Undercliffe, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Undercliffe is a suburb
in south-western
Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Undercliffe is located 10 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district
in the local government area of the City of Canterbury
.
Undercliffe is located on the peninsula between the Cooks River
and Wolli Creek
. Earlwood
, to the west, is the only adjacent suburb. Bayview Avenue and Unwins Bridge link Undercliffe north over the Cooks River to Tempe
. Another bridge links Illawarra Avenue over the Cooks River to Marrickville
. Wolli Creek
and Turrella
are located on the opposite bank of Wolli Creek, to the south, with footbridges being the only direct links to these suburbs.
to the north-west and Botany Bay
to the east.
Undercliffe Public School is located in Bayview Avenue. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church is also located in Bayview Avenue.
A wooden bridge was built across the Cooks River in 1836 to carry the Illawarra Road across the river. It was known as Tompsons Bridge, after Mr P.A. Tompson's father who purchased the Bexley estate from James Chandler. The bridge was washed away several times during floods. later, Frederick Wright Unwin, a Sydney Solicitor, built a bridge on the peninsula between Cooks River and Wolli Creek to provide access to his property. Unwin had bought his property from Arthur Martin in 1840 and built a large home known as Wanstead, after a village in Essex, England. Unwins Bridge, Unwins Bridge Road, Wanstead Avenue and Wanstead Avenue Reserve commemorate these names. Waterworth Park was set aside as a reserve in 1906 when it was declared unhealthy and unsuitable for residences.
Between 1912 and 1957, electric trams
operated through Undercliffe along Illawarra Road and Homer Street on their way to Earlwood
, providing service to the city via Marrickville
and Newtown
. The service is now operated by buses.
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-western
South-western Sydney
South-western Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area in south-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney area....
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...
. Undercliffe is located 10 kilometres south-west 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 Canterbury
City of Canterbury, New South Wales
The City of Canterbury, previously the Municipality of Canterbury, is a Local Government Area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It lies southwest of the central business district and forms part of the Greater Sydney metropolitan area....
.
Undercliffe is located on the peninsula between the Cooks River
Cooks River
The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...
and Wolli Creek
Wolli Creek
Wolli Creek is an urban waterway of southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The sub-catchment is 22 km².Wolli Creek rises at Beverly Hills, at Beverly Hills Park. It is a lined channel between Kingsgrove Road, Kingsgrove and Bexley Road, Bexley North where it then enters the Wolli Creek...
. Earlwood
Earlwood, New South Wales
Earlwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Earlwood is located 12 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury...
, to the west, is the only adjacent suburb. Bayview Avenue and Unwins Bridge link Undercliffe north over the Cooks River to Tempe
Tempe, New South Wales
Tempe is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tempe is located 9 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Marrickville Council....
. Another bridge links Illawarra Avenue over the Cooks River to Marrickville
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
. Wolli Creek
Wolli Creek, New South Wales
For the urban waterway see Wolli CreekWolli Creek is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It sits beside the Wolli Creek and Cooks River waterways...
and Turrella
Turrella, New South Wales
Turrella is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Turrella is located 10 km south of the Sydney central business district on the southern bank of Wolli Creek. Turrella is in the local government area of the City of Rockdale and is part of the St George...
are located on the opposite bank of Wolli Creek, to the south, with footbridges being the only direct links to these suburbs.
Landmarks
Undercliffe is a predominantly residential suburb. The northern end of the peninsula is characterised by parkland and recreational areas. Canterbury Velodrome is located at Waterworth Park, beside Wolli Creek. Gough Whitlam Park is a large recreational area, beside Cooks River. The popular Cooks River bicycle track follows the river along its northern bank connecting the suburb with HomebushHomebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
to the north-west and Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
to the east.
Undercliffe Public School is located in Bayview Avenue. The Transfiguration of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church is also located in Bayview Avenue.
History
Undercliffe takes its name from the heavy sandstone outcrop which is quite evident. The Undercliffe Estate was the name of an 1840s land grant which had a house built on it. In the early days, the quarrying of sandstone between Wolli Creek and Cooks River provided the first industry here. Some homes were built completely from sandstone, while almost all others used sandstone for their foundations. Amongst notable land owners in the area was retired East India Company Judge James Donnithorne (1773-1852) who owned shares in the Undercliffe Estate, which upon his death were passed to his daughter Eliza Emily (1826-1886) a famous Sydney recluse who leased out the land until her death. Whereupon it was sold and eventually subdivided for housing.A wooden bridge was built across the Cooks River in 1836 to carry the Illawarra Road across the river. It was known as Tompsons Bridge, after Mr P.A. Tompson's father who purchased the Bexley estate from James Chandler. The bridge was washed away several times during floods. later, Frederick Wright Unwin, a Sydney Solicitor, built a bridge on the peninsula between Cooks River and Wolli Creek to provide access to his property. Unwin had bought his property from Arthur Martin in 1840 and built a large home known as Wanstead, after a village in Essex, England. Unwins Bridge, Unwins Bridge Road, Wanstead Avenue and Wanstead Avenue Reserve commemorate these names. Waterworth Park was set aside as a reserve in 1906 when it was declared unhealthy and unsuitable for residences.
Between 1912 and 1957, electric trams
Trams in Sydney
The Sydney tramway network once served Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia. In its heyday, it was the largest in Australia, the second largest in the Commonwealth , and one of the largest in the world. It was extremely intensively worked, with about 1,600 cars in service at any...
operated through Undercliffe along Illawarra Road and Homer Street on their way to Earlwood
Earlwood, New South Wales
Earlwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Earlwood is located 12 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury...
, providing service to the city via Marrickville
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
and Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
. The service is now operated by buses.