Redfern, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Redfern Sydney, New South Wales
The bulidings of Redfern viewed from the railway station.
Redfern Location in New South Wales
Postcode(s)	2016
Elevation	37 m (121 ft)
Area	1.2 km2 (0.5 sq mi)
Location	3 km (2 mi) S of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Sydney
State electorate(s)	Newtown
Federal Division(s)	Sydney
Suburbs around Redfern: Chippendale Central Surry Hills Darlington Redfern Moore Park Eveleigh Alexandria Waterloo

Redfern is a busy suburb in Sydney, Australia. It is located about 3 kilometers (2 miles) south of the main city center. Redfern is part of the City of Sydney local government area. A small part of Redfern, called Strawberry Hills, is right next to Surry Hills.

Over time, Redfern has seen many changes. It has gone through a process called gentrification. This means that an area changes as wealthier people move in. Old buildings are often improved or replaced. The government also has plans to redevelop parts of Redfern and nearby Waterloo. These plans aim to increase the number of people living there. They also hope to reduce poverty in the area.

Discovering Redfern's Past

Redfern is named after a surgeon named William Redfern. He was given 100 acres (about 0.4 square kilometers) of land here in 1817. This gift came from Governor Lachlan Macquarie. William Redfern built a country house on his land. It was surrounded by beautiful flower and kitchen gardens.

His neighbors included Captain Cleveland and John Baptist. Captain Cleveland was an army officer. John Baptist ran a plant nursery and seed business. Sydney's first railway station was built in Cleveland Paddocks. This area stretched from Cleveland Street to Devonshire Street. It also went west towards Chippendale.

The station was named to honor William Redfern. At that time, the station we now call Redfern was known as Eveleigh. Later, Central Station was built further north. It was on the site of the old Devonshire Street cemetery. Because of this, Eveleigh station became Redfern station. The name Eveleigh was then used for the railway workshops. These workshops were located south of the station. The remaining part of Cleveland Paddocks became Prince Alfred Park.

In August 1859, Redfern became an official municipality of Sydney. This meant it had its own local government.

Redfern Post Office, early 1890s

An historical view of Redfern Railway Station

People and Change in Redfern

Redfern has always been a home for many different people. Many immigrants have lived in the area. In the late 1800s, many business owners were from Lebanon. These included George Dan, Stanton and Aziz Melick, and Shafiqah Shasha. Anthony and Simon Coorey also came from Lebanon. As new groups of immigrants arrived in Australia, many chose Redfern as their first home.

On January 17, 1908, an important event happened at Redfern Town Hall. The South Sydney rugby league club was formed there. This club went on to play in the very first season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League Premiership in 1908.

In 1965, the Redfern Mail Exchange was built. About 300 people had to move from their homes for this project. The mail exchange was supposed to sort mail automatically. However, it often damaged letters instead. Because of this, it earned the nickname "the Redfern Mangler."

Understanding the 2004 Redfern Events

On February 14, 2004, a series of events began near Redfern railway station. This happened after the death of a teenager named Thomas 'TJ' Hickey. He was riding his bicycle when he had an accident. This led to a gathering of his family and community members. People came together to support the family.

Soon, a crowd gathered on Eveleigh Street. Some people began to express their anger. They believed police were responsible for TJ's death. The police then closed the Eveleigh Street entrance to the railway station. Some young people in the crowd became violent. They threw bricks and bottles. This led to a large disturbance.

A later investigation looked into the accident. It found that police were following TJ. However, they did not cause his accident. This finding caused more discussion in Redfern's Aboriginal community. The events sparked important conversations. These discussions were about the well-being of Aboriginal Australians. They also focused on how police interact with people in the Redfern area.

Exploring Redfern's Buildings

The Cleveland Inn on Cleveland Street

Shopping and Business Areas

Redfern's main shopping area is on Redfern Street. This street is east of Redfern railway station. There are also shops and businesses nearby. You can find them along Regent Street and other surrounding streets. The Redfern skyline has some tall buildings. These include the TNT Towers. There are also two large apartment blocks. They are located between Regent Street and Gibbons Street. These buildings are right next to Redfern railway station.

Getting Around: Transport

Redfern railway station

Redfern railway station is a very important station. It is part of the Sydney Trains network. Redfern is the first station south of Central Sydney terminus. Central Station is on the edge of the city. Redfern station is also the closest station to the main campus of the University of Sydney. This university is in Camperdown and Darlington. Many students walk from Redfern station to the university each morning. They walk back towards the station in the afternoon.

Homes in Redfern

Terraces on Pitt Street

Redfern has many beautiful Victorian-style homes. These are called terraced houses. They are similar to homes you might see in Surry Hills or Paddington. Like other inner-city suburbs, some parts of Redfern have been gentrified. This means they have been updated and improved.

However, Redfern also has a large public housing area. This area is shared with Waterloo. It includes flats, terrace houses, and tall apartment buildings. This part of Redfern has a similar history to other public housing areas.

Churches and Schools in Redfern

You can find St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church on Redfern Street. St Saviour's Anglican Church is on Young Street. It is also known as one1seven church. St George Antioch Orthodox Church is at the corner of Walker Street and Cooper Street. It was built by the historic Lebanese community. The Greek Orthodox Church on Cleveland Street is called the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady. It used to be St Paul's Church of England. It was built in 1848 and designed by Edmund Blacket. The St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College is next to it. Hillsong Church's city campus is at 188 Young Street. There is also another cathedral, the St Maroun’s Cathedral. This church serves the Lebanese community.

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  Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady

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  St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church

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  St George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral

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  one seven church (St Saviour's Anglican Church)

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  Redfern Theological College

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  Redfern Town Hall

Buildings with Special History

Redfern has several places that are important for their history. These are called heritage-listed sites. They include:

• 242 Cleveland Street: The Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady
• Elizabeth, Redfern, Chalmers, and Phillip Streets: Redfern Oval
• 18 George Street: Redfern Aboriginal Children's Services
• Main Suburban railway line: The Eveleigh Chief Mechanical Engineer's office, Eveleigh Railway Workshops and their machinery
• Main Suburban railway line: Redfern railway station
• 6–18 Pitt Street: Fitzroy Terrace, Redfern
• 113 Redfern Street: Redfern Post Office

Other Important Buildings

The Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern is located at 82–88 Renwick Street.

Redfern's Population and Community

Student accommodation buildings

In 2021, Redfern had a population of 13,072 people. This was a bit less than the 14,616 people in 2016.

In 2021, 3.2% of the people in Redfern were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Also, 52.0% of the people were born outside of Australia. The most common countries of birth were England (4.8%), China (4.3%), and New Zealand (3.0%). The United States of America and India each made up 1.4%.

Most people (65.0%) spoke only English at home. Other important languages included Mandarin (3.6%), Spanish (2.9%), and Cantonese (2.1%). Many people (53.7%) said they had no religion. This is higher than the average for Australia. 14.2% were Catholic, and 4.8% were Anglican. 3.5% of the population were Buddhist.

Redfern has seen more and more gentrification. Many new medium and tall buildings have replaced older, smaller ones. In 2021, 68.1% of homes were flats. Another 28.6% were semi-detached, row, or terrace houses.

Redfern has always been home to different groups of people. In the late 1800s, some local business owners were from Lebanon. These included George Dan, Stanton and Aziz Melick, and Shafiqah Shasha. Anthony and Simon Coorey were also from Lebanon.

Community Life in Redfern

Eveleigh Street in 2003. This area has changed a lot over time.

'The Block' is a special area near Redfern station. It is bordered by Eveleigh, Caroline, Louis, and Vine Streets. The Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) was created to help Aboriginal people find homes. They used money to buy houses on The Block. This makes the area very important to the Aboriginal community. Eveleigh Street, which is part of 'The Block', is well known for its community spirit.

In 2004, many homes on Eveleigh Street were taken down. There were plans to rebuild the area. Even so, many people still gather in this area. The AHC's plans for rebuilding are called the Pemulwuuy Project. These plans were approved in 2009.

There is a mural on the outside of the local police boys club ((PCYC)). It was painted in the early 1990s. The front wall shows a picture taken at Cleveland Street High School. It shows a day when Dwayne "the D Train" McClain visited the school. He was a famous player for the Sydney Kings basketball team. The picture includes local sports stars like Richard Bell and Bruce Swanson. The mural was painted by Sir Joseph Phillips.

Sports and Fun in Redfern

Many sports teams represent the Redfern area. The South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL club was started at the Redfern Town Hall. This happened on January 17, 1908. One of Australia's oldest Aboriginal rugby league teams is the Redfern All Blacks. They play at Redfern Oval. The Redfern Raiders Soccer Club is a local junior soccer team. Redfern Gym opened in 1985. Many boxing world champions have trained there.

Nikita Ridgeway started Australia's first Aboriginal hip-hop record label. She created it with her brother Stephen. They named it Redfern Records. This was after the Redfern neighborhood where they grew up. In 2022, a wall mural was painted to honor Maggie Moloney. She was one of the first women in Rugby League.

Redfern in Movies and TV

The 2011 Australian TV show Underbelly: Razor was filmed in Redfern. The 2012 Australian TV show Redfern Now was also filmed there.

Famous People from Redfern

• Sydney Sim (1920–1990), a signalman in World War II
• The Kid Laroi (2003-), an Australian singer-songwriter and rapper