthas Catholic Church, built 1924

Houses

Strathfield has a mixture of residential developments from detached houses, flats and high-rise apartments. Strathfield is renowned for heritage properties from Victorian, Federation, Interwar period architecture, Californian Bungalows and also more modern forms of architecture. Strathfield is also known for its newer McMansion style houses that have been built over the last decade, particularly in areas such as Newton Road.

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  Glen Luna, Carrington Avenue
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  Raw Square
• 
  Raw Square

Population

Demographics

According to the 2006 census, Strathfield had a total population of 24,859 people. It is one the most culturally-diverse suburbs in Sydney, particularly so in the high-density housing regions around Strathfield railway station. Ancestry of residents is Chinese 18.7%, Australian 13.0%, English 9.4%, Indian 8.7%, Italian 6.7%, Other or undeclared 43.5%. Source: 2006 census

Overall, 49.1% of the Strathfield population was born overseas, 5.6% from China and 4.9% from India. It has undergone a major cultural shift over the past ten years, especially through the huge influx of Korean migrants. While the 1996 census did not specifically state the number of residents born in Korean, they comprised 9.1% of all residents in 2001. (Source: Dictionary of Sydney)

Notable Residents

• Prime Ministers (George Reid, Billy Hughes and Frank Forde)
• NSW Premier James McGirr
• Test cricketers (Bob Simpson and Alan Davidson)
• Singer/songwriters and international pop-stars The BeeGees, (who lived in Redmyre Road early in their career).

Culture

Whilst perhaps not boasting the significant cultural contributions of neighbouring Burwood (the suburb in which The Easybeats and AC/DC were formed and cricketing legend Don Bradman was married), Strathfield has made a contribution to Australia's cultural landscape. Strathfield has made an impact on the indie rock and indie pop scene, producing bands such as Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers, The Upbeat, Lunatic Fringe, The Mexican Spitfires and Women of Troy. It has also inspired pop songs such as The Mexican Spitfires's song "Rookwood" about Rookwood Cemetery and the legendary Blitzkrieg punk rock of Radio Birdman's classic mid-1970s "Murder City Nights" in which the quietly domestic Woodward Avenue, Strathfield features prominently in the lines:

"Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action/Looking for a lover with a power reaction."

Whilst Radio Birdman were never Strathfield residents the inspiration for the Woodward Avenue, Strathfield reference in this track was the postal address of one of the first members of their fan club. Indie pop legend Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens also called Carrington Avenue, Strathfield home for a few years in the 1990s.

See also

• Strathfield Massacre
• History of Strathfield, New South Wales

References

• The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
• Strathfield History