Inner West (Sydney)

Inner West New South Wales
Leichhardt Town Hall, Leichhardt
Population	263,560 (2011 census)
LGA(s)	Burwood Canada Bay Inner West Council Strathfield Sydney
State electorate(s)	Balmain, Canterbury Drummoyne, Newtown Strathfield, Summer Hill
Federal Division(s)	Grayndler, Reid Sydney, Watson
Localities around Inner West: Northern Suburbs Parramatta River North Shore Greater Western Sydney Inner West Sydney CBD Canterbury-Bankstown Cooks River Sydney Airport

The Inner West is the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs of the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River), stretching south to the shores of the Cooks River.

The Inner West is an imprecise geographical region. The Australian Government Bureau of Statistics, the New South Wales Government Department of Planning and Infrastructure, and local media variously describe the Inner West region to include the local government areas of:

Based on the distribution area of the Inner West Courier local newspaper and various Inner West Courier and media articles, the Inner West generally includes the suburbs:

Prior to the arrival of the First Fleet, the Sydney region was home to the Darug people. This nation was broken up into a number of Aboriginal clans who tended to live in a certain geographic area. Each clan contained about 50 to 100 people and, to avoid genetic problems, the men would marry women from other clans. So the clans were interrelated and members from one clan would frequently travel in the territory of others, including to hunt, trade and perform ceremonies. They didn't consider themselves owners of the land, rather custodians.

What is now the Inner West was formerly home to two clans, the Cadigal, whose land stretched along Port Jackson from South Head to Lewisham, and the Wangal, whose land was immediately to the west of the Cadigals and stretched to about Homebush Bay. Other clans that would have been regular visitors to the area would have included the Birrabirragal and Muru-ora-dial in what is now the Eastern Suburbs, the Bediagal and Kameygal from the Cooks River area to the south, the Burramattagal from the Parramatta area to the west, and the Wallumattagal, Cammeraigal and Gorualgal from the northern shores of the Parramatta River.