Hillsdale, New South Wales

Hillsdale is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hillsdale is located 9 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the City of Botany Bay. The post code is 2036.

Description

Hillsdale is a residential area surrounded by the suburbs of Eastgardens, Maroubra, Matraville and Banksmeadow.

Hillsdale has a shopping centre called Southpoint on Bunnerong Road, which is a high-rise complex with commercial and residential space. The Hensley Athletic Field is located on Wentworth Avenue, opposite the Westfield Eastgardens shopping centre. Matraville Public School is located in Hillsdale at the corner of Bunnerong and Beauchamp Roads.

History

Hillsdale was part of the suburb of Matraville until the 1960s. Matraville was originally reserved for the Church and Schools Corporation with income generated intended to support clergy and teachers. It reverted to the crown in 1917 and was allocated for a settlement for soldiers returning from World War I. The suburb 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.^[2]

Many homes were built in Hillsdale after World War II including some by the Housing Commission.

Population

At the 2011 census, there were 4,977 residents in Hillsdale. The majority of people were born outside of Australia, with the top other countries of birth being Bangladesh 9.6%, China 5.1%, Iraq 3.8%, Philippines 3.2% and India 2.8%. Most people spoke a language other than English at home. These other languages included Bengali 9.4%, Spanish 5.0%, Cantonese 4.9%, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 4.3% and Mandarin 3.6%. The top responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 28.2%, Islam 15.3% and No Religion 14.7%. The majority of dwellings were units or apartments and there were few separate or semi-detached houses in the suburb.^[1]

Education

Matraville Public School is a primary school in Hillsdale, drawing its students predominantly from the surrounding suburbs of Hillsdale, Banksmeadow and Matraville. In 2007 the school had approximately 300 students from kindergarten to Year 6.The school opened as Cross Road Public School in 1903, named after the school's location at the intersection between Beauchamp and Bunnerong Roads. It was renamed as Matraville Public School in 1904.^[3]

The closest high schools are South Sydney High School in Maroubra, Matraville Sports High School in Chifley, and Marist College Pagewood in Maroubra.

Housing

Housing in Hillsdale is divided fairly evenly between single-storey, detached homes, and blocks of home units. The latter are typically brick buildings of three to four storeys; there is no high-rise. More than half the households in Hillsdale are rented, significantly higher than the Sydney average.^[4]

Gallery

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  Southpoint Shopping Centre, Bunnerong Road

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  Characteristic three-storey blocks of home units, Unsted Crescent

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  Characteristic detached cottage, Rhodes Street

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hillsdale, New South Wales.

Coordinates: 33°57′18″S 151°13′43″E / 33.95493°S 151.22875°E / -33.95493; 151.22875