Most of Strathfield South is located on two early land grants – the 1808 grant to James Wilshire (later known as the Redmire Estate) and the 1837 grant to Father John Joseph Therry, which became the Village of St Anne's.[citation needed]
Wilshhire's grant was subdivided in 1867 and marketed as the 'Redmire Estate'. Roads in Strathfield South such as Dean Street and Water Street were established in this subdivision. A few early Victorian and Federation style homes survive from this early period of development.[citation needed]
Father John Joseph Therry was granted 19 hectares (47 acres) in March 1837. To finance the building of the original St. Anne's Church (foundation stone laid July 1841) Father Therry offered 1.6-hectare (4-acre) blocks for £25, but insufficient money being available, a further 134 allotments were offered for sale in 1854 and the streets of the subdivision named after Saints or dignitaries of the Church.[3] St Anne's Church is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register.[4][5]
The area around St Anne's Village and to the west of Cooks River was locally known as Bark Huts. Bark Huts was a hotel on Liverpool Road, halfway between Sydney and Liverpool, and a small settlement was established around the hotel.[citation needed]
The Village of St Anne's and the southern part of the Redmire Estate became known as Druitt Town. This name was given to the area by Joshua Judge Josephson, who owned large areas of land in the area, in honour of his friend Major George Druitt.[6] Druitt Town Public School opened in 1881. In 1885, the part of Druitt Town north of Liverpool Road (including the school) became part of the newly incorporated Strathfield Council, after which addressed in that part of Druitt Town became listed under "Strathfield" in directories. This area is now the southern part of the suburb of Strathfield. Druitt Town public school was renamed Strathfield South Public School.
The Coronation Parade Arch, built in 1937 and now on the boundary between Enfield and Strathfield South, displays 4 light bulbs in sockets which were originally the holders for the four electricity cables that ran along the former tram line
The remaining part of Druitt Town became part of Enfield Municipal Council in 1889, shortly after which "Druitt Town" ceased to be used: addresses in the suburb instead became listed under the suburb of Enfield. The Druitt Town post office was moved to Enfield. The area was reincorporated into Strathfield Municipality in 1949, after which Strathfield Council renamed the part of former Enfield Municipality between Liverpool Road and the Cooks River as "Strathfield South". Former Enfield Town Hall and the associated war memorial are now located in Strathfield South. Coronation Reserve forms the border between Strathfield South and the suburb of Enfield, and was formerly the site of a tram line that led north to Burwood and Abbotsford and south to Croydon Park and then to Ashfield.
In 2021, a proposal was submitted to the Geographical Names Board, to separate the northern part of Belfield which was within the Municipality of Strathfield (north of Punchbowl Road) from the southern part within the City of Canterbury-Bankstown. Under this proposal, northern Belfield would form part of Strathfield South, from which it was separated by the Cooks River. This was approved in 2023[7]
Heritage listings
South Strathfield has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
In the 2016 Census, there were 3,546 people in Strathfield South. 50.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China 6.8%, India 5.2%, Sri Lanka 5.2% and South Korea 3.7%. 40.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Cantonese 6.8%, Mandarin 6.0%, Arabic 5.9%, Tamil 5.4% and Korean 4.7%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 32.2%, No Religion 18.2% and Hinduism 10.6%.[1]
Commercial area, schools, churches and parklands
South is primarily low-rise residential with a small group of shops located around the intersection of Liverpool Road and Homebush Road. The first high-rise development has now been built on the Hume Highway. The part of the suburb west and south of the Cooks River is entirely industrial, and includes the large Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre. The industrial part of the suburb is separated from the residential suburb by the Cooks River and parklands.
The Catholic parish of St Anne's is located in St Anne's Square. Strathfield South Uniting Church is in Liverpool Road.
St Anne's Catholic Primary School is located in Strathfield South. The suburb is also serviced by two other schools located outside the suburb: Strathfield South Public School and Strathfield South High School. Founded as Druitt Town Public School, Strathfield South Public School is the public primary (grades K-6) school which services the area formerly known as Druitt Town: now Strathfield South and the southern part of the suburb of Strathfield. With over 125 years of history, the motto of Strathfield South Public School is Think of Others. Strathfield South High School is the public secondary (grades 7–12) school, whose catchment includes Strathfield South, the southern part of Strathfield, as well as the northern part of Greenacre and Belfield. Neither school is in Strathfield South itself: both are situated on the southern edge of the suburb of Strathfield.
The area is well serviced by parks such as Ford Park, Dean Reserve and St Anne's Reserve, which runs along the Cooks River. The Bay to Bay Cycle/Walking Path, which runs between Botany Bay and Homebush Bay (Sydney Olympic Park) runs through Strathfield South, along the Cooks River.
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