Kensington, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Kensington is a suburb
in south-eastern
Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Kensington is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the City of Randwick
, in the Eastern Suburbs
region. Kensington is colloquially referred to as "Kenso".
Kensington lies to the immediate south of Moore Park
and west of Randwick Racecourse
. The principal landmarks of the suburb are the main campus of the University of New South Wales
, National Institute of Dramatic Art
(NIDA) and the exclusive Australian Golf Club. Kensington is also a residential suburb with the advantage of being very close to the Sydney CBD. There is a mixture of high and medium density housing, and freestanding homes for its 11,000 residents. This has led to Kensington being one of the most prestigious Sydney suburbs, due a large part to Mirvac owned Raleigh Park.
. The Cadigal
people were part of the salt-water clans, in the Darug
language group and their land. The Cadigal people were known for their fishing skills and often travelled in canoes. The 1828 census showed some 50-60 clans of Cadigal people living by the Lachlan swamps of Kensington and surrounding areas. Swamps provided fruit, nectar, roots and tubers. Very few Aboriginals live in Kensington today.
.
Kensington Racecourse
opened in 1893 on the site of the current University of New South Wales. It did not compete with nearby Randwick Racecourse because it held midweek meetings, pony racing and related sports like polo. The course was also used to house troops and horses during the Boer War
and World War I
. The land was resumed in 1950 to construct Sydney's second university.
The W.D. & H.O. Wills
tobacco factory opened in the northern part of the suburb in 1902. The factory site also featured the Raleigh Park Social Club, an extensive sporting complex named after Sir Walter Raleigh who first introduced tobacco from North America
to Europe
. The factory closed in 1989 and was slowly converted into a high density residential neighbourhood.
The hill that dominates West Kensington is occupied by the Sacred Heart Monastery, the Australian headquarters of the Catholic Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
. The monastery was designed by Hennessy and Sheerin and built in 1895. It is a large stone building in the Gothic style and features an attic storey and a prominent central tower. It also includes a brick chapel in a Romanesque-Byzantine style which was designed by Mullane and built in 1939, and which is joined to the monastery by a matching brick cloister. The monastery is a prominent landmark which can be seen from various parts of Kensington and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
.
Adjacent to the monastery is the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent, a brick building in Federation Free Gothic style, which was built in 1897. It was the original site for primary and secondary colleges that were established soon after the construction of the convent, but these soon outgrew the premises. It is now the base for OLSH Provincial House and St Joseph's Aged Care Facility, while Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
is situated next door. Across the road is Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Jubilee Hall and the Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School, which complete a large religious complex.
In the mid-twentieth century, the monastery was the home of the anti-Communist organiser Dr P.J. ('Paddy') Ryan
and the popular Catholic controversialist Dr Leslie Rumble.
Kensington’s streets are named after local people, places in London and local flora. Some examples are:
The line commencing from the city branched off from the tramlines in Oxford Street and ran down Crown Street to Cleveland Street in Surry Hills
, then south along Baptist Street to Phillip Street, where it swung left into Crescent Street before running south along Dowling Street, tuning left into Todman Avenue where it terminated. Services operated fulltime from Circular Quay, and to Railway in peak hours. The line down Crown Street closed in 1957, the remainder stayed open until 1961 to allow access to Dowling St Depot, (the current site of the Supa Centa Moore Park - Shopping Centre).
As well as servicing West Kensington, tram services also operated on Anzac Parade, servicing the Maroubra and La Perouse line. Recent plans to extend the current light rail network from Central Station to La Perouse via Anzac Parade have been put on hold.
Tay Park (bounded by Tay Street, Anzac Parade and Alison Road) is the site of the old Toll Bar where local maintenance revenue was collected from 1854 to 1894. The toll was 1 shilling for a four-wheeled wagon drawn by 2 horses.
Sydney Buses routes 301, 302 and 303 generally follow the route down Crown and Baptist Streets as far as Phillip Street.
. 'Peters of Kensington' is a well known retail store on Anzac Parade. Kensington is next to Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park.
Anzac Parade
is the main road through Kensington. Numerous buses frequently service Kensington, linking it with the city and surrounding suburbs. There are no trains or light rail service, since the 1976 review of the Eastern Suburbs Railway abandoned the planned extensions to Kensington. Taxis are also available.
Kensington is located in the geographic zone known as the Botany Lowlands. The sands beneath Kensington act as a large water reservoir. Originally, Kensington was quite rugged, consisting of hills, deep gullies and 768 acres (3.1 km²) of swamps, crossed by the Lachlan Stream. Evidence of the swamps can be seen in the south-west corner of the Royal Randwick Racecourse and the ponds of Centennial Park
. After long periods of heavy rain some parts of Kensington are prone to flooding. Today Kensington has been levelled with hills cut down and voids filled with the excess soil from the hills.
Climate
Kensington has a temperate climate, influencing lifestyle patterns and affecting vegetation and animal life. Mild conditions allow residents to spend time outdoors; gardening, swimming, socialising, playing sport and alfresco dining. In the 3 square kilometres that cover Kensington, there are 5 parks, which account for almost 1/4 of the total area. Banksia
s, Bottlebrush
es, Waratah
, Wattles
and Eucalypt
s are some of the 400 odd native plants found in Kensington. Randwick City Council has recorded approximately 250 species of indigenous native vertebrates. 206 species of native birds have been found since 1788.
Water supply
Water for Kensington is piped from Warragamba Dam
. Kensington does however have two natural water sources; the Lachlan Stream and an underground reservoir. Due to water restrictions and council initiatives, more and more residence are using bore water on their gardens. Others still are installing tanks and using 'grey' water.
, Indonesia
, New Zealand
and China
. Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanders
are in the minority with only 39 in Kensington. As in any multicultural society, a variety of religions are represented. There are Anglican
, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches in the area and other religions practiced include Buddhism
, Hinduism
, Judaism
and the Muslim
faith.
area and the west ward councillors are:
Kensington is in the electorates of Coogee
and Heffron
for the State parliament represented by Bruce Notley-Smith
(Liberal) and Kristina Keneally
(Labor) respectively and the Kingsford-Smith
electorate represented by Peter Garrett
(Labor) for the Federal parliament.
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...
. Kensington is located 6 kilometres 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...
, in the local government area 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,...
, in the Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...
region. Kensington is colloquially referred to as "Kenso".
Kensington lies to the immediate south of Moore Park
Moore Park, New South Wales
Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Centennial Parklands, a collective of three parks being Moore Park, Centennial Park and Queens Park. Centennial Parklands is administered by the Centennial Park &...
and west of Randwick Racecourse
Randwick Racecourse
Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horseracing in the Eastern Suburbs in Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse, is operated by the Australian Jockey Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarters...
. The principal landmarks of the suburb are the main campus of the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, National Institute of Dramatic Art
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
(NIDA) and the exclusive Australian Golf Club. Kensington is also a residential suburb with the advantage of being very close to the Sydney CBD. There is a mixture of high and medium density housing, and freestanding homes for its 11,000 residents. This has led to Kensington being one of the most prestigious Sydney suburbs, due a large part to Mirvac owned Raleigh Park.
Aborigines
The original inhabitants of the area were tribes of AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. The Cadigal
Cadigal
The Cadigal, also spelled as Gadigal, are a group of Aboriginal Australians who originally inhabited the area that they called 'Cadi', part of which later became known as the Marrickville Local Government Area of Sydney. Cadigal territory lies south of Port Jackson and stretches from South Head to...
people were part of the salt-water clans, in the Darug
Darug
Darug may refer to:*Darug people*Darug language*Dharruk, New South Wales...
language group and their land. The Cadigal people were known for their fishing skills and often travelled in canoes. The 1828 census showed some 50-60 clans of Cadigal people living by the Lachlan swamps of Kensington and surrounding areas. Swamps provided fruit, nectar, roots and tubers. Very few Aboriginals live in Kensington today.
European settlement
The suburb now known as Kensington was once called the "Lachlan Mills Estate", "Stannumville" and then "Epsom". It became Kensington in the late 1880s, starting life as an industrial suburb. Samuel Terry, the convict who became Australia’s first millionaire, received a land grant in 1819. Daniel Cooper (1785–1853), also an ex-convict acquired land here in 1825 with his partner Solomon Levey, whom he later bought out. Cooper's nephew Daniel (1821–1902) planned to subdivide but in 1865 all developments was forbidden. Residential land was issued in the late 1880s and Kensington was to be the equivalent of London’s distinguished suburb, KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
.
Kensington Racecourse
Kensington Racecourse, Sydney
Kensington racecourse is a now-closed pony racecourse on the current site of the University of New South Wales in the suburb of Kensington, Sydney, Australia. The course was in operation between 1893 and 1942, and during the Boer War and World Wars I and II it was taken over as a military camp. A...
opened in 1893 on the site of the current University of New South Wales. It did not compete with nearby Randwick Racecourse because it held midweek meetings, pony racing and related sports like polo. The course was also used to house troops and horses during the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The land was resumed in 1950 to construct Sydney's second university.
The W.D. & H.O. Wills
W.D. & H.O. Wills
W.D. & H.O. Wills was a British tobacco importer and cigarette manufacturer formed in Bristol, England. It was one of the founding companies of Imperial Tobacco.-History:...
tobacco factory opened in the northern part of the suburb in 1902. The factory site also featured the Raleigh Park Social Club, an extensive sporting complex named after Sir Walter Raleigh who first introduced tobacco from North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The factory closed in 1989 and was slowly converted into a high density residential neighbourhood.
The hill that dominates West Kensington is occupied by the Sacred Heart Monastery, the Australian headquarters of the Catholic Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is a missionary congregation in the Latin Church,one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome...
. The monastery was designed by Hennessy and Sheerin and built in 1895. It is a large stone building in the Gothic style and features an attic storey and a prominent central tower. It also includes a brick chapel in a Romanesque-Byzantine style which was designed by Mullane and built in 1939, and which is joined to the monastery by a matching brick cloister. The monastery is a prominent landmark which can be seen from various parts of Kensington and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
.
Adjacent to the monastery is the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent, a brick building in Federation Free Gothic style, which was built in 1897. It was the original site for primary and secondary colleges that were established soon after the construction of the convent, but these soon outgrew the premises. It is now the base for OLSH Provincial House and St Joseph's Aged Care Facility, while Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Sydney
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College is a Catholic secondary College for girls, founded in 1897 by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, members of a religious congregation founded by Father Jules Chevalier in France in 1874, and located in the Sydney suburb of Kensington.-History and...
is situated next door. Across the road is Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Jubilee Hall and the Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School, which complete a large religious complex.
In the mid-twentieth century, the monastery was the home of the anti-Communist organiser Dr P.J. ('Paddy') Ryan
Patrick Joseph Ryan
Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Ryan , an Australian Catholic priest and anti-communist organiser, was born in Albury, New South Wales in 1904. He was ordained as a priest in the order of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1929...
and the popular Catholic controversialist Dr Leslie Rumble.
Kensington’s streets are named after local people, places in London and local flora. Some examples are:
- Balfour Lane – Arthur James Balfour, the first earl of Balfour, a British statesman and Prime Minister (1902–1905)
- Doncaster Avenue – Named after the racecourseDoncaster RacecourseDoncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 31 Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.- History :...
in England - Boronia Street – A flowering shrub grown extensively in the area.
Tram history
The line from Surry Hills to West Kensington commenced as a steam powered system in 1881. At this point the line travelled along Crown Street as far as Cleveland Street. The line was then extended to Phillip Street in 1909, Todman Avenue in 1912, and then to its final terminus down Todman Avenue, West Kensington in 1937.The line commencing from the city branched off from the tramlines in Oxford Street and ran down Crown Street to Cleveland Street in Surry Hills
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is located immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, then south along Baptist Street to Phillip Street, where it swung left into Crescent Street before running south along Dowling Street, tuning left into Todman Avenue where it terminated. Services operated fulltime from Circular Quay, and to Railway in peak hours. The line down Crown Street closed in 1957, the remainder stayed open until 1961 to allow access to Dowling St Depot, (the current site of the Supa Centa Moore Park - Shopping Centre).
As well as servicing West Kensington, tram services also operated on Anzac Parade, servicing the Maroubra and La Perouse line. Recent plans to extend the current light rail network from Central Station to La Perouse via Anzac Parade have been put on hold.
Tay Park (bounded by Tay Street, Anzac Parade and Alison Road) is the site of the old Toll Bar where local maintenance revenue was collected from 1854 to 1894. The toll was 1 shilling for a four-wheeled wagon drawn by 2 horses.
Sydney Buses routes 301, 302 and 303 generally follow the route down Crown and Baptist Streets as far as Phillip Street.
Commercial area
Kensington is heavily influenced by the University of New South Wales and the Racing Industry. It has a handful of cafes, restaurants and shops. Kensington has a shopping strip that extends most of the length of Anzac Parade and further south into KingsfordKingsford, New South Wales
Kingsford is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kingsford is located 7 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick...
. 'Peters of Kensington' is a well known retail store on Anzac Parade. Kensington is next to Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park.
Transport
Anzac Parade, Sydney
Anzac Parade is a major road in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It included part of the marathon during the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the blue line denoting the marathon's path still exists today.-Description:...
is the main road through Kensington. Numerous buses frequently service Kensington, linking it with the city and surrounding suburbs. There are no trains or light rail service, since the 1976 review of the Eastern Suburbs Railway abandoned the planned extensions to Kensington. Taxis are also available.
Geography
TopographyKensington is located in the geographic zone known as the Botany Lowlands. The sands beneath Kensington act as a large water reservoir. Originally, Kensington was quite rugged, consisting of hills, deep gullies and 768 acres (3.1 km²) of swamps, crossed by the Lachlan Stream. Evidence of the swamps can be seen in the south-west corner of the Royal Randwick Racecourse and the ponds of Centennial Park
Centennial Park
Centennial Park could be:In Argentina:*Parque Centenario, a public park in Buenos AiresIn Australia:*Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia, a large cemetery, approximately 40 hectares in size...
. After long periods of heavy rain some parts of Kensington are prone to flooding. Today Kensington has been levelled with hills cut down and voids filled with the excess soil from the hills.
Climate
Kensington has a temperate climate, influencing lifestyle patterns and affecting vegetation and animal life. Mild conditions allow residents to spend time outdoors; gardening, swimming, socialising, playing sport and alfresco dining. In the 3 square kilometres that cover Kensington, there are 5 parks, which account for almost 1/4 of the total area. Banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
s, Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush
Callistemon is a genus of 34 species of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, all of which are endemic to Australia. It is sometimes considered a synonym of Melaleuca, and four Callistemon species from New Caledonia were moved to that genus by Lyndley Craven and John Dawson in 1998...
es, Waratah
Waratah
Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...
, Wattles
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
and Eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
s are some of the 400 odd native plants found in Kensington. Randwick City Council has recorded approximately 250 species of indigenous native vertebrates. 206 species of native birds have been found since 1788.
Water supply
Water for Kensington is piped from Warragamba Dam
Warragamba Dam
Warragamba Dam is the primary water source for the Australian city of Sydney. It is approximately to the west of Sydney on the Warragamba River, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, and impounds Lake Burragorang.- Overview :...
. Kensington does however have two natural water sources; the Lachlan Stream and an underground reservoir. Due to water restrictions and council initiatives, more and more residence are using bore water on their gardens. Others still are installing tanks and using 'grey' water.
Demographics
Kensington has a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Only 56.4% of residents were born in Australia. The most common countries of origin for the remaining residents include the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. They are culturally and genetically linked to Melanesian peoples and those of Papua New Guinea....
are in the minority with only 39 in Kensington. As in any multicultural society, a variety of religions are represented. There are Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches in the area and other religions practiced include Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
faith.
Politics
Kensington is in the West Ward of Randwick City council. It is predominantly a LaborAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
area and the west ward councillors are:
- Bradley Hughes (GreensAustralian GreensThe Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
) - Scott Nash (LiberalLiberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
) - John Procopiadis (IndependentAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
) - Mayor
Kensington is in the electorates of Coogee
Electoral district of Coogee
Coogee is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Bruce Notley-Smith of the Liberal Party.-Members for Coogee:-Election results:...
and Heffron
Electoral district of Heffron
Heffron is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is named after Robert Heffron, a former Labor premier of New South Wales. It is a safe Labor seat, and is currently represented by former Premier Kristina Keneally of the Australian Labor...
for the State parliament represented by Bruce Notley-Smith
Bruce Notley-Smith
Bruce Neville Notley-Smith MP , an Australian politician, is a Councillor and former Mayor of the City of Randwick, and is a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Coogee for the Liberal Party of Australia since 26 March 2011.-Early years and background:Notley-Smith grew up...
(Liberal) and Kristina Keneally
Kristina Keneally
Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP, is an Australian politician and was the 42nd Premier of New South Wales. She was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and thus Premier in 2009, but went on to lose government to the Liberal/National Coalition at the March 2011 state election...
(Labor) respectively and the Kingsford-Smith
Division of Kingsford Smith
The Division of Kingsford Smith is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, on the north shore of Botany Bay, and the coast of the Tasman Sea...
electorate represented by Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
(Labor) for the Federal parliament.
Schools and churches
- Kensington Public School
- Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart CollegeOur Lady of the Sacred Heart College, SydneyOur Lady of the Sacred Heart College is a Catholic secondary College for girls, founded in 1897 by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, members of a religious congregation founded by Father Jules Chevalier in France in 1874, and located in the Sydney suburb of Kensington.-History and...
(High School) . - University of New South WalesUniversity of New South WalesThe University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, one of the leading universities of Australia. - The National Institute of Dramatic ArtNational Institute of Dramatic ArtThe National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
, located opposite to University of New South Wales on Anzac Parade. - St Martins Anglican Church
- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church
- St George Coptic Orthodox Church