Menai, New South Wales

The area now known as Menai was originally called Bangor in 1895 by the land's owner, a farmer named Owen Jones, after his birthplace Bangor in Wales. To avoid confusion with Bangor in Tasmania, the Postmaster General's Office changed the suburb name to Menai in 1910. Menai Bridge in Wales, lies opposite Bangor on the Menai Straits.

When Menai expanded, the eastern section became Bangor again.

[edit] Location

Menai is a newer suburb, having been developed only since the early 1980s, and as such, nearly all the homes are new 4-bedders with dual bathrooms and double-garages and mostly owner occupied. In fact, the region has the highest rate of home ownership in Australia, at over 70% (according to the last census).

More affluent resident throughout Sutherland Shire tend to disparage those from Menai because of the prevelance and density of its housing estates.

Overdevelopment of housing and a lack of existing through-roads in this bushland suburb led to traffic congestion. The completion of the first stage of Bangor Bypass project in 2005 has reduced the problem.

[edit] Commercial Area and Amenities

Menai contains a bustling shopping centre, with many fine restaurants, retail stores, supermarkets and recently an EB. The restaurants include Caesars Gourmet Pizza Restaurant, Rocksalt, Timeout Cafè, Palace Garden Chinese restaurant and Bua Thai.

Current community projects include a new indoor sporting complex adjacent to the Menai shopping centre. Menai is home to the Menai Junior Rugby League Football Club who are known by the rhyming couplet "menai, head high", in a reference to their tough playing style by other rugby league juniors throughout the Sutherland Shire. A large outdoor series of playing fields, including a new championship golf course and a new state of the art athletics field, are found in the nearby suburb of Barden Ridge, just a few minutes away these will be accompanied by hockey fields and a world class BMX facility.

[edit] Education

Menai's schools include Menai Primary [K-6], Aquinas College [Catholic, 7-12] and Holy Family [Catholic, K-6], residents also use schools in neighbouring suburbs such as Alfords Point Primary [Public, K-6] in Alfords Point, Menai High [Public, 7-12], Tharawal [Public, K-6] and Illawong Primary [Public, K-6] in Illawong and Bangor Primary School [K-6] and Inaburra High School [K-12] in Bangor.