St Peters, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St PetersSydney, New South Wales |
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Intersection of Princes Highway and Sydney Park Road
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 St Peters
Location in New South Wales
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| Postcode(s) | 2044 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 7 km (4 mi) south of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
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| State electorate(s) | Heffron | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | |||||||||||||||
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St Peters is a cool suburb located in the Inner West part of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 7 kilometres south of the main city area, known as the Sydney central business district.
Most of St Peters is managed by the Inner West Council. A small part in the southeast is looked after by the City of Sydney.
Contents
Discovering St Peters: A Look at Its Past
St Peters got its name from the St Peters Anglican Church. This church was officially opened in 1838. It is the third oldest Anglican church in Sydney. Some people even say it was the first church in Australia built without using convict labour.
The church stands on the Princes Highway. It was designed by Thomas Bird and built between 1838 and 1839. Later, in 1875, Edmund Blacket helped with some changes. Today, this church is listed as a heritage site. Its graveyard is the resting place for important people, like Frederick Wright Unwin.
In 2009, the church received money from the government for repairs. This grant helped fix cracked walls and seal windows. The pastor, Shane Rogerson, mentioned that the church has always had problems with cracking. This is because it was built on clay soil.
The first big piece of land in this area was given to Thomas Smyth in 1799. This land stretched from the Cooks River to what is now Campbell Street. After Smyth passed away in 1804, Robert Campbell, a rich merchant, bought the land.
Alexander Brodie Spark was another wealthy merchant. He named the suburb of Tempe after his house, Tempe House. He also named St Peters, which grew up around the church. St Peters was once known as one of Sydney's most fashionable suburbs in the 1840s.
St Peters was its own local government area from 1871 to 1948. Then, it joined the Municipality of Marrickville. Now, it is part of the Inner West Council. The old St Peters town hall building is now a library and community centre. The train station opened in 1884, and the post office opened in 1851.
From Brickworks to Green Spaces: The Story of St Peters' Land
In the 1870s, St Peters was a major centre for making bricks. Huge brickworks covered most of the suburb, especially east of the Princes Highway.
After World War II, the brickworks closed. For many years, the land was used as a rubbish tip. The large clay pits were filled with household and business waste. After the tip closed in the 1980s, the area was used for industrial purposes.
In the early 2000s, a big road project called WestConnex started. The St Peters Interchange was built on this old brickworks and tip site. This interchange opened in 2020 as part of the M8 Motorway. It will connect to other motorways, making travel easier.
Part of the old brickworks area became Sydney Park in the 1980s. This park is near the St Peters railway station but is actually in the next suburb, Alexandria, New South Wales. The land was covered, shaped, and planted with trees. This created several large hills with great views.
Four tall chimneys from the old brick kilns still stand in Sydney Park. Some of the kilns and old brick-making machines are also there. These remains are protected as heritage items.
The brickworks site is famous in paleontology (the study of fossils). In 1910, a complete skeleton of a Paracyclotosaurus davidi was found here. This was a prehistoric amphibian, and it's the only known species of its kind to have lived in Australia!
Heritage Sites: Places to See
St Peters has several important heritage-listed places. These include:
- 187-209 Princes Highway: St Peter's Anglican Church
- Princes Highway (opposite Sydney Park Road): St Peters railway station
Who Lives in St Peters?
In 2016, about 3,145 people lived in St Peters. Most residents (62.4%) were born in Australia. The next largest group came from England (5.2%).
Many people in St Peters have English, Australian, Irish, Scottish, or Chinese family backgrounds. About 72% of people speak only English at home. When it comes to religion, nearly half (49.3%) said they had no religion.
Getting Around: Transport in St Peters
The Princes Highway is a major road that starts in St Peters. It connects with King Street and Sydney Park Road.
The St Peters railway station is also at this intersection. Trains on the Bankstown Line of the Sydney Trains network stop here. During busy times, trains to the city arrive every 15 minutes. They take about seven minutes to reach Central station.
Buses also serve St Peters. You can catch buses to places like Kogarah and Coogee.
The St Peters Interchange is a huge road junction in the eastern part of the suburb. It's part of the WestConnex project and is built on the old tip site. This area is even bigger than the residential part of St Peters! The M8 Motorway starts here. Soon, it will also connect to western Sydney and Sydney Airport.
What Makes St Peters Special?
St Peters has a mix of homes, shops, and industrial areas. The large eastern part, where the old tip and brickworks were, is now a major road junction. Another industrial area is in the north and west, near the railway line.
The smaller part of the suburb, west of the Princes Highway, is mostly residential. The main shopping area is along the Princes Highway, which leads into King Street in Newtown.
Cool Places and Landmarks
- Camdenville Oval is a sports field located between May Street and the railway line.
- The Town and Country Hotel in St Peters is famous! It was even mentioned in the song "Duncan" by the Australian singer Slim Dusty. The Southern Cross Hotel is also in St Peters.
- You can see Olympic rings at the entrance to a recycling centre in St Peters. These rings were used to decorate Sydney during the 2000 Olympics.
Learning in St Peters: Schools
The St Peters Church of England School started in 1849. A permanent school building opened in 1855. In 1881, the Department of Education took over the school, and it became St Peters Public School.
Even though the number of students changed over the years, the school is still open today. Since 2014, the school has more than doubled its student numbers. With more apartments being built, it's expected to keep growing in the future.
Images for kids
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Intersection of Princes Highway and Sydney Park Road
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St Peters Anglican Church
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St Peters Interchange under construction, viewed from the southwest. The residential part of the suburb is on the left of this image.
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Town and Country Hotel, Unwins Bridge Road
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Garage on Princes Highway
