Strathfield Sydney, New South Wales |
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Contemporary apartments in the commercial area
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Population | 23,639 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||
Established | c.1868 | ||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2135 | ||||||||||||
Location | 14 km (9 mi) west of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||
LGA(s) | Strathfield Council, City of Canada Bay, Burwood Council | ||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Strathfield | ||||||||||||
Federal Division(s) | Reid, Watson | ||||||||||||
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Strathfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the Strathfield Local Government Area. A small section of the suburb north of the railway line sits in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay, while the area east of The Boulevard sits within the Burwood Council. North Strathfield and Strathfield South are separate suburbs, to the north and south respectively.
The Strathfield district was originally occupied by the Wangal Indigenous Australians tribe. European settlement commenced in 1793 with the issue of land grants. In 1808, a grant was made to James Wilshire, which forms the largest part of the current suburb of Strathfield. In 1867, this grant was subdivided and sold as the 'Redmire Estate', which promoted the residential development of the district under the suburb name of 'Redmire'. By 1885, sufficient numbers of people resided in the district to enable incorporation of its own local government. The suburb of Redmire was renamed Strathfield c.1886. The suburb was named after a house called 'Strathfield House', which was originally called Stratfield Saye. In 1885, Strathfield Council was incorporated.
James Wilshire was granted 243 acres (1 km²) of land by Governor Macquarie in 1808 [regranted 1810] following representations from Lord Nelson, a relation by marriage of Wilshire. Ownership was transferred in 1824 to ex-convict Samuel Terry. The land became known as the Redmire Estate, which Michael Jones says could either be named after his home town in Yorkshire or could be named after the "red clay of the Strathfield area". Subdivision of the land commenced in 1867. An early buyer was one-time Mayor of Sydney, Walter Renny who built in 1868 a house they called Stratfieldsaye, possibly after the Duke of Wellington's mansion near Reading, Berkshire. It may have also been named after the transport ship of the same name that transported many immigrants – including Sir Henry Parkes – to Australia, though the transport ship was probably also named after the Duke's mansion as it was built soon after his death and was likely named in his honour. A plaque marking the location of Stratfield Saye can be found in the footpath of Strathfield Avenue, marking the approximate location of the original house [though some of the wording on the plaque is incorrect]. According to local historian Cathy Jones, "ownership of [Stratfieldsaye] was transferred several times including to Davidson Nichol, who shortened the name to 'Strathfield House', then 'Strathfield'."