Chifley, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in south-eastern
South-eastern Sydney
South-Eastern Sydney is a term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the south and east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.The area stretches from the inner city to the foreshores of Botany Bay...
Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Chifley is located 13km south east of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
and is part of the City of Randwick
City of Randwick
The City of Randwick is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. One of Sydney's largest parks, Centennial Park, lies within the city boundary of Randwick. Other major landmarks in Randwick include the world-famous Randwick Racecourse,...
. The postcode is 2036. Chifley is surrounded by the suburbs of Matraville
Matraville, New South Wales
Matraville is an older established area of the lower Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Matraville is located approximately 9 kilometres by road south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of...
, Malabar
Malabar, New South Wales
Malabar is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Malabar is located 12 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick.-Location:...
, Little Bay
Little Bay, New South Wales
Little Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Little Bay is located 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Randwick....
and Phillip Bay
Phillip Bay, New South Wales
Phillip Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Phillip Bay is located 13 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick...
.
History
The first house built in the Chifley area was Bunnerong House, which was built in 1825. Most land in that area was owned by the Crown; during the Depression of the 1930s, land was leased to people who built homes in the area gradually, over a drawn-out period of time. Chifley was named after Ben ChifleyBen Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
(1885-1951), Australia's Labor Prime Minister at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Randwick Council made the area, which had been part of southern Matraville, a separate suburb in 1964.
A large public housing complex was established in the area the 1960s. It featured a number of four- and five-storey buildings, plus some smaller buildings containing bedsit-style accommodation, in which lounge-room and bedroom are combined in one room.
Chifley today
Chifley today is predominantly residential. Its low to medium density housing has attracted a larger proportion of families with children than many other suburbs in the City of RandwickCity of Randwick
The City of Randwick is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. One of Sydney's largest parks, Centennial Park, lies within the city boundary of Randwick. Other major landmarks in Randwick include the world-famous Randwick Racecourse,...
. In recent years, much of the original housing stock has been demolished and replaced by large family homes.
At the 2006 Census, Chifley recorded a population of just over 3000 people living in 1129 households. The majority of the inhabitants (73%) are Christian with Catholicism the largest denomination (38%). Approximately one quarter of the population was born overseas, slightly less than the average for the Sydney region.
The suburb contains two schools, Chifley Public School and Matraville Sports High School
Matraville Sports High School
Matraville Sports High School, is a school located in Chifley, New South Wales, Australia, on Anzac Parade. It is a coeducational high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training with students from years 7 to 12...
, and a number of preschool centres. Recreational areas include the Women's Athletic Field and Dr Walters Park.
The western edge of Chifley contains a small remnant of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, which was once the major flora habitat in this coastal region of Sydney. Efforts are being made to remediate and preserve this area.
A number of notable local points of interest adjoin Chifley, including the Long Bay Correctional Centre
Long Bay Correctional Centre
Long Bay Correctional Complex is located in the suburb of Malabar in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Long Bay comprises six institutions, four maximum security and two minimum security.-History:...
, Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park is a cemetery and crematorium at Matraville, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Land was dedicated as a cemetery site in 1888, with the first interment recorded on 21 August 1893. Since then, more than 65,000 people have been buried there...
and the Bunnerong Equestrian Park.