Everything about Inner West Sydney totally explained
The
Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the
Sydney central business district in
Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia. The suburbs of the inner west are predominantly located along the southern shore of
Port Jackson (
Parramatta River), stretching south to the shores of the
Cooks River.
Parramatta Road runs through the middle of this area.
Suburbs
The inner west isn't a precise geographical region. The
Australian Bureau of Statistics limits its Inner Western Sydney statistical region to the
local government areas of
Canada Bay,
Ashfield,
Burwood and
Strathfield. One local newspaper, the Inner-West Weekly, confines its circulation to this area while another, the Inner West Courier, also includes the suburbs in the local government areas of
Leichhardt and
Marrickville as well as some western suburbs of the
City of Sydney such as
Glebe and
Erskineville. The
Telstra Inner West telephone directory covers a slightly larger area again, including some more inner Sydney suburbs such as
Pyrmont,
Ultimo and
Redfern as well as the suburbs of
Ashbury,
Canterbury and
Hurlstone Park from the
City of Canterbury.
History
Indigenous Land
Prior to the arrival of the
First Fleet, the Sydney region was home to the
Darug people. This nation was broken up into a number of
Aboriginal clans who tended to live in a certain geographic area. Each clan contained about 50 to 100 people and, to avoid genetic problems, the men would marry women from other clans. So the clans were interrelated and members from one clan would frequently travel in the territory of others, including to hunt, trade and perform ceremonies. They didn't consider themselves owners of the land, rather custodians.
What is now the Inner West was formerly home to two clans, the
Cadigal, whose land stretched along Port Jackson from South Head to
Lewisham, and the Wangal, whose land was immediately to the west of the Cadigals and stretched to about
Homebush Bay. Other clans that would have been regular visitors to the area would have included the Birrabirragal and Muru-ora-dial in what is now the
Eastern Suburbs, the Bediagal and Kameygal from the
Cooks River area to the south, the Burramattagal from the
Parramatta area to the west, and the Wallumattagal, Cammeraigal and Gorualgal from the northern shores of the Parramatta River.
(External Link
)
Geography
The topography of the inner-west reflects rolling hills intersected by shallow valleys through which waterways including
Iron Cove Creek,
Hawthorne Canal (formerly Long Cove Creek), White's Creek and Johnston's Creek flow. These waterways have been drastically altered since the late 19th century by the means of concrete lining. For example, in the 1860s
Iron Cove Creek was a freely flowing waterway which in places broadened into ponds that made excellent and picturesque swimming holes. It is now barely a trickle lined by residential areas, parkland and fast-food restaurants.
Character
The suburbs within the region are characterised by medium to high-density housing and include some of the older constructions in Sydney such as the terrace houses of
Glebe and
Newtown. It is also the location of several tertiary institutions such as
Australian Catholic University,
University of Sydney and the
University of Technology, Sydney and the more downtown areas have high student populations. The inner west also features some of New South Wales best schools such as
Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham (Private),
Fort Street High School (Public),
Burwood Girls High School (Public),
Strathfield Girls High School (Public),
Homebush Boys High School (Public),
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney (Private),
MLC School (Private),
Trinity Grammar School (Private),
Newington College (Private),
Santa Sabina College (Private),
St Patrick's College (Private),
Sydney Adventist College (Private) and
Meriden School (Private).
Public transport
Public transport in the region includes trains, buses, ferries and light rail.
CityRail's
Inner West railway line runs from Central station, largely running south of Parramatta Road to Strathfield and then to Liverpool. The
Northern railway line follows the same route to Strathfield and then branches off to the north to Hornsby, with stops at North Strathfield, Concord West and Rhodes. There are various bus routes provided largely by
Sydney Buses.
Sydney Ferries operates services in the inner harbour and Parramatta river. There is also the
Metro Light Rail which runs from Central to Lilyfield, via Pyrmont and Glebe.
Bicycling Infrastructure
Although still playing only a small part in the overall transport task use of bicycles for transport has increased significantly in the Inner West since the 1990's. Denser populations and shorter distances mean cycling is often quicker and more convenient than driving or taking public transport. Most Councils have Bicycle Plans, although funding has been often limited and implementation patchy. A network of bicycle paths, signed bicycle routes on local streets and other aids to safe and convenient cycling is developing. Main bicycle routes include an East-West route from Fivedock to the Anzac Bridge cycleway, a Northwest route from Gladesville Bridge to Anzac Bridge, a Southwest Route from Marrickville to the City via Newtown. These routes link with many minor routes through the Inner West. Maps of these routes can be obtained from the Councils concerned. Groups of local
bicycle user groups (BUGs) provide help for new cyclists, under the parent banner of
Bicycle New South Wales.
Government
Politically, the area is represented
Federally by the electorates of
Grayndler,
Lowe and
Sydney. These three seats are currently held by
Labor, Grayndler and Sydney are considered very safe seats with the
ALP receiving about 70% of the votes whilst after last election Lowe is moderately safe. In the
state parliament the region is represented by the electoral districts of
Balmain,
Canterbury,
Drummoyne,
Marrickville and
Strathfield. At the 2007 state election, each of these seats was won by the Labor party. The
local government areas with responsibility for the Inner west are
Canada Bay,
Strathfield,
Burwood,
Ashfield and parts of
Canterbury,
Marrickville,
Leichhardt and
City of Sydney.
Sport
The inner west is represented in the
National Rugby League by the
Wests Tigers, a merger of the Balmain and Western Suburbs clubs. In rugby union the area is represented by
Sydney Uni and
West Harbour in the Sydney grade competition. Non-competetive activities like walking, cycling and swimming are well catered for.
Population
Gay & Lesbian Inner West
The Inner West is home for the other half of Sydney’s large gay and lesbian population. The gay and lesbian community is well established in Newtown and Erskineville and extends into neighbouring Glebe, Leichhardt, Annandale, Marrickville, Enmore and Dulwich Hill.
The Inner West is home to two of Sydney’s well-established gay and lesbian pubs the Newtown Hotel
(External Link) and the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville
(External Link). The Imperial or “Impy” is famous for its flamboyant drag queens and as a pub/club venue staying open well into the early hours on weekends. Unfortunately the Newtown Hotel ceased trading on Saturday Nov 3, 2007 - its future as a gay venue isn't certain
(External Link). Newtown remains a gay friendly diverse spot with many great pubs hosting a cool mixed crowd.
The Metropolitan Community Church
(External Link) located in nearby Petersham. The MCC Sydney is part of a network of other MCC's in Australia and forms part of an international denomination. The MCC extends its welcome to anybody who feels excluded by established religious groups, especially members of the gay, lesbian, transgendered and bi-sexual communities.
Located in Newtown is Twenty 10
(External Link) a support organisation for young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, same-sex attracted and gender-questioning people who are under 26 and having problems at home or have recently become homeless.
Once the pinnacle of the gay and lesbian community the fading
Sydney Pride Centre (External Link) is located in Erskineville and provides support, referral and fund-raising services for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of Sydney.
Sydney's inner west is truly multicultural. This has resulted in the beautifully diverse cuisine that locals enjoy. Liechhardt and Haberfield have long been associated with the Italian Australian Community. Marrcikville and Earlwood have a very strong Greek Australian presence.Marrcikille also boast colourful Vietnamese Australian restaurants and fresh food markets.The Inner West has a growing Islamic Community which consist of Arab Muslims including Lebanese,Egyptian and Palestinian Austarlians.They enjoy the tolerance that isn't present in some other suburban areas of Sydney.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Inner West Sydney'.
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