Mortdale, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
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...
. Mortdale is located 20 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...
and is part of the St George
St George, New South Wales
St George Area is an unofficial name applied to a group of southern suburbs in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area includes all the suburbs in the local government areas of the City of Hurstville, the City of Rockdale and the Municipality of Kogarah...
area. Mortdale lies across the local government areas of the City of Hurstville
City of Hurstville
The City of Hurstville is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The city centre is located 17km SSW of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay....
and Municipality of Kogarah
Municipality of Kogarah
The Municipality of Kogarah is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The centre of the municipality is located 14km SSW of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay....
. Mortdale extends south to Lime Kiln Bay, on 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...
. Mortdale Heights is a locality in the south-western corner of the suburb, in which all but one street names start with "B".
History
Mortdale has been known in the past as Mort's Road, Mort's Hill, Mort's Township and Mort Dale. It was named after wool merchant Thomas Sutcliffe MortThomas Sutcliffe Mort
Thomas Sutcliffe Mort was an Australian industrialist responsible for improving refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-Works in Sydney's Darling Harbour and dry dock and engineering works at...
(1816-1878) who was famous for pioneering the refrigeration of shipping meat and the construction of Mort's Dock
Mort's Dock
Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959.-Sydney's first dry dock:...
, Balmain
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
. Thomas Mort purchased the land from Robert Townson (1763-1827), who had been granted land in the Hurstville area with his brother John Townson.
In 1855, a small farming community started when the land around Mort's Road was subdivided into 17 farms. The Hurstville Steam Brick Company (better known as Judds Brickworks) was established in 1884 by William George Judd. The large brick-making chimneys were easily seen from around the district. The railway was extended through the district around the same time. The railway divided two of the main farms, Kemp’s orange orchard and Parkes’s farm near Victoria Avenue, and these were subdivided for housing by 1894. The railway station opened as Mortdale on the 20th March 1897.
The school opened in January 1889, and the post office and grocery store opened in November. Mortdale became a popular residential suburb in 1920s for soldiers returning from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1921, there was a movement for Mortdale to form a separate municipality. An official 1923 inquiry into the proposed Municipality of Mortdale decided against the change, despite the separation movement having the law behind them.
Commercial area
Mortdale consists mainly of residential dwellings with some commercial and industrial developments in the north-west corner. The main shopping centre is located on Morts Road and Pitt Street, near Mortdale railway station. Commercial and industrial developments are located along Boundary Road.A number of streets near the commercial area are named after notable streets in the Sydney CBD; These include: George Street
George Street, Sydney
George Street is one of Sydney's most notable city streets. There are more high rise buildings and more ASX 100 companies located here than anywhere else in Australia, and is well known for being busy around-the-clock...
, Martin Place, Pitt Street, Macquarie Place
Macquarie Place
Macquarie Place is a small triangular park in downtown Sydney, Australia. It is located at the corner of Bridge Street and Loftus Street, and is named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie.- History :...
and Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
. This is the only group of Sydney-wide streets named as such.
Transport
Mortdale railway station is on the Illawarra line of the CityRailCityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
network. Punchbowl bus services 944 and 945 run throughout the week, with limited services on weekends.
Churches
- Christ Church Anglican Mortdale
- Mortdale Uniting Church
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
- Hurstville District Christadelphian Ecclesia
Schools
- Mortdale Public School
- Carinya Special School
- Marist College PenshurstMarist College PenshurstMarist College Penshurst is a systemic Catholic College for boys from Years 7 to 10, located in Mortdale, New South Wales, Australia.The College was founded in 1953 and has a tradition based on the teachings of the French educator Saint Marcellin Champagnat...
- Penshurst West Public School
Parks and waterways
- Mortdale Memorial Park, Oatley Heights Park, Olds Park, Renown Park, Jubilee Park, Edith Park, Beatty Street Reserve, Paddy Tyler Reserve, Hurstville Golf Course
- Lime Kiln Bay, Georges RiverGeorges RiverThe 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...
Landmarks
- Historic Buildings - Mortdale Fire Station, Old Police Station, Mortdale Hotel, Mortdale railway station, Mortdale RSL Club, Mortdale Bowling Club, St George Masonic Club, Mortdale Scout Hall, Mortdale Senior Citizens Centre, Ellen Subway underpass.
- Mortdale Memorial Park - Contains a perimeter of large Moreton Bay Fig trees, a classical rotunda and a decorative War Memorial. The park is popular for picnics, weddings, and concerts.
Pop culture
Mortdale has been colloquially referred to as the "Valley of the Dead" or "Death Valley", due to the Latin mort ("death") and English dale ("valley"). Mortdale is also colloquially referred to as "Morty", often in relationship with the hotel.In 1992, Su Cruickshank
Su Cruickshank
Susan "Su" Cruikshank was an Australian jazz singer, actress and writer.-Film:*Somewhere in the Darkness *Young Einstein *Those Dear Departed *Playing Beatie Bow...
, published a book entitled 'Bring A Plate to The Mortdale Scout Hall - The Autobiography of a Fat Tart Complete with Recipes'.
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 9,554 people usually resident in Mortdale. 38.6% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being China 5.5%, United Kingdom 3.1% and Macedonia 2.5%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 64.5% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Cantonese 5.2%, Mandarin 4.6% and Macedonian 4.4%. 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...
26.7%, Anglican 18.5% and Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
4.4%.lll
Notable residents
- Mark GasnierMark GasnierMark Gasnier is an Australian former rugby league player, a state and national representative centre three-quarter. He played eleven top-grade seasons with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, interrupted by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. He was a...
- St George Rugby League Footballer - Reg GasnierReg GasnierReg Gasnier AM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967...
- St George Rugby League Footballer - Ronald Sharp - designed & built the Sydney Opera House organ
- Billy Smith - St George Rugby League footballer