View source for Hurstville

{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}
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{{Use Australian English|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox Australian place 
| type      = suburb
| name      = Hurstville
| city      = Sydney
| state     = NSW
| image     = Hurstville building 2.JPG
| caption   = Hurstville Library
| alternative_location_map = Australia NSW metro Sydney
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in metropolitan [[Sydney]]
| coordinates         = {{Coord|-33.96811|151.10408|format=dms|type:city_region:AU-NSW|display=title}}
| local_map = yes
| zoom      = 13
| lga       = [[Georges River Council]]
| postcode  = 2220
| est       = 1887
| pop       = 31162
| pop_year  = {{CensusAU|2021}}
| pop_footnotes = <ref name=census>{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL11971|name=Hurstville (State Suburb)|access-date=15 February 2022|quick=on}}</ref>
| elevation = 75
| area      = 4.2
| stategov  = [[Electoral district of Kogarah|Kogarah]]
| stategov2 = [[Electoral district of Oatley|Oatley]]
| fedgov    = [[Division of Banks|Banks]]
|fedgov2=[[Division of Barton|Barton]]| near-nw   = [[Beverly Hills, New South Wales|Beverly Hills]]
| near-n    = [[Kingsgrove, New South Wales|Kingsgrove]]
| near-ne   = [[Bexley, New South Wales|Bexley]]
| near-w    = [[Penshurst, New South Wales|Penshurst]]
| near-e    = [[Carlton, New South Wales|Carlton]]
| near-sw   = [[Hurstville Grove, New South Wales|Hurstville Grove]]
| near-s    = [[South Hurstville, New South Wales|South Hurstville]]
| near-se   = [[Allawah, New South Wales|Allawah]]
| dist1     = 16
| dir1      = south
| location1 = [[Sydney central business district|Sydney CBD]]
}}
[[File:HurstvilleNSWmap.jpg|270px|thumb|Location map of '''Hurstville''' based on NASA satellite images]]
[[File:Hurstville Memorial Square.jpg|right|thumb|Memorial Square, Forest Road, Hurstville]]
'''Hurstville''' is a [[suburb]] in [[Southern Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]]. It is {{cvt|16|km}} south of the [[Sydney central business district|Sydney CBD]] and is part of the [[St George, New South Wales|St George]] area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the [[Local government in Australia|local government area]] of the [[Georges River Council]].

The suburb is predominantly [[Asian Australians|Asian Australian]] in character, with 63% of the population of Asian origin, among the highest in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forrest |first=James |title=Suburbs 'swamped' by Asians and Muslims? The data show a different story |url=http://theconversation.com/suburbs-swamped-by-asians-and-muslims-the-data-show-a-different-story-79250 |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=The Conversation |date=5 July 2017 |language=en}}</ref> Sometimes described as "Sydney's Real [[Chinatown]]", an estimated 37% of residents are immigrants from mainland China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hurstville: Sydney's Real Chinatown, Civic Sinoburbia |url=https://www.sinoburbia-project.org/hurstville/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=Civic Sinoburbia |date=23 October 2020 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==History==
The name Hurstville is derived from the English '[[wiktionary:hurst|hurst]]', meaning 'a wooded eminence', and '[[wiktionary:ville|ville]]', meaning 'town'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Home|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829195404/http://hurstville.nsw.gov.au/PageZone_AboutHurstville.asp?z=3&c=252&p=651|url-status=dead|title=Georges River Council – Home|archivedate=29 August 2007|website=www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au}}</ref>

===Aboriginal culture===
Although it is unknown when they first settled in the Hurstville area, the first inhabitants were [[Australian Aborigine|Indigenous Australian]]s. At the time of the arrival of the [[First Fleet]], the Indigenous Australians residing in the area were of the [[Eora]] tribe, whose numbers spanned along the [[Georges River]], from [[Botany Bay]] to present-day [[Liverpool, New South Wales|Liverpool]].

===European settlement===
The first sustained contact between members of the [[First Fleet]]
{{blockquote|text=and the Eora tribe occurred on 20 January 1788 within the boundaries of the present City of Hurstville at Lugarno and Oatley, at Lime Kiln Bay on the Georges River|source=Diary of Lieutenant [[Philip Gidley King]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Journal of Philip Gidley King: Lieutenant, R. N., 1787 1790|last=King|first=Phillip Gidley|year=1980|isbn=0908219016|pages=27–29|publisher=Australian Documents Library |quote=soon after discovered a number of ye natives who halloo'd & made signs for us to return to our boats}}</ref>}} While Governor Philip explored the south side of the Georges River around Como, King with a party of one other officer and three marines in a six-oared rowboat aimed for the highest point they could see on the north side, probably at Lugarno, and landed at a place they named Lance Point. Although first contact with the Indigenous Australians led to a small altercation where a spear was thrown and a shot fired, later in the day when the party rowed up Lime Kiln Bay towards present day Mortdale they were greeted in a friendly manner by both men and women, and what could only be described as Australia's first picnic took place as food and drink were shared between the two peoples. After a long summer afternoon of mutual contact and conviviality the British sailors rowed back to their ship moored at Botany Bay.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haworth |first=R.J. |date=2012|journal=Journal of Australian Colonial History|title=The Several 'Discoveries' of Sydney's Georges River: Precursors to the Tom Thumb Expedition|volume= 14 |pages=1–28|url=https://www.oatleyflorafauna.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JACH-Haworth-2012.pdf}}</ref>

The land of the Hurstville region was granted by the government of the new [[colony]] of [[New South Wales]] to two men: Captain John Townson and his brother Robert Townson in 1808. Captain John Townson was granted {{convert|1950|acre|km2|lk=in}} of land which is now occupied by the suburb of Hurstville and part of [[Bexley, New South Wales|Bexley]].{{cn|date=October 2025}} Robert Townson was granted the land which is now occupied by [[Penshurst, New South Wales|Penshurst]], [[Mortdale, New South Wales|Mortdale]] and parts of [[Peakhurst, New South Wales|Peakhurst]]. In the same year, in the area now known as [[Riverwood, New South Wales|Riverwood]] land grants were made to Jane Trotter, Mary Shepley, Charles Doudall, and James Ryan. Later in 1816 another land grant in the same area was given to Mary Redman.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

In 1809, Captain John Townson was granted an additional {{convert|250|acre|km2}} in the area now occupied by [[Kingsgrove, New South Wales|Kingsgrove]] and [[Beverly Hills, New South Wales|Beverly Hills]].{{cn|date=October 2025}} The Townson brothers were not happy with the land that they were given because it was not suitable for the farming of sheep for wool and it is likely that the brothers never occupied their land. In 1812, a wealthy merchant named [[Simeon Lord]] bought the land of Captain John Townson and named it ''Lord's Forest''. When Lord died, the land became the property of John Rose Holden and James Holt of the [[Bank of New South Wales|Bank of NSW]].{{cn|date=October 2025}}

===Sproule family===
''Gladwyn'' is an historic, [[Italianate]] house at 96 Queens Road. It was built in 1893 by John Sproule, a local builder and alderman of Hurstville Council, who had acquired the land two years previously. It changed hands many times and was known as ''Gladwyn'' by 1906. Hurstville Council eventually acquired the house in 1986. It has been restored and adapted for commercial use, as well as serving as the base for the Hurstville Archival Research and Local Studies Centre. It is heritage-listed at state and local level.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/heritage|title=Heritage|website=NSW Environment and Heritage}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurstville.nsw.gov.au/ignitionsuite/uploads/docs/Final%20Report%20on%20Hurstville%20Community%20based%20Heritage%20Study%20Review%20Volume%202%20%20-%20Part%203%20-%20Existing%20Items%20-%20%20Hurstville,%20Kingsgrove,%20Lugarno.PDF?130244717817|title=Hurstville Council}}</ref>

In 1895, Ann Sproule bought land on the opposite side of Queens Road from the Winn brothers of [[Newcastle, New South Wales]]. John Sproule then built ''Yarra-Mundi'' in 1897, and lived there until 1904. The house then changed hands a number of times over the years. In 1981 it was acquired by the Danebank Church of England School for Girls. The school later sold the house in 2003 and it was subsequently adapted for commercial use. It is heritage-listed.<ref>[http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=1810107 State Heritage Register]</ref>

===Development===
[[File:SLNSW 31762 Food Fair 274 Forest Road Hurstville taken for LJ Hooker Ltd.jpg|thumb|Forest Road on the 9 November 1951. Photograph taken by [[Sam Hood]] for [[LJ Hooker]], [[State Library of New South Wales]], 31762]]
A dam with a roadway on top was constructed on the [[Cooks River]] at [[Tempe, New South Wales|Tempe]] in 1839. In 1843, the road that was to become known as Forest Road was extended from the dam to a hand-winched punt in [[Lugarno, New South Wales|Lugarno]]. On the other side of the river, the road continued all the way to [[Wollongong]]; however, it was only suitable for travellers on horseback. The new road opened up the Hurstville region and created a settlement at Bottle Forest, now known as [[Heathcote, New South Wales|Heathcote]].

In 1850, the Lord Forest estate was purchased by Michael Gannon (1800–61), who subdivided it into small farms along what is now Croydon Road and three larger farms that were purchased by Dent, Peake, and Ibbotson.<ref>{{Cite book|title = St George Pictorial Memories: Rockdale, Kogarah, Hurstville|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=I_Nan8kPpFIC&q=Lord%252520Forest%252520estate%252520was%252520purchased%252520by%252520Michael%252520Gannon&pg=PP1|publisher = Kingsclear Books Pty Ltd|date = 1996|isbn = 9780908272457|first = Joan|last = Lawrence}}</ref> The area became known as Gannon's Forest. The land originally granted to Robert Townson was purchased by John Connell in 1830 and, following his death in 1849, the estate was inherited by his grandsons, Elias Pearson Laycock and John Connell Laycock.

The Gannon's Forest post office opened in 1881. The local school was named "Hurstville" by School Inspector MacIntyre when it was established in 1876. When the railway station opened on 15 October 1884, it took the name Hurstville, from the school. Hurstville municipality was incorporated in 1887 and, in 1988, Hurstville was declared a city. The Centenary Bakery on Forest Road is a historic building that has been preserved and once housed a museum. The St George Regional Museum is now located in another historic building in MacMahon Street.

The Hurstville train crash on 3 August 1920 resulted in five people killed and fifty injured. It involved the collision of two steam trains, one arriving from Central Railway Station, which plunged into the back of the other, which was stationary at Hurstville railway station, bound for [[Sutherland, New South Wales|Sutherland]].<ref>Pollon, F. (1990.) ''The Book of Sydney Suburbs'', Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney, p. 130.</ref>

Hurstville's residential developments are a mixture of low-density housing, medium-density flats, and high-density apartment buildings.

==Economy==
[[File:Hurstville building 3.JPG|thumb|The ''Global Chambers'' office building]]
Hurstville is the [[central business district]] of the [[St George (Sydney)|St George]] area. It is a large, multiethnic suburb with a multitude of commercial buildings and high-rise residential buildings dominating the skyline.

The commercial area is centred on the main street, Forest Road, on the northern side of [[Hurstville railway station]]. Forest Road is the main shopping street which features branches of many retail shops as well as numerous banks ([[Commonwealth Bank|Commonwealth]], [[Australia & New Zealand Banking Group|ANZ]], [[National Australia Bank]], [[Westpac]], [[St George Bank|St George]], [[HSBC Bank Australia|HSBC]], [[Bank of China]]) and other financial institutions. The commercial developments also extend to surrounding streets concentrated from Queens Road to The Avenue and on the southern side of Hurstville Railway station, around Ormonde Parade. The commercial developments extend further along Forest Road, west towards [[Penshurst, New South Wales|Penshurst]] and east towards [[Bexley, New South Wales|Bexley]].

=== Retail and shopping ===
[[File:Westfield Hurstville, Hurstville, New South Wales (2010-07-21) 03.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Westfield Hurstville]]]]
Hurstville has two major shopping centres, [[Westfield Hurstville]] and [[Hurstville Central]]. There are also a few smaller shopping centres such as Hurstville Times Plaza, East Quarter, Metro Centre, Hurstville City Centre and Union Arcade.

=== Restaurants and cafes ===
Hurstville has a wide variety of restaurants and cafes and is known as a major dining destination in the St George area of Sydney. There are a large number of [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese]] (including [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]]), [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese]] and [[Vietnamese cuisine|Vietnamese]] restaurants and eateries.

=== Other ===
The administrative offices of the [[Georges River Council]] are located in the Hurstville Civic Centre in MacMahon Street. This street also features a number of historic buildings such as the Friendly Pharmacy, old Fire Station, Ritz Hotel and Hurstville Museum & Gallery (formerly known as the St George Regional Museum), which houses the cake decorating collection formerly held at the Australian Cakes and Sugar Art Museum. Hurstville City Library is located nearby on Queens Road.

==Culture==
The St Clair Recording Studio operated for about a year from December 1965 to December 1966 and recorded the [[Bee Gees]] among other musicians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Home|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317175557/http://www.hurstville.nsw.gov.au/The-St-Clair-Recording-Studio.html|url-status=dead|title=Georges River Council – Home|archivedate=17 March 2011|website=www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au}}</ref> [[AC/DC]] played at the Hurstville Civic Centre (Marana Hall/Rivoli Hall) on eight occasions between 1974 and 1977.

A karaoke place opened in 2011 near the Meridian Hotel, the first ever one in Hurstville.

The [[Hurstville Museum & Gallery]] focuses on local history, art, and culture. According to the museum's website, it "is home to high quality exhibitions, a diverse range of public programs and a collection of approximately 5,000 objects and artworks from the local area."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Community/Art-and-Culture/Hurstville-Museum-Gallery|title=Georges River Council – ART AND CULTURE|website=www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:Western entrance to Hurstville railway station, July 2017 (1).jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Hurstville railway station]]]][[Hurstville railway station]] is a major station on the [[Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line|T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line]] of the [[Sydney Trains]] network and the [[South Coast Line]] on the [[NSW TrainLink]] network. All Suburban and Intercity trains stop at Hurstville. Hurstville is 20 minutes from Sydney [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central railway station]] on the express service. Hurstville is a major bus interchange with bus services departing from Forest Road and Ormonde Parade.
Hurstville is also serviced by St George Community Transport, a HACC funded transport service for the Frail Aged, people with disability and their carers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stgct.org.au/|title=Community Transport, Transport, Mortdale, St George Community Transport, Car, Bus|website=www.stgct.org.au}}</ref>

==Churches==

* [https://stgeorgeshurstville.org.au/ St George's Hurstville Anglican Church]
* St Michael's Roman Catholic Church
* Hurstville Presbyterian Church
* Hurstville Church of Christ
* Hurstville Uniting Church
* Hurstville Seventh-day Adventist Church
* Hurstville Assemblies of God
* Salvation Army
* Church of the Living God
<gallery>
File:(1)St Georges Anglican Church Hurstville-1.jpg|St George's Hurstville Anglican Church
File:Hurstville Uniting Church-1.jpg|Hurstville Uniting Church
File:Hurstville Church 1.JPG|Hurstville Presbyterian Church
File:Hurstville Church 2.JPG|Church of Christ
File:Hurstville Church 3.JPG|Hurstville Baptist Church
</gallery>

==Schools==
* [https://hurstville.adventist.edu.au/ Hurstville Adventist School]
* Hurstville Boys High School
* [http://www.hurstville-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/ Hurstville Public School]
* [https://hurstvills-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/ Hurstville South Public School]
* [[Danebank|Danebank Anglican Girls School]]
* Hurstville Grove Infants School
* Beverly Hills Public School and [[St George Christian School]].
* [[Sydney Technical High School]], [[Bethany College (Sydney)|Bethany College]] and St. Mary's Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School – all located just over the border in [[Bexley, New South Wales|Bexley]].

<gallery>
File:Hurstville Public School.JPG|Hurstville Public School
File:Bethany College Bexley 3.JPG|[[Bethany College (Sydney)|Bethany College]]
File:Sydney Technical High School 3.jpg|[[Sydney Technical High School]]
File:(1)Danebank Girls School.jpg|[[Danebank|Danebank Girls' School]]
</gallery>

==Landmarks==
* Hurstville Civic Centre, Hurstville Entertainment Centre, Hurstville City Library, St George Regional Museum, Park Plaza Apartments
<gallery>
File:Hurstville Chemist.JPG|Friendly Pharmacy, MacMahon Street
File:Centennial Bakery Building in Hurstville.jpg|Centenary Bakery, Forest Road
File:Hurst7.JPG|Old Fire Station, MacMahon Street
File:Hurstville Meridian Hotel.JPG|Meridian Hotel
File:St George Regional Museum.JPG|Hurstville City Museum & Gallery
File:Hurstville Ritz.JPG|Hurstville Ritz Hotel, Forest Road
File:Hurstville Entertainment Centre.JPG|Hurstville Entertainment Centre
File:Hurstville building 1.JPG|former State Bank building, Hurstville
File:(1)Lorne The Avenue Hurstville.jpg|''Lorne,'' The Avenue
File:(1)Waikouaiti The Avenue Hurstville.jpg|Terraced housing on The Avenue
</gallery>

==Parks==
* Kempt Field, Woodville Park, Hurstville Park, Thorpe Park, Doyle Gardens.
<gallery>
File:Hurst3.JPG|Woodville Park
File:Hurstville Oval 5.jpg|[[Hurstville Oval]]
</gallery>

==Population==
[[File:Buildings, MacMahon Street, Hurstville, New South Wales (2010-07-18) 01.jpg|thumb|Apartments on MacMahon Street]]

===Demographics===
{{Historical populations
|type=
|2001|20371
|2006|23331
|2011|26040
|2016|29822
|2021|31162
}}
The first European settlers in the area were mostly of British and Irish ancestry. From the late 1960s, Hurstville, like many surrounding areas, became home to migrants from all around the world. The first wave of migrants included [[Greece|Greeks]] and [[Italy|Italians]] who began moving south from Sydney's inner-city suburbs. They were followed by more European migrants, including many from the former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]].

From the 1990s, the Chinese community within Hurstville has grown considerably. Much of this was related to significant [[1990s in Hong Kong#Emigration|migration from Hong Kong during the 1990s]] and migration from mainland China during the 2000s. Many local businesses are operated by people of Chinese background, the interests of which are advanced by the St. George Asian Business Association. Hurstville is a hub for Asian groceries, food and services.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hurstville Suburb Profile |url=https://sydneysuburbreviews.com/hurstville/ |website=Sydney Suburb Reviews |date=June 2020 |access-date=1 June 2020 |ref=16}}</ref>

According to the {{CensusAU|2021}}, there were 31,162 residents in Hurstville. 28.1% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were China 28.6%, Nepal 15.8%, Hong Kong 3.6%, Indonesia 1.8% and Philippines 1.7%. 18.4% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 26.1%, Cantonese 16.2%, Nepali 15.4%, Arabic 2.6% and Greek 2.1%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 38.6%, Hinduism 15.5%, Catholic 11.2%, Buddhism 8.5% and Not stated 6.2%. The most common ancestries in Hurstville were Chinese 47.1%, Nepalese 15.6%, English 7.4%, Australian 5.7% and Greek 2.9%.<ref name=census />

==Notable residents==

* [[Cecil Abbott]] [[Officer of the Order of Australia|AO]], [[Queen's Police Medal for Gallantry|QPM]] – Commissioner of the New South Wales Police (1981–1984)
*[[Ronald Ernest Aitchison]] – physicist
*Arthur Samuel Allen (1894–1959) – army officer and accountant, audit clerk in NSW Government Railways<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography|last1=Sweeting|first1=A.J.|id2=allen-arthur-samuel-tubby-9337|title=Allen, Arthur Samuel (Tubby) (1894–1959)|access-date=30 March 2015}}</ref>
*[[Ezekiel Baker (Australian politician)|Ezekiel Baker]] – politician
*[[Roy Bossi]] (1894–1964) – rugby league player
*[[Jack Brabham]] (1926–2014) – three-time [[Formula One]] World Champion motor racer<ref>Wikipedia</ref>
*[[Jayden Brailey]] – rugby league player playing for the [[Newcastle Knights]]
*[[Matthew Dufty]] – rugby league player playing for the [[Warrington Wolves]]
*Ambrose George Enticknap (1894–1976) – orchardist and politician<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography">Australian Dictionary of Biography</ref>
*[[Miles Franklin|Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin]] – writer
*[[Neville Hayes]] – swimmer
*[[Arthur Justice]] (1902–1977) – rugby league player, coach, and administrator
*[[Thomas John Ley]] (1880–1947) – politician and murderer<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" />
*[[Jack Lindwall]] – rugby league player for [[St. George Dragons|St George]]
*[[Ray Lindwall]] – test cricketer, also played rugby league for [[St. George Dragons|St George]]; younger brother of Jack
*[[Craig Nicholls]] – musician
*Eris Michael O'Brien (1895–1974) – Catholic archbishop and Australian historian<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" />
*[[Kerry O'Keeffe]] – test cricketer and sportscaster
*[[Kurtis Patterson]] – test cricketer
*[[Riley Price]] – rugby league player playing for the [[North Queensland Cowboys]]
*Gordon Stanley Reid (1923–1989) – parliamentary official, political scientist and governor<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" />
*[[Ken Rosewall]] – tennis player
*[[Michael Rush (rower)|Michael Rush]] – champion sculler, spent his last years farming a Hurstville small-holding.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{commons category|Hurstville, New South Wales}}

==External links==
* [https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Home Georges River Council website]
* [https://www.yellowpages.com.au/nsw/Hurstville/categories.html Businesses in Hurstville]
* [http://lmg.hurstville.nsw.gov.au/LMG-History-of-Hurstville.html Georges River Council – History of Hurstville]
*[https://www.theleader.com.au/ St George & Sutherland Shire Leader]


{{Sydney Georges River Council suburbs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurstville, New South Wales}}
[[Category:Hurstville, New South Wales| ]]
[[Category:Suburbs of Sydney]]
[[Category:1887 establishments in Australia]]