Kirrawee, New South Wales

Kirrawee is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 25km south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire. Kirrawee lies between Sutherland, to the west and Gymea, to the east. Kirrawee's southern border is formed by The Royal National Park while Kareela and Jannali form the northern border.

1 History
2 Characteristics
- 2.1 Brickpit
3 Transport
4 Politics
5 References
- 5.1 Footnotes
6 External links

[edit] History

Kirrawee is an Aboriginal word meaning 'lengthy'. The name was adopted in 1939 with the opening of the railway line. A postal receiving office in the locality was known as 'Bladesville'. It operated from the home of Mrs Louisa Blade, was opened in 1909 and closed in 1915 when a letter delivery service commenced from the post office at Sutherland. ^[1]

Kirrawee, and all of southern Sydney, was inhabited by the Dharawal people for up to 8,000 years prior to European settlement.

Early development was connected to the development of nearby Sutherland. It was not until the 1950s that Kirrawee became heavily settled with many families looking to resettle after World War II. Street names in Kirrawee commemorate famous Australians: Bligh and Putland, were named after the rum rebellion Governor Bligh and his daughter Mrs Putland; Meehan after an early surveyor; Johnston after a first fleet lieutenant; Kemp after a captain in charge of government stores; Gilmore after poet Dame Mary Gilmore.

[edit] Characteristics

Kirrawee has a very distinct split between commercial and residential areas within the suburb. Approximately 90% of the area to the north of the train line is occupied by commercial and industrial properties while almost 100% of the area south of the train line is residential. South Kirrawee, which extends from the train line in the north to the Royal National Park in the south, is considered more desirable as many houses are on quiet roads with beautiful bush outlooks. North Kirrawee is predominantly a commercial/industrial zone comprising of small to medium factories housing local businesses. North Kirrawee is also home to a number of petrol stations, car dealerships and a fast food outlet.

Kirrawee has a small shopping village on Oak Road, adjacent to the train station. It consists of a number of food outlets, newsagent, law firm, accountant, fruit shop and bike shop, among others. The train station and shopping village are located in the geographical centre of the suburb and are serviced by a 150 space carpark.

Education facilities within Kirrawee include Kirrawee High School and Kirrawee Public School, along with a number of pre-schools and childcare centres.

[edit] Brickpit

Brick Pit in Kirrawee looking north

Kirrawee's famous disused "Brickpit" is a 4.5ha site just north of the main shopping village. Currently the deep brick pit covers approximately 50 - 60% of the total site and is half filled with water, making a natural lagoon. The remainder of the site is covered with overgrown trees and plants. The entire site is enclosed by a cyclone fence.

This site has been the subject of much controversy over recent years. In 2001, a 20 month program commenced to consult with the community about the future use of the site. This project was a joint initative between the local council, the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR), Sydney Water - the owner of the site, and the local community. The Local Environment Plan (LEP) produced a master plan for the Kirrawee shopping village and brick pit which involved rezoning the site to a mix of commercial, residential and 20% open public space.

In April 2005, after the election of a new councillor, 45 amendments were passed with regards to the LEP. These amendments changed the zoning to make the Princes Highway frontage commercial and the remainder "special uses". It was specifically noted that ...educational establishments are a permissible use in both zones.^[2]

[edit] Transport

Kirrawee Railway Station straddles the Cronulla branch of Cityrail's Illawarra Line which links Sydney's southern suburbs to the CBD. Kirrawee is approximately 40 minutes by train to the CBD. Kirrawee is one of the last remaining single platform stations in Sydney. Plans to duplicate the train line from Sutherland to Cronulla will commence in late 2006, with work to be completed by the end of 2008. See Government Website.

Kirrawee has limited bus services operated by Veolia NSW, most of which run down President Avenue, and does not connect the suburb very well.

[edit] Politics

Kirrawee is part of the Sutherland Shire Government Area in Southern Sydney. For local government purposes the Sutherland Shire is split into 5 wards, A through to E. These wards are reviewed every 4 years. Kirrawee is split between Ward B and Ward C by the Princes Highway which runs east to west through the centre of the suburb.

In Federal parliament, Kirrawee is again split over 2 electorates, Hughes and Cook. All of Kirrawee, aside from a couple of streets, are within the Division of Cook. Both seats are presently held by the Liberal Party (2006).

At state level, Kirrawee is located within the seat of Miranda, which is held by the Australian Labor Party.