Matraville, New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 Matraville Hotel
Matraville Hotel

Matraville is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Matraville is located 11km south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick. The postcode is 2036.

Matraville is a suburb with a mixture of uses. There are residential, commercial and industrial areas. A small shopping centre and St Agnes Catholic Church are located on Bunnerong Road. Botany Cemetery sits along the southern border of the suburb.

[edit] History

Matraville was originally reserved for the Church and Schools Corporation with income generated intended to support clergy and teachers. The school was established in 1904, thanks to the efforts of John Rowland Dacey, the state member for Botany, who had nearby suburb of Daceyville named after him. The school was originally known as Cross Roads but Dacey suggested that the name Matra would be more appropriate in honour of Mario Matra was a midshipman on the on voyage by Captain James Cook to Botany Bay in 1770. Matra was born in New York, but later settled in England. Cook wrote his name as Magra, as this was the spelling Matra used early in his life. Matra had walked over the area with Cook and his close friend, botanist Joseph Banks. Matra had also proposed to the British government that it establish a colony at Botany Bay in 1783, which he envisaged could be a place that American loyalists couls also settle. Dacey's suggestion was accepted by the Department of Education and the school and suburb became Matraville.

The land at Matraville reverted to the crown in 1917 and was allocated for a settlement for soldiers returning from World War I. The Voluntary Workers Association was formed to build homes for soldiers and their families. The first cottage at the settlement was completed in 1919 and the residential area became known as Matraville Soldiers Garden Village.

Matraville was split between Randwick and Botany Councils. When problems arose from the division in 1961, Botany Council decided to rename its portion Gilmore, to honour Australian poet Dame Mary Gilmore (1864-1962). After the post masters general office pointed out that there already was a Gilmore, New South Wales, the council chose Hillsdale to honour Patrick Darcy Hills, who was the New South Wales minister for local government. It was a controversial choice since most residents believed that a name should have been chosen that reflected Australia's history.

[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

Coordinates: -33.96134° 151.23151°

Suburbs and localities within the City of Randwick | Eastern Suburbs | Sydney

Centennial Park | Chifley | Clovelly | Coogee | Hillsdale | Kensington | Kingsford | La Perouse | Little Bay | Malabar | Maroubra | Maroubra Junction | Matraville | Phillip Bay | Port Botany | Randwick | South Coogee

List of Sydney suburbs
Sydney Opera House This article related to the geography of Sydney is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.