Leichhardt, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leichhardt Sydney, New South Wales
Leichhardt Town Hall
Population	14,625 (2016 census)
• Density	3,203.7/km2 (8,298/sq mi)
Established	1846
Postcode(s)	2040
Elevation	40 m (131 ft)
Area	4.565 km2 (1.8 sq mi)
Location	5 km (3 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Inner West Council
State electorate(s)	Balmain
Federal Division(s)	Grayndler
Suburbs around Leichhardt: Haberfield Lilyfield Rozelle Haberfield Leichhardt Annandale Lewisham Petersham Stanmore

Leichhardt is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Leichhardt is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and is the administrative centre for the local government area (LGA) of the Inner West Council. The suburb is bordered by Haberfield to the west, Annandale to the east, Lilyfield to the north and Petersham, Lewisham and Stanmore to the south.

History

Aboriginal anthropology

Leichhardt was once an area broadly inhabited by the Wangal band of the Dharug (Eora) language group. The 'Eora people' was the name given to coastal Aborigines around Sydney – Eora means from this place – local Aboriginal people used this word to describe to Europeans where they came from, and in time the term became used to define Aboriginal people themselves. Wangal country was known as 'wanne' and it originally extended from the suburbs of Balmain and Birchgrove in the east to Silverwater and Auburn in the west. It is unclear how many people were in the tribe, some research indicates in the broader Sydney region there was between 8000 – 10000 indigenous people, migration over the seasons and violence between tribes would alter this number at different periods. The northern boundary was the Parramatta River. Neighbouring Darug bands were the Cadigal to the east, the Wallumattagal on the northern shore of the Parramatta River and the Bediagal to the south.

European settlement

Leichhardt is named after the Prussian explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, who in the 1840s was feted for his 4,800 km (c. 3000  mi) expedition in search of an overland route from southern Queensland to Port Essington, a British settlement on the far northern coast of Australia (some 300 km to the north of the modern city of Darwin). In 1848, he famously vanished without trace on his attempt to cross the continent from the Darling Downs to the Swan River Colony on the Western Australia coast.

Leichhardt was proclaimed a municipality in 1871. In 1949, it was merged with the municipalities of Annandale and Balmain. In 1967, the municipal boundary was altered to include Glebe and parts of Camperdown. In 2003, the municipal boundary was again changed, to exclude Glebe and Forest Lodge, which are now part of the City of Sydney.

Transport

Parramatta Road at Leichhardt

Leichhardt can be accessed by several main roads including Parramatta Road (Great Western Highway), Norton Street, Balmain Road, Marion Street and Catherine Street. The City West Link runs along the northern border of Leichhardt and is a major arterial road, which is part of the A4 and crosses the Anzac Bridge to the CBD. Leichhardt is well serviced by Transit Systems through city and cross regional services. Leichhardt Bus Depot is located on the corner of William and Derbyshire Street.

The following list provides the bus routes in Leichhardt:

• 437 travels from Five Dock to City QVB via Haberfield, City West Link.
• 438X, 438N travel from Martin Place, Railway Square, Parramatta Road, Leichhardt Town Hall, Haberfield, Abbotsford, with 438N being the all stops early morning and late night service, and 438X the limited stop service.
• 440 travels from Bondi Junction to Rozelle via Railway Square, Parramatta Road, Leichhardt Town Hall, Rozelle (Terry Street)
• 445 travels from Balmain (Darling Street), Rozelle, Leichhardt, Petersham, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury station, Campsie station
• 469 travels from Leichhardt to Glebe
• 480, 483, 461X travel from the Domain (461X), Railway Square (480, 483) to Strathfield station via Parramatta Road (Leichhardt) and Ashfield shops

Aerial view of the Metropolitan Goods railway line, which has been converted to light rail

• 470 travels from Circular Quay, Forest Lodge, Annandale and Lilyfield.

The southern portion of Leichhardt is serviced by trains at the nearby Petersham railway station, on the Inner West & Leppington Line. The station is an eight-minute walk from Norton Street, along Railway Street.

The western and northern portions of Leichhardt are serviced by the Inner West Light Rail. Leichhardt North lies on the northern border with Lilyfield, adjacent to the City West Link. Hawthorne, serving the north-west of the suburb, and Marion, near Marion Street, are on the western border with Haberfield. Taverners Hill is adjacent to Parramatta Road and lies in the south-west corner of the suburb.

Leichhardt was served by trams from Sydney's former network from 1887 to the 1950s. The Annandale Line ran down Norton Street. The current bus depot at the top of William Street was a 12 road depot, designed to serve a number of planned lines that were never built. Instead, it was used to stored surplus trams in the off peak period, and was rebuilt as the Government Bus Workshops in 1937. A small spur of track remained and was later used by tour trams going through the depot yard nearest Pioneer Park.

Houses

Being situated close to the city, Leichhardt is an area for great capital growth as it very central and has a lot to offer, so housing is not very cheap and is a much sought after. The architecture in Leichhardt ranges from Victorian single fronted brick homes to modern new homes and apartment blocks.

Landmarks

Pioneers Memorial Park entrance

• Leichhardt Fire Station on the corner of Marion Street and Balmain Road
• Leichhardt Hotel (Former) on the corner of Balmain Road and Wetherill Street
• Norton Hotel on the corner of Norton Street and Parramatta Road
• Old Cyclops Toy Factory on William Street
• Palace Cinema on Norton Street

The following buildings are listed on the Register of the National Estate:

• Leichhardt Town Hall, corner Norton and Marion Streets (1888)
• Post Office, corner Norton and Weatherill Streets (1888)
• Public School Buildings, Marion Street (first building 1891, second building 1897)
• Church of England, corner Norton and Marion Streets (1883)

Parks and recreation

Pioneers Memorial Park

• Pioneers Memorial Park is located in Norton Street and features large grassed areas, native and formal plantings, a war memorial and the Bicentennial Rotunda. It was formally the location for the Balmain Cemetery.
• War Memorial Park is situated on the corner of Moore and Catherine Streets and features large grassed areas as well as shaded areas and a children's playground.
• 36th Battalion Park is situated on the corner of Mackenzie and Hill St and features medium-sized grassed park, electric barbecue, children's play equipment and a half-size basketball court.
• Blackmore Oval is located off Canal Road and is used to play competitive Rugby League and Baseball, amongst others, in the local area.
• Leichhardt Oval: Home to NRL team Wests Tigers and previously for the NSW Premier League team APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
• Lambert Park (Leichhardt) is located on Marion Street and is the home of NSW Premier League team APIA Leichhardt Tigers.

Culture

Leichhardt is home to many creative industry workers and is known for its colourful and inventive mural art, such as the panorama at the Renwick Lane and at the Hawthorne Canal Railway Underpass. Leichhardt has access to many art and cultural organisations. Commercial galleries are found throughout the area and Boomali Gallery, the Aboriginal Arts Organisation is situated in Flood Street in Leichhardt.

The Italian community has a wealth of social and cultural organisations located in Leichhardt, and work is underway everyday to develop the Italian Forum Cultural Centre. Co.As.It. is one of them and they provide a range of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to enhance the quality of life of the community and to promote the Italian language and culture in New South Wales.

Hawthorne Canal Tunnel Mural

Leichhardt is the yearly host of the Italian Festa on Norton Street where local traffic is temporarily closed on Norton and neighbouring streets transforming surroundings into a huge European style outdoor café, celebrating Leichhardt's cultural diversity with an International Food Fair, gift stalls, community expos and live entertainment throughout the day. Leichhardt is also known for its café culture with cafés in abundance. The oldest café in the area is Café Sport, which is located on Norton Street.

Population

Demographics

According to the 2007 census, Leichhardt had a population of 12,248 people. It did not have the same level of high density housing found in its neighbours Haberfield and Annandale. Approximately one third of dwellings were separate density housing houses with 22% apartments and 36% terraces, semis or townhouses. 63.7% of persons usually resident in Leichhardt stated they were born in Australia. Other common responses within the area were – England 4.8%, Italy 4.4%, New Zealand 3.1%, Greece 0.7% and Ireland 0.6%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 72.6% of persons usually resident in Leichhardt. The most common languages other than English spoken at home were – Italian 7.2%, Spanish 1.7%, Greek 1.6%, Cantonese 0.9% and Portuguese 0.7%. Catholicism is the primary religion in the area. However, marriage in the area is lower by both Sydney and Australia standards. The average age of people in the suburb was similar to the rest of Sydney (35) and a lower percentage of people owned their homes outright (22.4%) than those paying them off (30.7%). Average loan repayments ($2200 per month) were much higher than the national figure ($1300).

Since the middle of the 20th century, Leichhardt has been a centre for the Italian community, reflected in the many Italian-owned businesses in the area. Although it has become less distinctively Italian with the increasing gentrification of the suburb and movement of families to suburbs with larger blocks of land, its Italian character is still palpable, particularly in the popular restaurants and cafés of its main street, Norton Street. Many residents moved to suburbs further away from Sydney as the city has expanded and larger housing blocks became available.

Notable residents

• Thelma Forshaw (1923–1995), writer, journalist – attended St Fiacre's Primary School
• Aaron Woods – rugby league player

Images for kids

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  Piazza at the Italian Forum

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  Shops on Norton Street

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  Leichhardt Uniting Church

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  St Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church

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  Hawthorne Canal - 2022

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  Greenway path - Leichardt 2022