Camperdown, New South Wales

Camperdown is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Camperdown is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Inner West region. Camperdown lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Inner West Council.

Camperdown Sydney, New South Wales
Camperdown Hotel on the corner of Parramatta Rd and Layton St
Population	9,381 (SAL 2021)^[1]
• Density	4,362.7/km^2 (11,299/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	2050
Elevation	25 m (82 ft)
Area	1.5 km^2 (0.6 sq mi)
Location	4 km (2 mi) SW of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Sydney Inner West Council
State electorate(s)	Balmain Newtown
Federal division(s)	Grayndler Sydney
Suburbs around Camperdown: Annandale Glebe Chippendale Stanmore Camperdown Darlington Stanmore Newtown Darlington

Camperdown is a heavily populated suburb and is home to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the University of Sydney and the historic Camperdown Cemetery.^[2] It was also once home to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, which was relocated to be next to Westmead Hospital in Sydney's west. The hospital buildings and grounds have been redeveloped into apartment complexes.

History

Camperdown takes its name from the Battle of Camperdown (or Camperduin in Dutch). It was named by Governor William Bligh who received a grant of 240 acres (1 km²) of land covering present day Camperdown and parts of Newtown. The land passed to Bligh's son-in-law Maurice O'Connell, commander of the 73rd Regiment, later Sir Maurice, when Bligh returned to England.^[3] Camperdown was established as a residential and farming area in the early 19th century.

In 1827, a racecourse was opened on land where the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital now stands. The University of Sydney was incorporated in 1850 and its first buildings were designed by Edmund Blacket (1817–1883). In 1859, Blacket's Great Hall was opened at the university.^[4]

Heritage listings

Camperdown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• 10, 14 Australia Street: Cranbrook^[5]
• Missenden Road: Admission Block, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital ^[6]
• Missenden Road: Victoria & Albert Pavilions, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital^[7]
• Corner of Parramatta and City Roads: Victoria Park^[8]

•  
  Kerry Packer Education Centre
•  
  Royal Prince Albert Pavilion
•  
  Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

Demographics

At the 2021 census there were 9,381 people living in Camperdown.^[9]

According to the 2016 census of population, there were 10,341 residents in Camperdown. In Camperdown, 52.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were China 9.3%, England 4.6%, New Zealand 2.6%, Malaysia 1.4% and United States of America 1.2%. 64.9% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 9.5% and Cantonese 2.4%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 51.2% and Catholic 14.8%.^[10]

Education

A large part of Camperdown is taken up by the University of Sydney and the residential colleges within the university. These colleges include: St John's College, St Andrew's College, St Paul's College, Sancta Sophia College, Wesley College and The Women's College.

•  
  Main Quadrangle, University of Sydney
•  
  St Andrew's College, University of Sydney
•  
  St John's College, University of Sydney
•  
  The Women's College, University of Sydney

Houses

In common with neighbouring inner city suburbs such as Newtown and Enmore, Camperdown has large areas of Victorian terraced housing, including many examples of single storey terraces. There are several examples of semi-detached houses which became popular around the time of Australia's Federation at the turn of the 20th century. With the advent of gentrification, from the late 20th century, modern infill development now tends to be sympathetic with the traditional Victorian and Edwardian streetscapes.^[11]

•  
  Modest terraced homes
•  
  Weatherboard terraces
•  
  Former corner store
•  
  Infill

Parks

 

View of the Camperdown and Newtown local area

Victoria Park is located on the corner of Parramatta Road and City Road, adjacent to the University of Sydney.

Camperdown Park is surrounded by Mallett, Pidcock, Fowler and Australia Streets and includes several sports grounds and an urban farm.^[12]

Contrary to popular belief and naming conventions, the highly-frequented 'Camperdown Memorial Park' actually resides in the suburb of Newtown.^[13]

Transport

Roads

Parramatta Road (Great Western Highway) (A22) is a major transport artery between Sydney and Parramatta. It runs across the northern side of Camperdown. City Road (A36) is part of a major route to the southern suburbs of Sydney. It meets Parramatta Road and Broadway at a major intersection on the eastern tip of Camperdown. Both City Road and Parramatta Road had tram services until the late 1950s.

In popular culture

The suburb is mentioned in the song "Australia Street" by the band Sticky Fingers, featuring on their 2013 album Caress Your Soul. Also, poem titled "The Sleeping City, Australia Street" by Helen Loughlin references many sites around the Camperdown area.^[14]

Notable people

• Anthony Albanese, politician, leader of the Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister of Australia and federal member for Grayndler
• Bob Holland, test cricketer
• Mile Jedinak, footballer
• Beverly Robertson, Lions Australia
• Eddie Woo, maths teacher
• Cristian Volpato, footballer

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Camperdown (NSW) (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.  
2. "Camperdown". Raine & Horne Newtown. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
3. Dando-Collins, Captain Bligh's Other Mutiny, Random House, Sydney, 2007, ISBN 978-1-74166-798-1
4. The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
5. "Cranbrook Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00418. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
6. "Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Admission Block". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00830. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
7. "Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Victoria & Albert Pavilions". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00829. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
8. "The University of Sydney, University Colleges and Victoria Park". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01974. Retrieved 21 December 2019.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
9. "2021 Camperdown (NSW), Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
10. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Camperdown (NSW) (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 December 2017.  
11. "About Camperdown". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
12. "Camperdown Park". Inner West Council. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
13. "Camperdown Memorial Rest Park - Inner West Council". www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
14. Zetland, Red Room Poetry ABN: 35 103 464 446 Joynton Avenue Creative Centre 3A Joynton Ave; redroompoetry.org, NSW 2017 Australia Phone: [phone]. "The Sleeping City | Australia Street". Red Room Poetry. Retrieved 28 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

 

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33°53′24″S 151°10′48″E / 33.89013°S 151.17988°E / -33.89013; 151.17988