Pagewood, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pagewood Sydney, New South Wales
Club house at Bonnie Doon Golf Course, Banks Avenue
Population	3,805 (2016 census)
• Density	1,087/km2 (2,820/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	2035
Area	3.5 km2 (1.4 sq mi)
Location	8 km (5 mi) south-east of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Bayside Council
State electorate(s)	Maroubra
Federal Division(s)	Kingsford Smith
Suburbs around Pagewood: Kingsford Hillsdale Daceyville Botany Pagewood Banksmeadow Eastlakes Eastgardens Maroubra

Pagewood is a suburb located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is about 8 kilometres south-east of the main Sydney city centre. Pagewood is part of the Bayside Council area. This suburb has a mix of places where people live and areas with businesses and factories.

History of Pagewood

Pagewood was first known as "South Daceyville". In 1929, its name changed to "Pagewood". This was to honour Fred Page, who was the Mayor of Botany Council in 1928. The name "Kingsford" was also thought of for this area. However, it was later used for a different suburb, South Kensington.

Building in Pagewood started in 1919 with a housing project called Monash Gardens. The northern part of Pagewood was planned to be part of the Daceyville "garden suburb". A garden suburb is a special type of town planning with lots of green spaces. Many of the parks and street layouts in Pagewood still look like the original Daceyville plans. Daceyville was Australia's first public housing project. This meant the government built homes for people, especially after World War I. But Pagewood was built by private companies, not the government. The southern part of Pagewood was once called Dudley, and you can still find Dudley Street there today.

Filming and Car Manufacturing

In 1935, a place called National Studios opened in Pagewood. For almost 30 years, many Australian and British movies were made here.

Later, in 1940, a big car company called General Motors Holden bought the studio site. They used it to make cars until 1981.

The Pagewood Rex Hotel opened in 1953. Today, it is simply known as the Pagewood Hotel.

Keeping the Name Pagewood

Around 1960, the local council thought about changing the suburb's name to East Botany. But the people living in Pagewood fought to keep their suburb's name. They wanted to keep it because the nearby area of Botany was becoming very industrial. Pagewood, however, was still mostly a place where people lived.

Shopping and New Suburbs

Westfield Eastgardens is a large shopping centre. It was built in the northern part of Pagewood on the land where the old Pagewood Bus Depot and part of the General Motors Holden car factory used to be. It also covered the entire site of the old National Film Studios. The shopping centre opened in 1987. The rest of the car factory land was sold to a company called W.D. & H.O. Wills.

The area around the shopping centre, called Eastgardens, became its own separate suburb in 1999.

Park Names and Explorers

At the very top of Pagewood, you'll find Astrolabe Park and Astrolabe Road. These were named after one of the ships used by La Perouse. He was a French explorer who arrived at Botany Bay in 1788, just a few days after the First Fleet. Many other streets in Daceyville are also named after people or ships from the First Fleet. Examples include Cook Avenue, Boussole Road, Endeavour Road, Solander Road, and Banks Avenue.

Pagewood Population

In 2016, a survey showed that 3,805 people lived in Pagewood.

• About 61.4% of these people were born in Australia.
• The next most common birthplaces were China (3.2%) and England (2.7%).
• Most people (61.1%) spoke only English at home.
• Other languages spoken included Greek (8.6%) and Mandarin (3.6%).
• For religion, the most common answers were Catholic (33.3%), No Religion (16.9%), Eastern Orthodox (12.9%), and Anglican (10.7%).

Education in Pagewood

Pagewood Public School is the local school. It is located on Page Street.

Sports and Fun in Pagewood

Pagewood is home to several well-known sports teams and clubs.

• The famous NRL club, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is linked to the local area.
• Other teams include the Botany Rams, Pagewood Botany Soccer Club, Botany Golf Club, Bonnie Doon Golf Club, Eastlake Golf Club, and The Lakes Golf Club.

Famous People from Pagewood

Some well-known people have lived in Pagewood:

• Marele Day, an author
• Harry Finch, a rugby league player
• Kristina Keneally, a politician
• Ed Rigney, a rugby league player
• Charlie Teo, a brain surgeon
• Matt Thistlethwaite, a politician
• Arnold Traynor, a rugby league player

Images for kids

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  Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Church

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  Pagewood Public School

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  Bonnie Doon Golf Course

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  California Bungalow, Towner Gardens

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  Public housing, Banks Avenue