Menai is a suburb

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 southern

Southern Sydney

This article refers to an area the same as a combination of St George and SutherlandSouthern Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the southern metropolitan area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia....

 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...

. Menai is located 29 kilometres south 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 Sutherland Shire

Sutherland Shire

The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...

.

History

Menai is not, as many people first guess, an Aboriginal name, but is named after Menai Bridge

Menai Bridge

Menai Bridge is a small town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford...

, a town on the Menai Strait

Menai Strait

The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...

 in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

.

The area now known as Menai was originally called Bangor in 1895 by the land's owner, a farmer named Owen Jones, after his birthplace Bangor

Bangor, Gwynedd

Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...

 in Wales. To avoid confusion with Bangor in Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, the Postmaster General's Office changed the suburb name to Menai in 1910. Menai Bridge in Wales lies opposite Bangor on the Menai Strait. When Menai expanded, the eastern section became Bangor

Bangor, New South Wales

Bangor is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bangor is located 28 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire in the area commonly called Menai...

 again.

It has been affected by bushfires on several occasions, including the infamous 1994 Eastern seaboard fires

1994 Eastern seaboard fires

The 1994 Eastern seaboard fires were bushfires in New South Wales, Australia between 27 December 1993 and 16 January 1994 were widespread along the NSW coast from Bega to the Queensland border and inland as far as Bathurst. Over 80 separate fires encouraged by extreme hot dry and windy conditions...

.

Commercial area

Menai contains a bustling shopping centre around Menai Road with many retail stores and fine restaurants. The two major retail developments are called Menai Metro and Menai Marketplace. Menai Marketplace is located beside the Menai Community Buildings and features a Woolworths

Woolworths (supermarkets)

Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.-History:Woolworths Limited was founded in 1924, with the first store opening up in Sydney's Imperial Arcade.-2008 rebranding:...

 supermarket, Big W

Big W

Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....

 discount department store and many specialty shops including an Electronics Boutique

Electronics Boutique

EB Games is an American computer and video games retailer. First established as an American company in 1977 by Emmanuel Baxter with a single electronics-focused location in the King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia, the company has grown into an international corporation...

, Bakers Delight

Bakers Delight

Bakers Delight is a large Australian owned bakery franchise chain with outlets in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It was established in 1980 as a single bakery on Glenferrie Road in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, Victoria. Bakers Delight has over 700 bakeries globally...

, Michel's Patisserie

Michel's Patisserie

- About :Michel's Patisserie is a chain of bakery-style food outlets selling cakes, pies, savouries and espresso coffee. The company is a franchise system that was founded in 1988 and is based in Australia with over 360 retail outlets in all Australian states and territories except Northern...

 and Gloria Jean's

Gloria Jean's

Gloria Jean's Coffees is an Australian owned global specialty coffee company that has opened more than 1,000 coffee houses across 39 markets worldwide, including over 460 in Australia.-History:...

.

Transport

Menai is not covered by the Sydney Buses network; a private bus company (Veolia) provides services to major centres.

Many people use drive-park-ride mode of transport to work. There are three well serviced train stations with parking facilities within 8-15 minutes driving (Padstow: 8.5 km, Jannali: 7.4km, Sutherland: 7.2km).

Sporting

Menai is home to the Menai Hawks, the local soccer club. They have taken out many titles in recent times.

Housing

Menai is a newer suburb, having been developed only since the early 1980s, and as such, nearly all the homes are new 4-bedders with dual bathrooms and double-garages and mostly owner occupied. In fact, the region has the highest rate of home ownership in Australia, at over 70% (according to the last census).

Sport and recreation

An indoor sporting complex is adjacent to the Menai shopping centre. Menai is home to the Menai Junior Rugby League Football Club

Menai Roosters

The Menai Roosters Rugby League Football Club is both a junior and senior amateur rugby league football club that was formed in 1981 and competes in the Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby Football League...

 who are known by the rhyming couplet "menai, head high", in a reference to their tough playing style by other rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

juniors throughout the Sutherland Shire. Menai is also home to the Menai Dragons basketball association. The biggest sporting club in the area are the Menai Hawks soccer club.

Schools

Menai's schools include Menai Primary [K-6], Aquinas College [Catholic, 7-12] and Holy Family Primary School [Catholic, K-6]. Residents also use schools in neighbouring suburbs such as Lucas Heights Community School [Public, K-12] Alfords Point Primary [Public, K-6] in Alfords Point, Menai High [Public, 7-12], Tharawal [Public, K-6] and Illawong Primary [Public, K-6] in Illawong and Bangor Primary School [K-6] and Inaburra High School [K-12] in Bangor. Alfords Point Pre-School Kindergarten, an early learning centre, is located opposite the shops. There are several long daycare centres including ABC Menai, Allison Crescent Child Care Centre, Bradman Road Child Care Centre, Carter Road Long Day Care Centre, and Jumpstart Childcare.

External links