Rydalmere (once called Field of Mars) is a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is about 21 kilometres west of the main city area of Sydney. Rydalmere is part of the City of Parramatta local government area and the wider Greater Western Sydney region.

History of Rydalmere
Heritage-Listed Places
Getting Around Rydalmere (Transport)
Shops and Businesses
The Rydalmere Family Inn
Rydalmere Shopping Centre
Lost Heritage Buildings
Important Landmarks
Schools in Rydalmere
Parks and Green Spaces
Local Groups and Clubs
Sports and Fun
Who Lives in Rydalmere? (Demographics)
Images for kids

History of Rydalmere

The first land grant in this area was given to Phillip Schaeffer in 1791. The region, which now includes Rydalmere, Ermington, and Dundas, was first known as "The Ponds." This name came from the natural ponds found near Subiaco Creek. Soon after, land was given to former convicts and soldiers on the northern side of the Parramatta River.

Around 1800, "The Ponds" became "Field of Mars." This name likely came from Mars, the Roman god of war, because many soldiers received land here. The Field of Mars area was very large, stretching from Parramatta to West Ryde and up to Carlingford and Eastwood. Today, the Field of Mars reserve and cemetery are what's left of this old common land.

Aboriginal Culture in Rydalmere

The Darug are the original Aboriginal people of this area. They were skilled at making tools and spears to hunt native animals. They also gathered wild berries and plants for food. The Darug people had a special connection with the Parramatta River. They caught fish and eels from it. Their bark canoes often had a small fire in the middle, built on soil, so they could cook their food right away. They also used "firebrand farming" to manage the land.

When Governor Phillip arrived with the First Fleet in 1788, Parramatta was set up as a farm to feed the new English colony. This sadly meant that the local Aboriginal people were forced off their land. They had lived there for thousands of years.

New diseases brought by the Europeans, like smallpox, caused many of the Barramatagal clan to die. But some survived, and their families still live in the region today. In the early 1800s, the area became a meeting place for different Aboriginal groups. Governor Macquarie even held a yearly feast to encourage Aboriginal children to attend a local school.

European Settlement and Land Grants

Phillip Schaeffer's "Vineyard" land grant was 140 acres. In 1792, more land was given to former soldiers on the north bank of the Parramatta River. This settlement was called "Field of Mars." In what is now Rydalmere, land was given to James Manning, John Carver, John Seymour, William Reid, and Phillip Schaeffer again. Most of these lots were 80 acres.

Subiaco Monastery's Story

John Bede Polding, the first Roman Catholic archbishop in Sydney, wanted to start a Benedictine monastery. In 1849, he bought 600 acres of land that used to be Hannibal Macarthur's Vineyard Estate. He named it Subiaco, after a place in Italy where St Benedict, the founder of the Benedictines, began his monastic life.

Nuns from England came to start the monastery. However, by 1957, the area around the monastery had become very built up. The nuns found it too noisy and busy, so they moved to Jamberoo Abbey.

Thomas O'Neill and the Name Rydalmere

Rydalmere got its name from Thomas O'Neill. He bought a large part of the Vineyard Estate in 1877. Thomas O'Neill was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1830. He came to Australia as a young boy. He even went to the Californian goldfields in 1849 and made a lot of money! He was a very successful businessman.

After buying the estate, he created his "Fairmount Estate." This property covered a big part of Rydalmere, stretching from Park Road to Spurway Street, with the Parramatta River as its southern border. It was a farm with orchards and pastures.

The family home, "Fairmount," was said to be very beautiful with great views from its tower. It's no longer there today. Thomas O'Neill slowly sold off parts of his land as the suburb grew. He died on March 13, 1890, at Fairmount. He was known as a kind man who cared deeply about public affairs and gave a lot to charity. He even donated land and money to help build the Catholic church and school in Rydalmere.

O'Neill had owned another property called Rydalmere before, which he had sold. He must have liked the name, so he used it again for this area. The name Rydalmere comes from Rydal Water, a lake in England's Lake District. "Mere" is an old English word meaning "lake" or "body of water."

Heritage-Listed Places

Rydalmere has some important historical sites:

171 Victoria Road: Rydalmere Hospital

Getting Around Rydalmere (Transport)

Rydalmere railway station on the last day of heavy train service to Carlingford

Rydalmere ferry wharf

The Rydalmere railway station used to be on the Carlingford railway line. This train line closed on January 5, 2020. It is now being changed into a light rail line as part of the Parramatta Light Rail project. This new light rail will connect different parts of Sydney.

The Rydalmere ferry wharf is on the Parramatta River. You can catch Sydney Ferries here, which travel from Parramatta all the way to Circular Quay in the city. Special ferries called RiverCats are used on this route because the water can be shallow, especially at low tide.

There are also five bus routes that serve Rydalmere:

500N Overnight Parramatta station – Hyde Park
501 Parramatta station – Railway Square
523 Parramatta station – West Ryde station
524 Parramatta station – West Ryde
525 Parramatta station – Strathfield station

Victoria Road is a big road that goes through Rydalmere, connecting Parramatta to the Anzac Bridge. Silverwater Road is another important road that crosses the Parramatta River over Silverwater Bridge.

Shops and Businesses

Rydalmere has both homes and businesses. The western part of Rydalmere is mostly for businesses, like light factories and service industries. The eastern side is mainly where people live.

The Rydalmere Family Inn

In 1886, Thomas O'Neill sold land on his "Rydalmere" estate. One piece of land, at the corner of Victoria and Park Roads, was sold. A building was likely started that year, and it became the "Rydalmere Family Hotel." O'Neill gave the land next door to the Catholic Church and school.

The Rydalmere Hotel has a long history. The first owner was Henry Atkins, but Henry Jenkins took over in March 1887. Mr. Jenkins advertised his hotel as a "country hotel" with "comfort and moderate charges." But a big storm with strong winds hit Sydney on September 23, 1892, and the hotel was blown down!

Later, in 1907, there was another exciting event. A police officer, Constable Howard, heard noises from the Catholic Church next door. He tried to stop someone leaving, but a struggle broke out inside the building. He fired his revolver and wounded a man. Four men were arrested, including the hotel owner.

The hotel kept running, but it had a bit of a tricky reputation. It closed in 1929 when its license was moved to another hotel. In 1949, the Rydalmere Family Hotel was renovated and reopened on December 31, 1949. It has a unique design, with light blue tiles and black trim, which was very different from other pubs at the time.

In the 1970s, the hotel's name changed to The Family Inn. It became one of Sydney's top places for live music!

Rydalmere Shopping Centre

The shopping centre is on both sides of Victoria Road, where it meets Park Road. The northern side was built in 1959. It had shops like Strange's Four Square Food Store, Davy's Pharmacy, McLeay's Hardware, and a milk bar. The Post Office building was moved back from the footpath in the early 1960s.

Lost Heritage Buildings

Rydalmere has lost some beautiful old buildings over the years. One sad loss was Subiaco in 1961. This was once the home of Hannibal Macarthur. Factories had grown up around it. A company called Rheem bought the property and knocked it down to make their factory bigger. It was a shame to lose the house, but the convent grounds also had Hannibal Macarthur's original garden and Phillip Schaeffer's even older house, "Vineyard," from 1791.

Another old building, "Truganini," was saved! In 1953, International Combustion Australia (ICA) bought the Truganini Park property to build a new factory. The old house "Truganini" was still in good shape, so ICA built their new factory around it and used the house as office space. The factory has since been sold and changed, but Truganini is still there today.

The old brick school building on Victoria Road was also lost. It was a typical country schoolhouse with two rooms. It opened on December 14, 1890. Sadly, it was damaged by a fire and was knocked down in the 1960s. Luckily, the "Masters House," built at the same time next to the school, still exists as a private home.

The old Town Hall, which used to be the School of Arts, was knocked down in 1963. It was built in 1889 and had a classical style. The old wooden "temporary" Post Office and the old Fire Station were also demolished around 1962. Even the old horse trough near Victoria Road was removed around the same time.

Important Landmarks

Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church
Female Orphan School
Waterpipe and Pedestrian Bridge over Parramatta River
Subiaco Creek
Vineyard Creek

Schools in Rydalmere

Rydalmere Public School
Western Sydney University "Parramatta" Campus
St Marys Catholic School

Parks and Green Spaces

Crowgey Street Reserve
Eric Primrose Reserve
John Carver Reserve
Rydalmere Park
Rydalmere section of Parramatta to Putney cycleway
Rydalmere section of Parramatta River
Schaeffer Park
Upjohn Park
Anderson Park
Marri Badoo Reserve
Hannibal Macarthur Park
Sections of the Ponds Walk

Local Groups and Clubs

Rydalmere Bowling Club
Rydalmere Cricket Club
Rotary Club of Rydalmere
1st Rydalmere Scout Group

Sports and Fun

The Rydalmere Cricket Club's team, 'The Mighty Wrens', plays in the Northern Districts Cricket Association (NDCA) competition. The Rydalmere and Dundas United Cricket Clubs work together. Rydalmere Cricket Club handles the senior teams, and Dundas United Cricket Club helps develop junior cricket in the Parramatta area.
Parramatta City FC Blues is the local soccer (football) team. Their home ground is Eric Primrose Reserve in Rydalmere.

Who Lives in Rydalmere? (Demographics)

At the 2016 census, Rydalmere had 6,642 people living there. Here are some facts about them:

The average age was 37 years old. About 19.5% of people were children aged 0–14 years.
53.9% of people were born in Australia. Other common countries of birth were China (9.8%), South Korea (5.6%), and India (2.6%).
49.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken included Mandarin (8.5%), Korean (7.7%), and Cantonese (6.9%).
The most common religions were Catholic (28.2%), No Religion (26.4%), and Anglican (9.6%).
The average household income each week was $1,553, which was higher than the national average.

Images for kids

Giant Australian flag on Victoria Road, removed 2011
Rydalmere pedestrian bridge over the Parramatta River

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Rydalmere, New South Wales Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.

Rydalmere, New South Wales facts for kids

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