Earlwood, New South Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Earlwood is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Earlwood is located 12km south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury. The postcode is 2206.
Earlwood stretches from the southern bank of the Cooks River to the northern bank of Wolli Creek. Undercliffe is located to the east. Earlwood is primarily residential with some commercial developments around the main road, Homer Street.
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[edit] Commercial Area
The shopping centre is located on Homer Street, 500 metres up the hill from Bardwell Park railway station. A number of restaurants and cafes are scattered amongst the retail outlets. A supermarket and shops are also located in nearby Clarke Street. Earlwood local library is located on the corner of William Street and Homer Street.
[edit] Demographics
Earlwood is a typically multicultural area, but known for its large Greek-Australian community. Many residents of nearby Marrickville, a major centre of Sydney's Greek community in the 1950s and 1960s, moved south into suburbs like Earlwood in the 1970s.
[edit] Culture
The Earlwood Hotel is located on the corner of Earlwood Avenue and Homer Street. Earlwood - Bardwell Park RSL is located beside Bardwell Park railway station.
Earlwood has a couple of good Greek tavernas including 'The Greek Islands Taverna' in Homer Street. Several cafes with outdoor seating are located along Clarke Street.
[edit] Churches
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, St Georges Anglican Church, Earlwood Presbyterian Church, Earlwood Uniting Church, Earlwood Baptist Church, Earlwood Salvation Army. The Transfguration of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church is in nearby Undercliffe.
[edit] Parks and Gardens
- Heynes Reserve is a passive recreation area at the junction of the Cooks River and Cup and Saucer Creek.
- Sutton Reserve is adjacent to Heynes Reserve. It features a playground and is connected to the northern bank of the Cooks River by a wooden footbridge.
- Simpson Reserve is further west along the Cooks River. Beaman Park and Wills Gound are located further east along the river.
- Earlwood Oval is a local soccer and sporting ground
- Girrawheen Park is a large recreational area along the northern bank of Wolli Creek. It provides spectacular views of Arncliffe, Turrella and Bardwell Park.
[edit] History
Earlwood began as a farming area called Forest Hill. It was changed to Parkstown around 1905-06 and changed again to Earlwood in 1918. 'Earl' commemorated a former mayor of Canterbury and 'Wood' was the name of two brothers who owned a pig and poultry farm on Wolli Creek.
Early residents included F. and A. Martin who were granted land in the eastern part and Joshua Thorpe whose 80 acre estate was in the west, stretching from Cooks River to Wolli Creek. Abraham B. Pollack acquired eight grants in the 1830s, totalling 790 acres and covered most of Earlwood and Undercliffe. Subdivision began in the 1880s.
After World War I, a war services subdivision was created west of Wardell Road for retired soldiers and their families. The streets of that subdivision commemorate the names of famous men and battles connected with the war, such as Kitchener, Hamilton, Vimy, Hamel, Fricourt and Guedecourt.
[edit] Politics
Federal Government: Earlwood is in the Watson in the Australian House of Representatives.
State Government: Earlwood is in the Electoral district of Canterbury in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. The district includes surrounding suburbs of Canterbury, Campsie, Hurlstone Park, Croydon Park, western Dulwich Hill, eastern Belfield and northern Turrella.
Local Government: Earlwood is part of the East Ward of the City of Canterbury and together with Canterbury, elects three councillors to the city council.
[edit] Notable Residents
The following notable people have lived in Earlwood:
- Prime Minister John Howard
- Greame Bond (Aunty Jack)
- Actor Alex Dimitriades
- Boxers Anthony Mundine and Tony Mundine
- Former Socceroos Johnny Warren and Peter Katholos
- NSW Minister for Health John Hatzistergos
- Former Panathinaikos and Olympiacos football (soccer) player Chris Kalantzis
- Former National Soccer League coach, Dominic Spano
[edit] References
- The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
[edit] External links
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- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
- Canterbury City Council - History of Earlwood
| Suburbs within the City of Canterbury | South-western Sydney | Sydney |
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Ashbury | Belfield | Belmore | Campsie | Canterbury | Clemton Park | Croydon Park | Earlwood | Hurlstone Park | Kingsgrove | Lakemba | Punchbowl | Riverwood | Roselands | Undercliffe | Wiley Park |
| List of Sydney suburbs |
