| Greystanes Sydney, New South Wales |
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| Postcode: | 2145 | ||||||||||||
| Location: | 29 km (18 mi) west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | City of Holroyd | ||||||||||||
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Greystanes is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Greystanes is located 29 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Holroyd.
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In the early years of British settlement the area was known as Prospect Hill and was the site of the first land grants to emancipated convicts in 1791. At this period it was one of several areas of conflict between the Darug people and the settlers, the Darug people being led for many years of guerrilla warfare by Pemulwuy.
The area later became differentiated into Prospect, to the west of Greystanes Creek, and Greystanes to the east of the Creek, the latter taking its name from a historical home on Prospect Hill, built by Nelson Simmons Lawson, third child of Lieutenant William Lawson. The name 'Grey Stanes', given by Nelson Lawson, came from the outcrops of basalt on Prospect Hill, "Grey" being its colour and "Stanes" being the Scottish word for stones.
The land was originally granted to William Cummings in 1799, before being acquired by William Lawson in approximately 1810. It was from this land that William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Charles Wentworth set out on their successful crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813 and discovered the Bathurst Plains. The Lawson family crypt still exists today at St Bartholomew's Church, Prospect.[1]
The area was used for poultry farming in the early twentieth century until Greystanes developed in the 1950s and 1960s as a residential suburb. Frank Cefai, a Maltese migrant, is a well known developer built hundreds of residential homes throughout Greystanes and its surrounding suburbs. Cefai built and helped fund the Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in 1975 and the surrounding primary and secondary schools.[2]
The major arterial roads include Cumberland Highway, Great Western Highway and M4 Western Motorway. Greystanes is serviced by Westbus' routes 806, 809, 810, 811, and 818 which connect Greystanes and Pemulwuy with the train stations at Parramatta and Merrylands.
Primary schools
High schools
Private schools
Greystanes contains a large number of parks, ovals, and sporting facilities, as well as a golf course. Through the lower portion of Greystanes runs what is known as the Canal, which was a water canal once used to transport water from the Prospect Reservoir, but has since been decommissioned and converted into a cycleway/walkway. Despite this, it is still referred to by its original function. The Canal features the regionally well-known Canal bridge - also known as the Boothtown Aqueduct (as its original function was).
The south-west of Greystanes contains the Gipps Road Sporting Complex and the Rosford Street Reserve, which consist of multiple ovals suitable for sports such as football and cricket. Around the ovals are large, open fields, suitable for other forms of recreation and a small BMX track in Rosford Street Reserve. A small-bore rifle club is located on Hyland Road, near these sporting complexes and the Hyland Road Youth Centre is also on this road. The Cumberland Country Gold Club is located to the geographic centre of the suburb.
Many of the early residents of Greystanes were from Malta and many of them operated poultry farms. Three family poultry businesses from Greystanes became household names throughout Australia - Cordina Chickens, Baiada Chickens and Pace Farm Eggs.[3]
Greystanes still has a large Maltese-Australian community. The Maltese community have hosted a Festa (Festa tal-Vitorja & Maria Bambina) every October since 1965 in and around the church. The Maltese community purchased the land and built a new church dedicated to Our Lady of Victories in 1975. The Maltese Festa has its origins in the religious festivals held annually in each village of Malta, celebrating the patron saint of the village. The church and parish were named after Our Lady of Victories, a beautifully hand crafted statue from Italy, a replica of Maria Bambina from Gozo. Despite hundreds of years of tradition, the clergy of the Catholic church deemed it incorrect to have the moniker Victories attached to Our Lady. The church then became the Parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace. The statue is on display in the church and at the annual procession of the Maltese Festa.
The Greystanes Inn is a local landmark for social events and gatherings. Tuesday night is steak night.
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