Dulwich Hill is a suburb on the Inner West of Sydney and part of the local government area of the Inner West Council. Located 7.5 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD, the suburb occupies 208 hectares of land and is bounded by the suburb of Lewisham, Fred Street, Eltham Street, New Canterbury Road and Frazer Street in the north, Wardell Road, Challis Avenue, the railway line and Wardell Road in the east, the Cooks River, the City of Canterbury Bankstown, Garnet Street and New Canterbury Road in the south, and Old Canterbury Road in the west.
ABOUT DULWICH HILL
History
Before becoming the gentrified region that it is in the 21st century, the Inner West was home to the Darug people, which was divided to the Cadigal and Wangal clans. The clans occupied the land along Port Jackson, from South Head to Lewisham, as well as the land stretching to Homebush Bay.
The earliest European settlements in the land now occupied by the Inner West dates back to 1790s, when the first land grants were made. Most of the residents in the area used to make a living through farming and timber-getting.
Dulwich Hill derived its name from the area of Dulwich in South London, England. Before being called as such, it used to be known as Petersham Hill, Wardell’s Bush, South Petersham and Fern Hill, until the name ‘Dulwich Hill’ appeared officially in the Sands Directory of 1892.
The population of the rest of the Inner West region grew significantly in the 1850s as a result of land subdivision and improved access through the Sydney-Parramatta railway line. From 1870s to 1880s, there has been significant residential and industrial growth across the area, followed by a continuous expansion from the post-war years through to late 1960s. Immigration and gentrification led to the rise of the apartment market.
Inner West’s population continued to expand in the 1990s, aided by high- and medium-density housing.
Demographics
As of 2019, Dulwich Hill is home to 15,296 people, with an average population density of 73.54 persons per hectare. Australia-born citizens represent 58.7 per cent of the local population, with other residents born in England, Greece, New Zealand, Vietnam and the Philippines. About 61.1 per cent of people spoke only English at home, while others Greek, Arabic, Vietnamese, Portuguese and Spanish.
Famous residents
Dulwich Hill is home to Olympic swimmer Leisel Marie Jones, who participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics at just 15 years old, as well as the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won a gold medal for the 100-metre breaststroke. She was also part of the team that won the gold medal in the women’s 4x100-meter relay at the Athens Games in 2004.
Queenie Paul, an Australian entertainer in vaudeville show most active from the 1910s to the 1980s, also hails from the suburb.
Home to the Dulwich High School of Visual Arts & Design, Australia’s first Visual Arts School, Dulwich Hill also saw notable graduates, including former Parramatta rugby league coach Terry Fearnley, tennis player Phil Dent and opera singer Yvonne Minton. Former rugby league referee Jack Danzey taught in the school.
LIFESTYLE
Dulwich Hill is known for its down-to-earth vibe and multicultural atmosphere, accentuated by character-filled streets and a thriving food scene, with eateries and bakeries boasting culinary wonders from Greece, Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, Portugal, China and Vietnam. Truly, diversity is king in this unassuming Inner West suburb.
Attracting many young families, Dulwich Hill boasts a vibrant commercial area, culturally-diverse schools and a good connection to the City and other neighbouring suburbs through public transport.
Public transport
In most council areas in Sydney’s Inner West, the top modes of transportation are cars (as drivers), trains, buses, ferries and light rail.
The transportation networks serving the Inner West Council area are Princes Highway, Hume Highway (Liverpool Road), City West Link and Parramatta Road. Residents also enjoy the convenience of having the Bankstown, Illawarra & Inner West railway lines, Sydney Metro light rail, White Bay Cruise Terminal and various wharves.
Dulwich Hill is serviced by the Bankstown Line of the Sydney Trains network, with the Dulwich Hill railway station located on Wardell Road, at the southern part of the suburb.
Meanwhile, the Dulwich Hill Line of Sydney’s light rail network runs through four stations across the suburb, including Dulwich Hill, Dulwich Grove, Arlington and Waratah Mills. The service interchanges with Lewisham railway station on the Inner West & Leppington Line.
State Transit provides most of the bus routes across the Inner West, while ferries are mostly operated by Sydney Ferries, servicing the inner harbour and Parramatta River.
Routes 426, 428 and 412 provide bus connections between Dulwich Hill and the Sydney CBD, with 426 starting at the corner of Marrickville and New Canterbury Roads, 428 starting at Canterbury station and 412 starting at Campsie. Other routes serving the suburb are 445, 418 and 425. All routes are operated by Transit Systems.
Bicycles have also been a part of the overall transport task since the 1990s. Bicycle paths and routes run through Five Dock to the Anzac Bridge cycleway (East-West route), Gladesville Bridge to Anzac Bridge (Northwest route) and Marrickville to the City via Newtown (Southwest route).
Schools and universities
Some of the most notable schools across Sydney’s Inner West are:
- Dulwich Hill Public School
- St Maroun’s College
- St Paul of the Cross Catholic School
- Dulwich High School of Visual Arts & Design (the first Visual Arts School in Australia)
- Newington College (Inner West’s oldest school, 1863)
- Rosebank College (Inner West’s second oldest school, 1867)
- Sydney College of the Arts - the University of Sydney (Rozelle Campus)
- Sydney TAFE (Petersham College and Design Centre Enmore)
- University of Tasmania (School of Medicine Rozelle Campus)
Hospitals
Among the major hospitals in the Inner West are:
- Balmain Hospital
- Yaralla Estate (Dame Eadith Walker Hospital)
- Concord Repatriation General Hospital
Landmarks
Some of the major landmarks across Sydney’s Inner West are:
- Parramatta River
- Barnwell Park Golf Club
- Concord Golf Club
- Massey Park Golf Club
- City of Canada Bay Museum
- Strathfield Park
- Sydenham Green Tempe Recreational Reserve
- Haberfield heritage conservation area
- Harbour Circle Walk
Shopping centers
Some of the major shopping centres and shopping districts across Inner West are:
- Marrickville Road shopping area
- Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre
- Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre
- Westfield Burwood Shopping Centre
Sports and recreation
Rugby League is arguably the most popular sport in the Inner West, as well as most parts of Sydney and New South Wales.
Aside from the Rugby League, Sydney’s Inner West also participates in semi-professional soccer in the various divisions of the NSW State Leagues. Among the most notable clubs are the NSW Premier League and the APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
Some of the sports centres in Sydney’s Inner Wests are:
- Arlington Recreation Ground
- Concord Golf Club
- Drummoyne Oval
- Erskineville Oval
- Sydney Homebush Street Circuit
- Leichhardt Oval
- Sydney Olympic Park (including Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre, Sydney Showground-Olympic Park, Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney Super Dome).
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