Homebush West and Flemington NSW
Homebush West was originally known as the suburb of Flemington, named
after one of the original land grantees John Fleming. Since the 1970s,
the name Flemington has increasingly become disassociated with the
residential areas of the suburb. These are more commonly known as the suburb of
Homebush West. However, the railway station and Sydney Markets are
described with Flemington locations.
The locality of Homebush extends over a considerable area. Finding
Homebush can be confusing, particularly to visitors. Homebush Bay, which extends
from north Strathfield to Silverwater is a large area, including Sydney
Olympic Park and the suburb of Newington. One of the earliest and
largest land grantees of this area, D’Arcy Wentworth called his home
‘Homebush’, apparently his ‘home in the bush’. However, the locality
name extends much wider than Wentworth’s land holdings.
The suburb of Homebush West is built on the 1806 Crown Land Grant
of John Fleming. By 1882, this land had passed into ownership of the Underwood
Estate. In 1882, the land which had been surveyed and subdivided was offered for
sale at auction. Despite significant change in styles of buildings in Homebush
West, the 'grid style' layout of this suburb is still in evidence.
In 1892, Homebush West (south of the railway) became part of
Strathfield Council. Therefore, directories relating to this area are
recorded under Strathfield. Homebush Council was formed in 1906, which
covered Homebush West - north of the railway. Therefore, directories
relating to this area are recorded under the Suburb Guide for Homebush.
Unit development commenced in the 1950s in Homebush West with public
housing built close to the shopping centre. In 1969, a large section of Homebush
West was rezoned to permit unit development. Many 3-4 storey unit developments
in Homebush West were built in the early 1970s. In 1999, further land in
Homebush West was rezoned for development in accordance with State Government
Policies. This has resulted in significant development over the last 8-10 years.
As a direct result of this strategy, the population and the number of unit
dwellings in Homebush West has dramatically increased. The 2006 Census recorded
that over 88% of the population resided in units, an increase from 64.6%
recorded in 2001.
There are four
distinctive precincts in Homebush West
‘Village’ of Homebush West
Primarily residential with a small shopping centre near Flemington
Railway Station. This is located on southern side of railway and is
based on original 1882 Underwood Estate subdivision layout. This area is
located on the original John Fleming land grant and maintains the
original subdivision street patterns. Hudson Park Oval and
Golf Course is located to the north of this precinct.
The ‘Ford Factory’ Precinct
Mixed residential and commercial bounded by Malborough Rd at east and
Rail goods line at west. Most of the residential area was created by
subdivision of the Mandamah Estate in 1926 but most residential
properties were built for employees of the Ford Factory. This area is
located on the original Samuel Thornley land grant.
Sydney Markets
Formerly the site of the Homebush Cattle Saleyards, Sydney Markets were
established in 1975. This large site operates Sydney’s growers and
flower markets. It also has a shopping centre, major banks, hotels and has its own
postcode. This site is built on the Underwood Estate.
Parramatta Rd/Welfare St Precinct
This precinct is primarily commercial businesses with some surviving
small 1920s residential eg Welfare Street. There are also hotels, which
are rare in Strathfield Municipality, such as the Wentworth Hotel.
The suburb of Homebush
West includes the following streets:
• Arthur Street [part]
• Couralie Ave
• Exeter Road
• Flemington Street
• Hampstead Road
• Henley Road
• Kessell Avenue
• Malborough Rd
• Manadamah Ave
• Parramatta Road [part]
• Potts Ave
• Richmond Road
• Tavistock Ave
• Telopea
• The Crescent [part]
• Welfare Street
Significant sites in
Homebush West include:
• Flemington Railway Station
• Sydney Markets
• Wentworth Hotel
• Homebush West Shopping Centre
• Parks – Melville Reserve, Henley Reserve, Hudson Park Oval and Golf
Course and Airey Park.
• Churches
• Schools.
Author and Copyright information
This article was written by Cathy Jones, 2005
© Cathy Jones 2005. This article is subject to copyright and may not be
reproduced without permission of the author.
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