Penshurst is a suburb

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...

. Penshurst is located 17 km 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. Penshurst 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....

.

Penshurst features low to medium density housing. It has a predominantly older population however it is increasingly being populated by a new generation of migrant families who are attracted by its proximity to Hurstville

Hurstville, New South Wales

Hurstville is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hurstville is located 16 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of...

.

History

Penshurst was named after Penshurst

Penshurst

Penshurst is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, west of Tonbridge. Within the parish boundaries are the two villages of Penshurst and Fordcombe, with a combined population of some 1,479 persons. The...

, Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Originally part of the land grant to Robert Townson (1763-1827), the land was acquired in 1830 by John Connell, who left it to his grandsons J.C. and E.P. Laycock. Connell's Bush was subdivided by the Laycocks and the western part sold to Thomas Mort. The railway station opened 17 May 1890. A large portion of Penshurst located south of the railway line is referred to as the MacRae's Estate, as it was once owned by the MacRae family. This particular area is now between Laycock Road and Grove Avenue, and Hillcrest and Railway Parade. The original homestead is still present on Laycock Road, along with a caretakers house for the stables. McRaes Reserve used to have a river running through it and the path of that river is now replaced with an underground rainwater system.

Commercial area

The main shopping centre is located around Penshurst railway station on Penshurst Street, Bridge Street and The Strand. Commercial developments are also found along Forest Road and King Georges Road. The Penshurst RSL Club is a centre of social activity.

Transport

Penshurst railway station

Penshurst railway station, Sydney

-Accessibility:The station has stairs and a ramp leading to an overbridge connected to a street on its southern end and stairs and a lift to the overbridge from a street on its northern end and has a lift leading down to the platforms and therefore has Easy Access for wheelchairs...

 is on the Illawarra line of the City Rail network. It is approximately 27 minutes from Sydney Central via train. The main roads through Penshurst are King Georges Road and Forest Road. Punchbowl Bus Company also operates bus services 941 and 943 in Penshurst.

Places of worship

• St Declans Catholic Church
• St John Angican Church
• St Andrew Presbyterian
• Penshurst Uniting Church
• Penshurst Mosque
• Penshurst Jehovahs Witnesses Temple
• Penshurst Assemblies of God Church
• Revival Life Centre, - Penshurst General Church of New Jerusalem

Schools

• Penshurst Girls High School, Penshurst Marist High School,
• Penshurst Public School, Penshurst West Primary School, Hurstville Grove Infants School

Parks and recreation

Penshurst local attractions include an Aquatic centre, a park and tennis courts. Penshurst Park and Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre are located on King Georges Road.

Parks List:

• Penshurst Park
• Renown Park
• McRaes Park
• Gifford Park

Population

According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian 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 11,075 people usually resident in Penhurst. 38.6% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being China 9.2%, Hong Kong 2.6% and United Kingdom 2.2%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 53.1% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Cantonese 9.3%, Mandarin 6.7% and Greek 4.7%. 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...

 29.8%, Anglican 13.7% 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,...

9.1%.

External links