Winston Hills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Winston Hills Sydney, New South Wales
Street scene in front of St Pauls at Oakes Road with Parramatta Skyline in distance.
Population	11,674 (2016 census)
Postcode(s)	2153
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Location	28 km (17 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Parramatta The Hills Shire
State electorate(s)	Winston Hills
Federal Division(s)	Mitchell
Suburbs around Winston Hills: Seven Hills Baulkham Hills Baulkham Hills Seven Hills Winston Hills Northmead Toongabbie Old Toongabbie Constitution Hill

Winston Hills is a suburb located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 28 kilometres west of the main city centre of Sydney. Winston Hills is part of two local government areas: the City of Parramatta and The Hills Shire. It's also part of the wider Hills District in Greater Western Sydney.

History of Winston Hills

Winston Hills was originally part of a larger area called "Toongabbie." The first people to live on this land were likely the Dharug peoples, especially a group known as the Toongagal clan.

As the early European colony grew, the Toongabbie area became bigger. Later, it was divided into several smaller suburbs, and Winston Hills was one of them.

How Winston Hills Got Its Name

The suburb was named after Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister of Britain during World War II. People preferred "Winston Hills" over "Churchill Hills."

In the very early days, this area was known as "Model Farms." This name stuck around in a part of the suburb and in the name of a local high school. It was called Model Farms because it was a special farm set up to teach new settlers what kinds of crops they could grow during different seasons.

Development and Changes

Building in Winston Hills started in the 1960s. Today, there isn't much empty land left. In 2009, the last big piece of undeveloped land, called Buckleys Hill, began to be built on.

There isn't a lot of natural bushland left in the suburb. Most of what remains is along the creek areas, like Toongabbie Creek. In 1972, Winston Hills changed from being part of the City of Blacktown to being part of the City of Parramatta.

Winston Hills seen from Old Windsor Road.

Street Names with a Story

Many streets in Winston Hills have interesting names! Some are named after famous writers, like Bronte Place, Shelley Street, Twain Street, Voltaire Road, and Homer Street. Homer Street also connects to other streets named after characters or places from Greek mythology, such as Troy Place, Hera Place, Nestor Street, Ixion Street, Eros Place, Remus Place, Romulus Street, Latona Street, Olympus Street, and Atlas Place.

Another group of streets is named after great scientists, including Einstein, Volta, Lister, Edison, and Marconi. You can also find streets named after figures from the Bible, such as Goliath, Gideon, and Esther.

A Look Back at Oakes Road

At 40 Oakes Road, there was once a building that housed staff who worked at a dairy farm. This dairy was run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd during the Second World War. Before that, a stone house called "Casuarina" stood on the site. It was built in 1861 for George Oakes, a local politician, and was taken down in 1962.

An old resident remembered that a golf course called One Tree Hill Golf course used to run behind the dairy, stretching towards Old Windsor Road. The building at 40 Oakes Road was sold and taken down in 2011 to make way for new homes.

Heritage Listings

Winston Hills has a few places that are protected because of their historical importance. These include:

• Goliath Avenue: This is an archaeological site from the Toongabbie Government Farm.
• 76 Lanhams Road: A house built in the 1880s in the Late Victorian style.
• 41 Buckleys Road: Buckley House, which was built around 1891.

Population Facts

In the 2021 Census, there were 12,123 people living in Winston Hills.

• About 68.7% of the people were born in Australia.
• The most common countries of birth for others were China (3.6%), India (3.6%), England (2.7%), Lebanon (1.4%), and South Korea (1.3%).
• Most people (69.8%) spoke only English at home.
• Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin (4.0%), Arabic (3.9%), Cantonese (2.6%), Korean (1.8%), and Hindi (1.6%).
• The most common religions were Catholic (33.9%), No Religion (25.5%), and Anglican (12.7%).

Shopping and Fun

Winston Hills Mall, a popular shopping spot.

Winston Hills Mall is a big shopping centre in the area. It has large stores like Big W, Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi. There are also over 75 smaller shops and a food court where you can grab a bite to eat.

Right next to the mall is "The Winston," which is a pub and restaurant. Further east, on Caroline Chisholm Drive, you'll find a smaller shopping area called the Chisholm Centre. On the southern side of the hill, there's another small shopping centre called the Lomond Centre, and a bit further west, the Rebecca Parade shops.

Schools in Winston Hills

Winston Hills has several schools for different age groups.

Primary Schools

• Winston Hills Public School
  • This school was built in 1970. It was almost called "Model Farms Public School" because of the area's original name.
• Winston Heights Public School
• St Paul the Apostle

Senior Schools

• Model Farms High School
  • This high school is located very close to the Winston Hills border, in Baulkham Hills. It opened in 1975 and focuses on agriculture, just like the "Model Farms" that the area was once known for.

Sports and Recreation

Winston Hills is a great place for sports and outdoor activities! There are many clubs for kids and teens.

• Girl Guides and Scouts are active here. In 2010, the Winston Hills Girl Guides celebrated 100 years of Guiding worldwide.
• There are clubs for rugby league, baseball, football (soccer), and netball.
• The football (soccer) club, known as The Bears, is one of the biggest in suburban Sydney.
• The local Rugby League club is called the Winston Hills Tigers.
• The Winston Hills Warriors Baseball Club started in 1983. They play at Col Sutton Park and are known as one of the best senior A grade baseball clubs in Sydney.

Notable Residents

Some important people have lived in Winston Hills:

• Joseph Cook: He was the 6th Prime Minister of Australia. He lived in a homestead called "Corovo" at 222 Windsor Road.
• George Oakes: He was a pastoralist (someone who owns and manages land for grazing animals) and a politician. He owned the homestead "Casuarina" on Oakes Road, which was named after him.