Mortdale Sydney, New South Wales |
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Morts Road, Mortdale
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Location in New South Wales
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Coordinates | 33°58′10″S 151°04′11″E / 33.96944°S 151.06972°ECoordinates: 33°58′10″S 151°04′11″E / 33.96944°S 151.06972°E | ||||||||||||
Population | 9,702 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||
Established | 1885 | ||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2223 | ||||||||||||
Location | 17 km (11 mi) south of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Georges River Council | ||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Oatley | ||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Banks | ||||||||||||
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Mortdale is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mortdale is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Mortdale lies across the local government area of Georges River Council. Mortdale extends south to Lime Kiln Bay, on the Georges River. Mortdale Heights is a locality in the western corner of the suburb.
Mortdale has been known in the past as Mort's Road, Mort's Hill, Mort's Crossing, Mort's Township and Mort Dale. The suburb was named after Sydney industrialist Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (1816–1878) who was famous for pioneering the refrigeration of shipping meat and the construction of Mort's Dock, Balmain. Thomas Mort purchased the land from Robert Townson (1763–1827), who had been granted land in the Hurstville area with his brother John Townson.
A small farming community started when the land around Mort's Road was subdivided into 17 farms. The Hurstville Steam Brick Company (better known as Judds Brickworks) was established in 1884 by William George Judd. The large brick-making chimneys were easily seen from around the district. The first residences were built opposite the Brickworks in 1885. The railway was extended through the district around the same time. The railway divided two of the main farms, Kemp's orange orchard and Parkes's farm near Victoria Avenue, and these were subdivided for housing by 1894. The official title for the suburb was set as Mortdale when the railway station opened with that name on 20 March 1897.
The school opened in January 1889, and the post office and grocery store opened in November. Mortdale became a popular residential suburb in 1920s for soldiers returning from World War I.