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Summer Hill, New South Wales

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Oceania
(Australasia)

   Summer Hill

   LGA:                   Ashfield Council
   Established:           1794
   Postcode:              2130
   Population:            6,332 (2001 census)
   Median property value: $634,000 (2005)
   Location:              Sydney, NSW


        Suburbs near Summer Hill
   Croydon    Haberfield    Petersham
   Ashfield  Summer Hill     Lewisham
   Ashbury  Hurlstone Park Dulwich Hill

   Summer Hill is a suburb in the Inner West area of Sydney, in the state
   of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 8 kilometres
   west of the Sydney central business district in the local government
   area of Municipality of Ashfield.

   Summer Hill's shopping precinct is centred around a small town square,
   and the suburb is popular due to the village-style atmosphere and cafes
   and restaurants found along Lackey and Smith Streets. The suburb is
   very small and (by Australian standards) quite old, and features some
   fine examples of architecture from the 19th and early 20th century. To
   the north of Summer Hill is the suburb of Haberfield, to the east is
   Lewisham, to the south is Dulwich Hill, and to the west is Ashfield.
   The boundaries of Summer Hill are neatly defined by Parramatta Road and
   Liverpool Road to the North, the rear of the properties on the west
   side of Prospect Road (with a detour around Trinity Grammar School) to
   the West, Old Canterbury Road to the South, and the north-south goods
   railway line to the east.

History

Aboriginal Culture

   Flour Mill
   Enlarge
   Flour Mill

   Prior to the arrival of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788, the
   area of land we now know as Summer Hill, and surrounding areas, was the
   home of the Wangal and Cadigal Aboriginal peoples. What is now called
   the Hawthorne Canal (and was originally the Long Cove Creek) appears to
   have marked the boundary between the Cadigal and Wangal aboriginal
   group lands. Today there is a small park in Summer Hill, called Cadigal
   Reserve, located at 1-4 Grosvenor Crescent. A bronze plaque placed by
   Ashfield Council names the reserve after the Cadigal (Eora) group of
   Koori people. Iron Cove and the mangrove-lined estuaries of the Long
   Cove and Iron Cove Creeks would have provided a good source of fish and
   molluscs, the most common food of the coastal tribes in the Sydney
   basin.

   In the early days of the colony, the stretch of land between Iron Cove
   and the Cook's River was known as the Kangaroo Ground. The use of this
   name suggests that kangaroos were then common in this area, and
   therefore that the country was probably fairly open (the type of
   terrain favoured by Kangaroos); and secondly, that kangaroos may have
   formed a significant part of the aboriginal diet.

   No record is known to exist relating to the demise of the aboriginal
   population from the district. It seems likely that the well-documented
   outbreak of smallpox among local aboriginal people in early 1789 had a
   major impact. Governor Phillip not only recorded that half of the local
   aboriginal population was estimated to have died from the disease, but
   he also noted that the aboriginal people always "retired from where the
   diseases appeared" as well.

European Settlement

   Wong Tai Sin / Kwan Yin Kur temple
   Enlarge
   Wong Tai Sin / Kwan Yin Kur temple

   The first white property ownership in the area that would later become
   Summer Hill was in 1794, with a grant for a farm to Henry Kable, a
   former convict and jailor. The land in the eastern corner of Summer
   Hill was an additional grant of 30 acres (120,000 m²) made to Henry
   Kable in 1804. A little later in the century this eastern corner would
   become part of the estate of James Underwood. Underwood died in 1844
   and left a will so complicated that it required special legislation
   before it could be subdivided.

   The earliest known use of the name "Summer Hill" was in 1876, for a
   land subdivision adjacent to the present-day St Andrews church. The
   name Summer Hill is thought to be a name chosen by the land
   sub-divider, presumably based on an attachment for England. Local
   historians regard the suggestion that the name is a derivation of
   "Sunning Hill" as a dubious story which has no substance.

   Summer Hill's largest mansion, Carleton, was built in the early 1880s
   on Liverpool Road for Charles Carleton Skarrat. The suburb boomed with
   the opening of the railway station in 1879, and the subdivisions of
   much of the surrounding area followed. Between 1880 and 1910, the area
   became an upper-class suburb, and was a popular choice for city-types
   who worked in banking and insurance. Subdivision of gardens for housing
   continued in the 1920s and 1930s, and socioeconomically the suburb
   changed as some of the wealthier inhabitants moved to the North Shore.
   Demolition of most of the surviving mansions occurred in the 1970s to
   allow erection of home units, especially within walking distance of the
   railway station.

Characteristics

   NASA image of Sydney's CBD and surrounds, with borders of Summer Hill
   shown in red.
   Enlarge
   NASA image of Sydney's CBD and surrounds, with borders of Summer Hill
   shown in red.

   Summer Hill features a mix of federation-era houses and medium density
   apartment blocks near the railway station. Local independent business
   people run most of the shops, giving the area quite a friendly and
   community-focused atmosphere. It has been christened "the village".

   Summer Hill is a suburb rich in heritage. More than one hundred
   properties are heritage listed, and a current review will add to this
   number. This is a result of some residents of the suburb feeling very
   strongly about protecting the local architecture.

   Despite formerly being rather working class, Summer Hill and many of
   the surrounding suburbs have gradually undergone gentrification over
   recent years. Culturally, Summer Hill is a unique blend of
   medium-density European Sydney suburbia, with Italian influences (which
   are most strongly evident in Leichhardt to the East and Haberfield to
   the North), Eastern influences (which are most strongly evident in
   Ashfield to the West), and smaller influences from many other cultures.

Residents

   Ancestry as determined by birthplace of parents
   Enlarge
   Ancestry as determined by birthplace of parents
   St Andrews Anglican Church, with its sandstone spire
   Enlarge
   St Andrews Anglican Church, with its sandstone spire

   In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and
   Housing, the population of the Summer Hill postcode area was 6332
   people, in an area of 1.1 square kilometres. The population was 51%
   females, 49% males. 53% of the population was born overseas (see chart
   for a breakdown of ancestry). The eight strongest religious
   affiliations in the area were in descending order: Catholic, No
   religion, Anglican, Buddhism, Orthodox Christian, Uniting Church,
   Presbyterian and Reformed, and Islam. The three most common forms of
   dwelling were in decreasing order: a flat, unit or apartment; a
   separate house; a semi-detached, row or terrace house, or townhouse.

Notable Residents

   The following notable people were born or lived in Summer Hill:
     * Colonel Matron Kathleen Best.
     * Ninram Melville Junior - a well-known Sydney furniture maker and
       mortician who subsequently became the Mayor of Ashfield, and a
       parliamentarian.
     * Normand Henry Baker - Archibald Prize winning artist.
     * Dr John Belisarro - Dentist at the later end of the 19th century,
       recorded as living in Summer Hill in the 1891 census. First dentist
       in Australia to administer ether to a patient to carry out dental
       work.
     * Arthur Streeton - Famous Australian artist who briefly lived in
       Summer Hill.
     * David Elphinstone.
     * Edwin Johnson - Education reformer, undersecretary to the
       Department of Public Instruction.
     * Justice Greg James.
     * Ian Temby, QC.
     * Rt Hon Sir Cyril Walsh, lawyer and Justice of the High Court of
       Australia
     * Sir Tristan Balogh - Famous Australian musician, lived in the
       suburb most of his life.

Transport

   In the 2001 census, for people travelling to work using just one method
   of transportation from this postcode, 45% travelled in a car as the
   driver, 40% took the train, 5% walked, 4% travelled in a car as
   passenger, 4% took the bus, 1% travelled by bicycle, and 1% travelled
   by truck. By road Summer Hill is located close to Liverpool Road and
   Parramatta Road, and so is well served by road, although in peak hour
   these roads are quite congested.

   Summer Hill railway station is located on the Inner west line of the
   CityRail network. The railway station was opened in 1879, and most of
   the local shops are clustered close to the station. Travelling towards
   the city, the railway stops in order are Lewisham, Petersham, Stanmore,
   Newtown, Macdonaldtown, Redfern, Central, and Town Hall. Travelling
   west towards Strathfield, the stops are Ashfield, Croydon, Burwood, and
   Strathfield. A recent renovation of the railway station was completed
   in 2004, after a public outcry about the ugliness and overwhelming size
   of a proposed overhead pedestrian walkway. The revised design used the
   more expensive option of refurbishing the existing underground walkway.

   There are five Sydney bus routes that service the area—the 480 and 483
   follow routes along Parramatta and then Liverpool roads, the 461
   travels along Parramatta Road, the 413 travels along Junction Road, and
   some 409 buses stop at the railway station outside of peak hour.

   The area is gradually becoming more bicycle friendly.

Attractions

   Trinity Grammar School
   Enlarge
   Trinity Grammar School
   St Patrick's Catholic church
   Enlarge
   St Patrick's Catholic church

   The Summer Hill flour mill was built circa 1922, utilising the
   north-south goods railway line that was constructed during World War 1.
   The silos were added from the 1950s onwards. The flour mill has been
   owned by various companies, including Mungo Scott, and Goodman Fielder,
   and is currently owned by Allied Mills.

   Trinity Grammar School is located across Prospect Road from the
   Prospect Hall estate. The site of the school has been in continuous use
   for educational purposes for 120 years. The Headmaster's house building
   at Trinity was erected circa 1877. The site operated as several
   different teaching institutions, until it was purchased by the Anglican
   Church, and became known as Trinity Grammar School in 1925. Trinity
   Grammar is one of many wealthy schools in New South Wales, and has
   previously received some of the largest federal funding grants (as
   government grants to private schools are partially based on postcodes,
   and the school is located in a not especially wealthy postcode).

   There are a number of places of worship in Summer Hill. St Patrick's
   church is a Catholic church located in the oldest known still standing
   building in the area, built in 1874. There is also a small primary
   school associated with the church and located next to it. The building
   was originally a private home known as Kelvin Grove, and owned by Mrs
   Jane Drynan. However none of the original internal walls were retained
   when the building was converted into a church. Much of the exterior
   fabric of the church is however original, and the church has recently
   been renovated internally. Following Drynan's death, Kelvin Grove was
   owned or leased by a succession of different people, including the
   Haberfield real-estate developer Richard Station, the Croydon
   brick-maker William Downton, and two sisters namely Freeman (one of
   whom was a nurse). In the 1920s and 30s Kelvin Grove may have been used
   as a nursing home. The first mass was celebrated in Kelvin Grove on St
   Patrick's day 1946, which gave the church its name.

   St Andrew's Anglican Church has three distinctive internal transept
   arches, and was designed by a Presbyterian, Alexander Leckie
   Elphinstone junior. The foundation stone was laid in 1883, and the top
   of the spire completed in 1906. The fast construction period, unusual
   for that time, was indicative of the area's affluence. Recent Asian
   influences in Summer Hill have brought about the introduction of
   non-Christian places of worship. The Wong Tai Sin / Kwan Yin Kur temple
   is located on the corners of Kensington Road and Liverpool Road, and
   occupies a building that was a Masonic temple in the 1920s. The same
   building was retained and converted into the current temple; the lower
   floor houses the Taoist deity of Wong Tai Sin, and the upper floor
   houses the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Kwan Yin.

   The Ashfield Carnival of Cultures has been running since 1996, and has
   grown to become one of the leading multicultural festivals in Sydney's
   Inner West. The carnival is organised by Ashfield Council and is held
   annually on the second Sunday of October in Ashfield Park. It features
   free attractions and cultural performances, as well as stalls selling
   knick-knacks and an eclectic mix of foods. Ashfield Park also hosts the
   annual 'Carols by Candlelight' in early December. Other events include
   the 'Authors at Ashfield' series, held in Ashfield Library, where you
   can meet a writer and ask them questions on their experiences. Ashfield
   Council also maintains a list of upcoming events.

Politics


     State Elections ^
     Labor       50.3%
     Greens      22.7%
     Liberal     19.2%
     Unity Party 3.5%
     Democrats   2.3%
     Independent 2%

                         Federal Elections ^
                        Labor              48.3%
                        Liberal            27.5%
                        Greens             20.3%
                        Democrats          2.5%
                        Socialist Alliance 1.4%

   Summer Hill is in the safe Labor federal electoral division of
   Grayndler. This seat is currently held by Labor shadow minister Anthony
   Albanese, who was last re-elected in the 2004 general election. The
   seat has been held continuously by Labor since it was proclaimed in
   1949.

   For NSW state elections, Summer Hill is predominantly in the Electoral
   district of Strathfield. Summer Hill was added to this state seat when
   the safe Labor electorate of Ashfield was abolished in 1999. From 1999
   to 2003 it was held by Paul Whelan (the former State Police minister)
   of the Australian Labor Party. This seat is currently held by Virginia
   Judge, of the Australian Labor Party.

   Local political issues include:
     * Proposed construction of the M4 East, diverting traffic from
       Parramatta Road, and which construction option should be used.
     * Opposition to plans that would result an increase in traffic at
       Kingsford Smith International Airport, and thus more aircraft
       noise.
     * Concern over the proposed new supermarket building, and whether it
       is in keeping with the local shopping area.

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