Real Estate Sydney St George

The St George/Hurstville region is one of eight regional centres within greater Sydney located just 15 kilometres to the south west of Sydney’s CBD. It is one of the fastest growing parts of metropolitan Sydney growing by 11% between 1996 – 2001. Covering an area of 2460 hectares, it has several major residential, shopping and commercial centres with approximately 26,000 dwellings that are home to its population of 70,642.

History of St George
For more than ten thousand years Aborigines lived in the area around Botany Bay. The aborigines living along Georges River, from Botany Bay to near Liverpool were part of the Eora tribe, known as the Gwiyagal group.

The aborigines would have used the caves along Georges River for shelter, and middens in Oatley and Lugarno are evidence of aboriginal occupation.

The First Land Grants
Two of the largest land grants in the Sydney region were granted to Captain John Townson and his brother Robert Townson in 1808, and are in the Hurstville area. The grant to Captain John Townson of 1950 acres includes the present suburb of Hurstville and part of Bexley, while Penshurst, Mortdale and parts of Peakhurst are on land granted to Robert Townson. Captain John Townson was granted a further 250 acres of land in the Kingsgrove and Beverly Hills area in 1809. The Townson brothers were not satisfied with this land as it was not suitable for wool production, and probably did not occupy this land.

Several land grants were made in the area now known as Riverwood to Charles Doudall, James Ryan, Jane Trotter and Mary Shepley, in 1809 and in 1816 to Mary Redman. They probably occupied their land grants, and therefore became the first settlers apart from the aborigines.

Early Settlers
George Tyrell and Thomas McCaffrey and John Robert Peake were early settlers in the Peakhurst area, and Robert Gardiner and James Oatley in the Beverly Hills - Narwee area, and Thomas Lawrence in the Lugarno area.

In the Hurstville area Simeon Lord, a wealthy merchant, purchased Captain John Townsons land in 1812, and it became known as Lord's Forest. He may have leased the land to timber getters and the 1841 Census shows William Trimby in residence. Following the death of Simeon Lord the land came under the control of John Rose Holden and James Holt of the Bank of NSW.

Forest Road
In 1839 a dam was constructed on the Cooks River at Tempe with a roadway on top of it, thus providing a direct route to Sydney. In 1843 Mitchells Line of Road to the Illawarra was cut through the forest, and today is known as Forest Road. A hand winched punt was established at Lugarno, and the road carried over the Woronora River, opening up a settlement at Bottle Forest, now know as Heathcote. The road did not generate much traffic as it was only suitable for travellers on horseback from Woronora to Wollongong, and no suitable descent to Wollongong was made, however the road was important in opening the Hurstville district up to settlement.

The early settlers were mainly timber getters or charcoal burners, but as the thick forest was cleared market gardens and orchards became established, and later dairy farms became common.

Development of the District

St. George's Anglican Church, Forest Road, built 1856
The Blue Post Inn was opened in 1850 by Richard Fulljames.

The first church was the St.Georges Church of England. Services were held in a bush shed from 1854, and later in the house of George Crew the schoolmaster. A wooden church was built in 1856 on land donated by George Crew.

The first school in the district was conducted in in Crew's Tent from 1853 and this became the Lord's Forest Church of England school in the wooden church built in 1856.

Charles Claggett's store became a Post Office in 1864.

A Public School replaced the denominational school in 1876, and a school inspector decided it should be called Hurstville School, and the Post Office adopted the new name in 1881.

A policeman was appointed in 1882, the police quarters being half of the butchers shambles. If an arrest was made he would have to walk the prisoner to Newtown.

Hurstville Railway Station in 1893
The most important event in the history of the district occurred on Wednesday 15th October, 1884 when the Illawarra Railway was opened as far as Hurstville. Land was rapidly subdivided into residential blocks, and land sales boomed.

Over the following decade mansions were built for capitalists and professional men who could now commute easily to the City, and most of the land in Hurstville, Penshurst, Mortdale and Oatley was subdivided into residential building blocks. Also in 1884 the Hurstville Steam Brick Co., opened, better known as Judds Brickworks, Mortdale, providing more employment.

In 1886 the first telephone in the district was installed in the Post Office, and telephones became more common after the opening of the Kogarah exchange in 1896.

Hurstville Volunteer Fire Brigade
Also in 1886 St. Michael's Catholic Church was opened, and a petition of 635 landowners and residents of the district called for the establishment of the Hurstville Municipal Council, which was achieved on 28th March, 1887.

Water and gas mains were laid in 1895.

A volunteer fire brigade was formed in 1897.

Another two brickwork's were opened - the Federal Brick Company in Hurstville in 1907, and Mashmans at Kingsgrove, in 1904.

In 1911 Hurstville Oval and the Propeller newspaper were established.

The St. George County Council was established for electricity supply, which began in 192

Hurstville Retail and Commercial Centre

First shops in Hurstville, opposite Public School, Forest Road approx. 1900.
The first shop in Hurstville was Claggett's store and post office, which was located on Forest Road, near to where Kenwyn Street is today. The Blue Post Inn was on the opposite side of the road, near where Roberts Lane is today. A two storey building containing four shops was built nearby in the 1890's or early 1900's. This then was the original commercial centre.

Before the coming of the railway in 1884 Forest Road followed the course of Ormonde Parade, and near where the R.S.L. is now, stood the Gardeners Arms, a hotel owned by Mrs. Humphrey.

Further along was the Free and Easy, previously called the Currency Lass. Cock fights and skittles were played here. Horse races were held along Forest Road from the Free and Easy to about where Bridge Street is now. The other recreation area was Chappelow's Paddock, behind the Blue Post Inn, where horse racing and pigeon shooting took place.

In 1883 a Hurstville correspondent to the Town and Country Journal pointed out that "our police quarters, at present one half of a butcher's shambles are neither elegant, nor much like a public building, and the prospect of walking a prisoner to Newton [court house] makes our policeman's lot not a happy one."

An immediate effect on Hurstville of the construction of the railway was the closure of the Gardeners Arms and the Free and Easy hotels, which were replaced by Patrick MacMahon's hotel on the site of the present Hurstville Hotel in MacMahon Street.

Forest Road originally meandered over the other side of the railway line, but following the construction of the railway Forest Road was made to run parallel to the railway line where the shopping centre now stands.

The railway station became the centre of the shopping centre in time, as shops took advantage of the trade created by railway passengers, and the old "village" near the Public School declined.

The first shops near the railway station were built along Forest Road, between Diments Way (then known as Station Avenue) and Mac Mahon Street. Early shops (as listed in Sands Directory 1900) were:

Sam McFarlane, produce merchant
Harry Farr, grocer
Post Telegraph and Money Order Office and Savings Bank - Walter O. Mason, postmaster
Fred Brown, estate agent
Frederick Heslop, bootmaker
O'Brien and Co., sanitary engineers
M. J. Carew Boot and Shoe Store
J. Chappelow, tobacconist
Peter Low, newsagent
Thomas Kirk, chemist
James MacLeod, surgeon
Charles Rembert, blacksmith
Walter Austin, saddler
Henry Beaney, bootmaker
M. Hoy, butcher
Hurstville Hotel
Opposite the railway station was originally swampy ground - one of the sources of Bardwell Creek. The land needed to be drained, and logs were used as piles for the foundations of the buildings.

A. Croft's shop, Forest Road, Hurstville in 1911
A two storey building containing four shops was built in 1907, and occupied by A. Croft, fruiterer, Gannon and Gibson, grocers, Bert Jolley, tailor, and Miss H. J. Chicken, confectioner.

Jolley's Store and Arcade, Forest Road, Hurstville in 1934
Later Bert Jolley owned the whole building which became Jolleys Emporium, and Jolleys Arcade was built underneath.

The land from here to Rose Street was owned by A.E. Humphries a cab proprietor. It was known as Humphrey's Paddock, and was used for grazing horses.

There was a stationmasters cottage near to the station, and a Post Office was built further up the hill in 1904. The Railways owned the land between the line and Forest Road, so shops were not built on this side of Forest Road until the land was sold off in sections in the 1920's and 1930's.

The area in front of the railway station was used as a taxi stand and bus stop until it was converted into Memorial Park.

C. Diment's store
The largest shops in Hurstville were Barters, a department store, Diments, a large variety store and Swans hardware. Woolworths, Winns, Waltons and Coles had large stores in Forest Road, Hurstville.

The Hurstville Super Centre was built over the railway station in 1965, one of the earliest developments of this type.

After the opening of Westfield in 1978, and especially after the expansion of Westfield in 1990, Forest Road declined as the focus of the shopping centre.
 

St George Phone Numbers:

• Ambulance, Fire brigade and Police Emergency 000
• Hurstville Police direct 9375 8599
• Kingsgrove Police 9150 0441
• Kogarah Police 9588 0499
• Riverwood Police 9584 1899
• Rockdale Police 0577 3699
• Water Police 9692 5411
• Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000
• Child Protection Services 1800 066 777
• Dog Pound 9587 9611
• Electricity Supply 13 1388
• Gas Supply 13 1909
• Kids Help Line 1800 551 800
• Lifeline 13 1114
• Poisons Information Center 13 1126
• Rape Crisis Center 9819 6565
• Salvo Care Line 9331 6000
• Salvo Crisis Line 9331 2000
• Salvo Youth Line 9360 3000
• State Emergency Services Hurstville 9533 2122
• State Emergency Services Kogarah 9547 1244
• Victims of Crime Counseling 1800 819 816
• Water Supply 13 2090
• Women's Information and Referral Service 1800 817 227
• Youthline 9951 5522

HOSPITALS

• Calavary Hospital 9553 3111
• Hurstville Community Private Hospital 9570 5777
• St George Hospital 9350 1111
• St George Private Hospital 9598 5555
• Wandene Private Hospital 9587 5077

COUNCILS

• Hurstville City Council 9330 6222
• Kogarah Council 9330 9400
• Rockdale City Council 9562 1666

Planning to live in The St George/Hurstville District?
Are you, a family member or a friend intending to settle in The St George/Hurstville District? See our article menu on the home page or email me for more information at bruce@bestrealestate.com.au 
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St George Suburbs and Postcodes:
Allawah 2218
Arncliffe 2205
Banksia 2216
Bardwell Park 2207
Bardwell Valley 2207
Beverley Hills 2209
Beverley Park 2217
Beverly Hills 2209
Bexley 2207
Bexley North 2207
Bexley South 2207
Blakehurst 2221
Brighton Le Sands 2216
Brighton-Le-Sands 2216
Carlton 2218
Carss Park 2221
Clemton Park 2206
Connells Point 2221
Dolls Point 2219
Earlwood 2206
Gungah Bay 2223
Hurstville 2220
Hurstville Grove 2220
Jewfish Point 2223
Kingsgrove 2208
Kingsway West 2208
Kogarah 2217
Kogarah Bay 2217
Kyeemagh 2216
Kyle Bay 2221
Lugarno 2210
Monterey 2217
Moorefields 2217
Mortdale 2223
Narwee 2209
Oatley 2223
Peakhurst 2210
Peakhurst Heights 2210
Penshurst 2222
Ramsgate 2217
Ramsgate Beach 2217
Riverwood 2210
Rockdale 2216
Sandringham 2219
Sans Souci 2219
South Hurstville 2221
Tom Uglys Point 2221
Turrella 2205
Undercliffe 2206
Wolli Creek 2205

Please contact me at bruce@bestrealestate.com.au if you know of great real estate agents in the St George/Hurstville areas