Peakhurst Heights 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...

. Peakhurst Heights is located 22 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...

 and is part of the St George

St George, New South Wales

St George Area is an unofficial name applied to a group of southern suburbs in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area includes all the suburbs in the local government areas of the City of Hurstville, the City of Rockdale and the Municipality of Kogarah...

 area. Peakhurst Heights is in the local government area of the City of Hurstville

City of Hurstville

The City of Hurstville is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The city centre is located 17km SSW of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay....

.

Peakhurst

Peakhurst, New South Wales

Peakhurst is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Peakhurst is located 21 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Peakhurst is in the local government area of the City of Hurstville. Peakhurst is colloquially...

 is a separate suburb to the north. Peakhurst Heights is bordered by Boggywell Creek and Lime Kiln Bay, on the Georges River

Georges River

The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...

. The shores of Lime Kiln Bay once had Aboriginal middens that were used by shell-gatherers.

Parks

Peakhurst Heights is a mainly residential area. Gannons Park is a large recreation area in the north west corner and Hurstville Golf Course sits on the eastern border.

Commercial area

A small group of shops is located on Pindari Road. Peakhurst South Public School is located nearby.

History

Peakhurst was named after landholder John Robert Peake. The area was originally part of a land grant to Captain John Townson. John Robert Peake bought 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land from William Hebblewhite in 1838. Peake donated land for the first Methodist church built in 1856. School Inspector Huffer suggested that Peake's name be used when the public school was founded in 1871 and it was later adopted by the suburb. The post office opened in 1885.

Peakhurst Heights was a locality in the suburb of Peakhurst, until it was recognised as a separate suburb in 1995.

Population

According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian Bureau of Statistics

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...

 Census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 of Population, there were 2,226 people usually resident in Peakhurst Heights. 16.8% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being United Kingdom 3.0%, China 1.7% and Italy 1.3%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 82.1% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Greek 5.0%, Italian 2.56% and Arabic 1.7%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 32.6%, Anglican 24.6% and Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

 9.6%.

Events

Each Christmas Eve the residents of Peakhurst Heights congregate on the streets. Houses are adorned with Christmas lights and decorations and the streets are lined with candles as inspired by the Spanish tradition of Noche Buena

Nochebuena

Nochebuena, , is a Spanish word referring to the night of Christmas Eve. In Spain, Cuba, Latin America, and the Philippines, the evening consists of a traditional dinner with family....

.