Fairfield Heights, New South Wales facts for kids

Fairfield Heights is a friendly suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 25 kilometres west of the main city centre. This area is part of the City of Fairfield and the larger Greater Western Sydney region.

Fairfield Heights shares its postcode, 2165, with nearby suburbs like Fairfield and Fairfield West. Many people here speak languages other than English at home. Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is the most common. Fairfield Heights is a special place for Assyrians, with many families from Iraq, China, and Vietnam also living here.

The suburb is located on a slight hill. Its height is between 20 and 40 metres above sea level. This is why it's called "Heights"! Locals sometimes call it "The Heights".

A Glimpse into Fairfield Heights' Past

Aboriginal people, specifically the Cabrogal tribe, lived in the Fairfield area for over 30,000 years. European settlers arrived in the early 1800s. Fairfield Heights started to grow in the mid-1900s. A post office opened here in 1955. This happened when enough people lived in the area.

Fairfield Heights mainly has homes and shops. The main shopping area is on The Boulevarde. This street is the highest point in the suburb. It is about 40 metres above sea level. From here, you can see great views of the lower areas. The highest spot is where The Boulevarde meets Polding Street. Polding Street is a long road connecting to other suburbs.

Local Life and Services

The Boulevarde is a busy street. It has many restaurants, shops, and services. You can find chicken and kebab shops, bakeries, and Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants. There are also cafes, butcher shops, and well-known pizza places like Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza.

Other useful places include an Australia Post office and real estate agents. You can also find car repair shops, medical centres, and pharmacies. There are dollar stores, health clinics, and even cosmetic clinics. A Vinnies store is also in the area. Even though it's a small suburb, shops in Fairfield Heights often stay open later than those in Fairfield.

Clubs and Community Spaces

The Assyrian Sports and Cultural Club is a big part of the community. It first opened in 1990 on The Boulevarde. In 1997, the club moved to a new location on Stanbrook Street. They turned old gym and squash courts into a new club. The new club opened in 2000. In 2003, they added a reception hall. This hall is used for weddings and other social events.

The Hammurabi Restaurant is now in the club's old spot on The Boulevarde. It serves Assyrian cuisine and Iraqi cuisine. It also has a reception hall for Assyrian community events.

Long-Standing Businesses

Some businesses have been in Fairfield Heights for a long time. Uncle Bill's Barber Shop opened in 1963. It closed for a short time during COVID but reopened in 2022. The Brown Jug Hotel was built in the late 1960s. It was first called the Town Inn.

A Food For Less store was taken down in 2011. A new Woolworths store was built there. It also has a pharmacy and a restaurant spot. This spot is now home to Al Basha, a Middle Eastern chicken and shawarma restaurant.

Some TV shows have even filmed in Fairfield Heights! A series of Fat Pizza was filmed at a restaurant here. Housos, another show by the same creators, was filmed on The Boulevarde.

Parks and Sports Areas

Fairfield Heights has great places for sports and outdoor fun. Prospect View Park is a floodlit sports ground. It is home to the Fairfield Hotspurs Football Club. This club was formed in 1999. Famous Australian soccer players Harry Kewell and Keanu Baccus played here when they were young. In summer, the park is used for cricket. In winter, it has football fields.

Fairfield Heights Park is another nice park. It has natural bushland, playgrounds for kids, and paths for walking or jogging. Brenan Park is a very large park nearby. It has many cricket, football, and tennis courts. It is just outside Fairfield Heights.

Learning and Education

Fairfield Heights has one local primary school. It is called Fairfield Heights Public School and opened in 1952. Some students might go to other nearby primary schools. These include Fairvale, Fairfield, Fairfield West, or Smithfield Public Schools. St Gertrude's Catholic Primary School is also an option.

There are no high schools directly in Fairfield Heights. High school students usually attend Fairfield High School, Fairvale High School, or Westfields Sports High School. Westfields Sports High School is a special Sports school. However, some local students can attend it. The Fairfield library and the Smithfield community library are close by for residents. These schools and libraries are also used as places to vote during elections.

Places of Worship

Fairfield Heights is home to several places of worship. These include the Holy Apostolic Catholic (Universal) Assyrian Church of East St Mary’s Church. There is also the Holy Apostolic Catholic (Universal) Chaldeans and Assyrians St Mary’s Assumption Church. St Therese's Catholic Church and the Nguyen Thieu Vietnamese Buddhist temple are also located here.

Who Lives in Fairfield Heights?

The 2021 census counted 8,269 people living in Fairfield Heights. About 29.5% of residents were born in Australia. Many others were born in Iraq (28.4%), Vietnam (8.8%), and Syria (8.4%).

The most common languages spoken at home are Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (19.9%), Arabic (14.4%), and Vietnamese (11.5%). If you combine all types of Assyrian and Chaldean languages, Neo-Aramaic is the most common, spoken by 29.5% of people.

The main backgrounds of people living here are Assyrian (19.7%), Iraqi (12.2%), and Vietnamese (11.0%).

When it comes to religion, Catholic is the most common (35.2%). Other religions include the Assyrian Church of the East (12.6%) and Buddhism (11.2%). About 9.2% of people reported having no religion. Overall, Christianity is the largest religious group, with 69.1% of residents.

Famous Residents

Fairfield Heights was once the home of tennis player Jelena Dokić and her family.

Al Basha, a Middle Eastern restaurant