Austral, New South Wales
History
The area that now constitutes the suburbs of Austral was a parcel of land in West Hoxton purchased by the Austral Banking and Land Proprietary. When residents pushed for a second public school in the Hoxton Park area in 1891, Austral Banking and Land Proprietary donated 3 acres (12,000 m) of its land for the site and, in return, the school was named Austral Public School. The name of the school became synonymous with the area although it wasn't officially recognised until 1972. Austral Post Office opened on 7 February 1894.
Geography
It is bounded to the west by waterway Kemps Creek, to the east by a Sydney Water supply channel, to the north by a straight division, and to the south by Bringelly Road. Bonds Creek flows southeast–northwest through the suburb, and converges with Kemps Creek near Fifteenth Avenue. It is of note in its design, its streets laid out in a grid pattern, and all horizontal ones named 'Avenue', in numbers from south to north increasing. It is part of the Rural–urban fringe of Western Sydney that runs from Horsley Park through Badgerys Creek, the adjacent Rossmore, Austral and down to Catherine Field.
Demographics
According to the 2021 census of population, there were 6,847 residents in Austral. 50.3% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was Iraq at 5.6%. 37.8% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 8.7% and Nepali 5.0%. The most common response for religious affiliation was Catholic at 28.7%.
Landmarks
Austral has a sports ground, youth centre, tennis court and skate ramp at Craik Park, the W V Scott Memorial Park, with a pavilion, and a bowls grounds, Petanque. It has a Rural Fire Service station, primary school (Austral Primary), Retirement Villages (RSL LifeCare Tobruk Village and Scalabrini Village), Nursing Home (John Edmondson VC Gardens) and a small area of commerce, including a post office and telephone. It is the site of Camp Austral girl guides camp, and another small shopping area near the corner of Fifteenth Avenue and Edmonson Avenue. It is also the site of a Hindu temple and an animal shelter.
Transport
Bringelly Road connects Austral to Liverpool and the Westlink M7.
Route 861 connects Carnes Hill to Leppington via Austral. The Route 853/855 bus service connects Bringelly to Liverpool via Rossmore, Austral, Hoxton Park and Cartwright. In 2015, a railway station opened in the neighbouring suburb of Leppington.
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Austral (State Suburb)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "History of our suburbs: Austral". Liverpool City Council. Archived from the original on 18 April 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
- ^ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ^ "Route 853/854/855 Map". Busabout. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2008.