Villawood, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Villawood, a suburb
of local government areas City of Bankstown
and City of Fairfield
, is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
, and is a part of the Greater Western Sydney
region.
Villawood is a residential suburb with its name often associated with the notoriety of the detention centre located here.
in the Hunter Valley and thus the name was transposed into 'Villawood'.
Plaza opened, many Villawood businesses went into decline, leaving a legacy of abandoned shop fronts and buildings, including the abandoned Franklins
supermarket and large Australia Post
office. There has been rejuvenation and renovation of Woodville (Villawood) Place since with construction of the new Aldi
supermarket, a bakery, chemists, grocers and other shops. It is located in proximity to Villawood railway station. A business park in Villawood holds enterprises concerning hardware products, furniture, auto parts and second-hand goods. Leightonfield railway station services an industrial area in the eastern part of Villawood.
Vilawood now houses a variety of youth recreational and entertainment venues including AMF Bowling, Wiggles World, M9 Laser Skirmish, Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym, and Kartatak go-karting, and further recreational and food attractions are planned. These are all part of a complex called The Woods Action Centre, which is located on the northern side of the railway line, directly across the road from the station on the Villawood station exit which is opposite the shopping centre. And for fast food, Villawood has KFC, McDonalds, Dominos, and Burger King.
, a detention facility used in the processing of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.
network.
The Wran Leisure Centre (named after Neville Wran
) houses a swimming pool, tennis courts, a gymnasium and squash courts.
Thurina Park houses two multi purpose purpose sporting fields that cater for soccer, cricket
and baseball
. Thurina Park is also home to the Villawood United Soccer Club.
According to the 2001 census, by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
, the population declined slightly from around 4,007 to 3,328. Villawood has a high proportion of young children aged 5–11 and seniors over 65.
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...
of local government areas City of Bankstown
City of Bankstown
The City of Bankstown is a city and Local Government Area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, centred on the suburb of Bankstown....
and City of Fairfield
City of Fairfield
The City of Fairfield is a Local Government Area in the south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs in the City of Fairfield are:* Abbotsbury* Bonnyrigg* Bonnyrigg Heights* Bossley Park...
, is located 25 kilometres west 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 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...
, and is a part of the Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney is a term used to describe the western region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. The University of Western Sydney defines Greater Western Sydney as comprising 14 local government areas...
region.
Villawood is a residential suburb with its name often associated with the notoriety of the detention centre located here.
History
The Aboriginal tribe of Gandangara once lived in the area. European settlement began in the early 1840s. During the 1860s, Villawood was used as pastoral land, but it was overrun with wild and rabid dogs. Woodville Road, which runs through Villawood, was once named Dog Trap Road because many farmers set dog traps for these wild dogs. A train station opened in 1922 to service the area was originally known as Woodville Road. Unfortunately, there was confusion with another place called WoodvilleWoodville, New South Wales
Woodville is a very small township in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia that is shared between the Port Stephens and Maitland Local Government Areas...
in the Hunter Valley and thus the name was transposed into 'Villawood'.
Schools and churches
There are also day and community centres, two schools, and several Christian churches. Recently, new buildings have been built for the Sacred Heart Primary school.Commercial area
Villawood Place was once a major shopping centre, serving the surrounding areas. After nearby Bass HillBass Hill, New South Wales
Bass Hill, a suburb of local government area City of Bankstown, is located 23 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region.-History:...
Plaza opened, many Villawood businesses went into decline, leaving a legacy of abandoned shop fronts and buildings, including the abandoned Franklins
Franklins
Franklins is a discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Australia. It owns the No Frills brand of generic products, promoted by their mascot, "Red Sock". It is known as "Australia's Original Discount Grocer"...
supermarket and large Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
office. There has been rejuvenation and renovation of Woodville (Villawood) Place since with construction of the new Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
supermarket, a bakery, chemists, grocers and other shops. It is located in proximity to Villawood railway station. A business park in Villawood holds enterprises concerning hardware products, furniture, auto parts and second-hand goods. Leightonfield railway station services an industrial area in the eastern part of Villawood.
Vilawood now houses a variety of youth recreational and entertainment venues including AMF Bowling, Wiggles World, M9 Laser Skirmish, Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym, and Kartatak go-karting, and further recreational and food attractions are planned. These are all part of a complex called The Woods Action Centre, which is located on the northern side of the railway line, directly across the road from the station on the Villawood station exit which is opposite the shopping centre. And for fast food, Villawood has KFC, McDonalds, Dominos, and Burger King.
Villawood Detention Centre
Villawood is home to Villawood Immigration Detention CentreVillawood Immigration Detention Centre
Villawood Immigration Detention Centre is an Australian immigration detention facility located in the suburb of Villawood in Sydney, Australia...
, a detention facility used in the processing of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.
Transport
Villawood railway station and Leightonfield railway station are on the Bankstown 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.
Sport and recreation
Apart from the Woods Action centre (see above) which includes Indoor Climbing, Ten-pin bowling, Go-karting and the Wiggles indoor play centre, Villawood is home to three other major sport and recreation areas: The Wran Leisure Centre, Thurina Park and Villawood Skatepark.The Wran Leisure Centre (named after Neville Wran
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
) houses a swimming pool, tennis courts, a gymnasium and squash courts.
Thurina Park houses two multi purpose purpose sporting fields that cater for soccer, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. Thurina Park is also home to the Villawood United Soccer Club.
Population
Villawood is an ethnically diverse suburb, typical of south western Sydney. There is a predominantly Vietnamese, and increasing Lebanese community in Villawood. There are also Pacific Islanders, Eastern Europeans and some British in the suburb. Around 35.5% of the citizens come from non-English speaking backgrounds.According to the 2001 census, by the 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...
, the population declined slightly from around 4,007 to 3,328. Villawood has a high proportion of young children aged 5–11 and seniors over 65.