Como, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Como is a suburb
in southern
Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Como is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district
in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire
. The postcode is 2226, which it shares with neighbouring Jannali
and Bonnet Bay
. Como West
is a locality in the suburb.
Located on the southern banks of the Georges River
, Como is also bounded to the west by the Woronora River
. The shoreline features Bonnet Bay, Scylla Bay and Carina Bay.
at the foot of the Bernese Alps
in Italy
, was named by James Murphy in the late 1800s whilst he was managing the affairs of Thomas Holt (1811–1888), who at the time owned much of the land that stretched from Sutherland
to Cronulla
.
The Italian influence on the suburb is also reflected in many of the existing street names which were named after various cities located throughout Italy
including Genoa
Street, Verona
Range, Tivoli
Esplanade, Ortona
Parade, Novara
Crescent, Pavia
Road, Cremona
Road and Loretta Avenue (originally named Loretto, a misspelling of the Italian city of Loreto).
Murphy also built "Como House" which subsequently burnt down in 1969, as well as developing the Como Pleasure Grounds, commonly known by locals today as 'Como Mountain'. After Murphy passed away, his estate provided scholarships for young men in agricultural science at St John's College
Sydney and the Hawkesbury Agricultural College
.
Before the railway line was built, the area was in originally known as Woronora with the first local post office opening on 16 May 1883 followed quickly by the local school on 16 April 1884.
The original single-track Como Railway Bridge spanning the Georges River began service with the opening of the railway station at Como on 26 December 1885. Upon opening of the railway bridge, Como immediately became a popular weekend retreat for city folk with the natural beauty making it particularly popular with holiday makers with trains reported as being overcrowded on their first day of service.
The historic Como Hotel was constructed by the German railway workers in 1878, and was a German workers club for years throughout the duplication of nearby railway lines and construction of the dual rail bridge. It was ravaged by fire in 1996 (after surviving the infamous 1994 Eastern seaboard fires
) and largely destroyed as a result of an unattended gas cooker in the kitchen. The hotel was later rebuilt in 2001, featuring a more modern intrepretation of the original historic design.
In 1972, a new concrete dual-track railway bridge was opened to the west of the original Como Railway Bridge to remove the bottleneck imposed by the original single-track design which had reduced service numbers on the increasingly busy Sutherland line. A new Como railway station was also built 800m further to the south with the existing train station located at the southern end of the Como Railway Bridge demolished. The original Como Railway Bridge has since been converted into a pedestrian bridge for use by members of the public as well as cyclists wanting to cross the Georges River. The bridge also now features Sydney Water's pipeline running from Woronora Dam to Tempe.
Como was severely affected by bushfires in 1994, with upwards of 70 houses burnt down. Como West Public School was also destroyed by the fires and a new school was built on the original land.
Como features a small shopping centre in Wolger Street. The locality is referred to as Como West
.
is on the Illawarra line of the City Rail network. Como is the first station after crossing the Georges River from Oatley
in the St George area. Como is approximately 35 minutes from Sydney Central
.
football from the balconies of this hotel. Other landmark buildings the suburb include the Como School of Arts, Cafe de Como and the Como Marina on the Georges River. Como features two public schools: Como Public School and Como West Public School
.
Census
of Population, there were 3,635 people usually resident in Como. 13.4% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being United Kingdom 5.7%, New Zealand 0.9% and China 0.9%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 93.2% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Greek 1.1%, Mandarin 0.7% and German 0.5%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic
28.0%, Anglican 27.1% and Uniting Church 7.4%.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in southern
Southern Sydney
This article refers to an area the same as a combination of St George and SutherlandSouthern Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the southern metropolitan area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Como is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire
Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...
. The postcode is 2226, which it shares with neighbouring Jannali
Jannali, New South Wales
Jannali is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Jannali is located 28 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire...
and Bonnet Bay
Bonnet Bay, New South Wales
Bonnet Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bonnet Bay is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The postcode is 2226, which it shares with neighbouring Jannali and Como...
. Como West
Como West, New South Wales
Como West is a locality in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the western part of the suburb of Como. The postcode is 2226, the same as Como....
is a locality in the suburb.
Located on the southern banks of the Georges River
Georges River
The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...
, Como is also bounded to the west by the Woronora River
Woronora River
The Woronora River flows north from near Helensburgh into the Georges River between Como and Illawong.- Crossings :The river is crossed by high level and low level road bridges and a footbridge in Woronora, New South Wales...
. The shoreline features Bonnet Bay, Scylla Bay and Carina Bay.
History
Como, a name given to it on account of its similarity to Lake ComoLake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
at the foot of the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Lucerne, Obwalden, Fribourg and...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, was named by James Murphy in the late 1800s whilst he was managing the affairs of Thomas Holt (1811–1888), who at the time owned much of the land that stretched from Sutherland
Sutherland, New South Wales
Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
to Cronulla
Cronulla, New South Wales
Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
.
The Italian influence on the suburb is also reflected in many of the existing street names which were named after various cities located throughout Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
including Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
Street, Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
Range, Tivoli
Tivoli, Italy
Tivoli , the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills...
Esplanade, Ortona
Ortona
Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.Ortona was the site of fierce fighting between German and Canadian forces during the Italian campaign in World War II...
Parade, Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
Crescent, Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
Road, Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
Road and Loretta Avenue (originally named Loretto, a misspelling of the Italian city of Loreto).
Murphy also built "Como House" which subsequently burnt down in 1969, as well as developing the Como Pleasure Grounds, commonly known by locals today as 'Como Mountain'. After Murphy passed away, his estate provided scholarships for young men in agricultural science at St John's College
St John's College, University of Sydney
]St John's College, or the College of St John the Evangelist, is a residential College within the University of Sydney.Established in 1857, the College of St John the Evangelist is the oldest Roman Catholic university college and second-oldest university college in Australia, and is one of the...
Sydney and the Hawkesbury Agricultural College
Hawkesbury Agricultural College
Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first agricultural college of New South Wales, Australia. Established by Sydney Smith in Richmond, New South Wales in 1891, the college was incorporated into the University of Western Sydney in 1989....
.
Before the railway line was built, the area was in originally known as Woronora with the first local post office opening on 16 May 1883 followed quickly by the local school on 16 April 1884.
The original single-track Como Railway Bridge spanning the Georges River began service with the opening of the railway station at Como on 26 December 1885. Upon opening of the railway bridge, Como immediately became a popular weekend retreat for city folk with the natural beauty making it particularly popular with holiday makers with trains reported as being overcrowded on their first day of service.
1994 Eastern seaboard fires
The 1994 Eastern seaboard fires were bushfires in New South Wales, Australia between 27 December 1993 and 16 January 1994 were widespread along the NSW coast from Bega to the Queensland border and inland as far as Bathurst. Over 80 separate fires encouraged by extreme hot dry and windy conditions...
) and largely destroyed as a result of an unattended gas cooker in the kitchen. The hotel was later rebuilt in 2001, featuring a more modern intrepretation of the original historic design.
In 1972, a new concrete dual-track railway bridge was opened to the west of the original Como Railway Bridge to remove the bottleneck imposed by the original single-track design which had reduced service numbers on the increasingly busy Sutherland line. A new Como railway station was also built 800m further to the south with the existing train station located at the southern end of the Como Railway Bridge demolished. The original Como Railway Bridge has since been converted into a pedestrian bridge for use by members of the public as well as cyclists wanting to cross the Georges River. The bridge also now features Sydney Water's pipeline running from Woronora Dam to Tempe.
Como was severely affected by bushfires in 1994, with upwards of 70 houses burnt down. Como West Public School was also destroyed by the fires and a new school was built on the original land.
Commercial area
Como West, New South Wales
Como West is a locality in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the western part of the suburb of Como. The postcode is 2226, the same as Como....
.
Transport
Como railway stationComo railway station, Sydney
-Accessibility:The station has stairs leading to a subway connected to the streets on either side, and thus does not have Easy Access for wheelchairs.-Neighbouring stations:-References:...
is on the Illawarra line of the City Rail network. Como is the first station after crossing the Georges River from Oatley
Oatley, New South Wales
Oatley is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Oatley is located 21 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...
in the St George area. Como is approximately 35 minutes from Sydney Central
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
.
Landmarks
Como is most notable for the old Como Hotel, a historic hotel which was extensively rebuilt after a large fire in November 1996. It is easy to watch the local rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
football from the balconies of this hotel. Other landmark buildings the suburb include the Como School of Arts, Cafe de Como and the Como Marina on the Georges River. Como features two public schools: Como Public School and Como West Public School
Como West Public School
Como West Public School is a comprehensive public primary school located in the Sydney suburb of Como West, New South Wales, Australia. As of 2007, it had an enrolment of 290 students. Now it is suspected to have more than 320 students. Typically, graduating students from Como West move on to The...
.
Sport and recreation
Como is home to the successful St George Rowing Club. Many top rowers begin their sculling career here. Como is also home to many parks, including Scylla Bay Oval home to the highly successful Como-Jannali Crocodiles and the Como Pleasure Grounds which houses both salt and fresh water pools.Demographics
According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of StatisticsAustralian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of Population, there were 3,635 people usually resident in Como. 13.4% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being United Kingdom 5.7%, New Zealand 0.9% and China 0.9%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 93.2% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Greek 1.1%, Mandarin 0.7% and German 0.5%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
28.0%, Anglican 27.1% and Uniting Church 7.4%.