Camperdown, New South Wales

Camperdown is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Camperdown is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Inner West region. Camperdown lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Inner West Council.

Camperdown
SydneyNew South Wales
Camperdown Hotel on the corner of Parramatta Rd and Layton St
Map
Population9,381 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density6,250/km2 (16,200/sq mi)
Postcode(s)2050
Elevation25 m (82 ft)
Area1.5 km2 (0.6 sq mi)
Location4 km (2 mi) SW of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
Suburbs around Camperdown:
Annandale Glebe Chippendale
Stanmore Camperdown Darlington
Stanmore Newtown Darlington

Camperdown is a heavily populated suburb and is home to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the University of Sydney and the historic Camperdown Cemetery.[2] It was also once home to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, which was relocated to be next to Westmead Hospital in Sydney's west. The hospital buildings and grounds have been redeveloped into apartment complexes.

History

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Camperdown takes its name from the Battle of Camperdown (or Camperduin in Dutch). It was named by Governor William Bligh who received a grant of 240 acres (1 km2) of land covering present day Camperdown and parts of Newtown. The land passed to Bligh's son-in-law Maurice O'Connell, commander of the 73rd Regiment, later Sir Maurice, when Bligh returned to England.[3] Camperdown was established as a residential and farming area in the early 19th century.

In 1827, a racecourse was opened on land where the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital now stands. The University of Sydney was incorporated in 1850 and its first buildings were designed by Edmund Blacket (1817–1883). In 1859, Blacket's Great Hall was opened at the university.[4]

Heritage listings

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Camperdown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Demographics

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At the 2021 census there were 9,381 people living in Camperdown. In Camperdown, 59.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 5.0%, China 3.7%, New Zealand 3.0%, India 1.8% and United States of America 1.6%. 73.2% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 4.5% and Cantonese 1.8%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 58.1% and Catholic 14.7%.[9]

Education

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A large part of Camperdown is taken up by the University of Sydney and the residential colleges within the university. These colleges include: St John's College, St Andrew's College, St Paul's College, Sancta Sophia College, Wesley College and The Women's College.

Houses

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In common with neighbouring inner city suburbs such as Newtown and Enmore, Camperdown has large areas of Victorian terraced housing, including many examples of single storey terraces. There are several examples of semi-detached houses which became popular around the time of Australia's Federation at the turn of the 20th century. With the advent of gentrification, from the late 20th century, modern infill development now tends to be sympathetic with the traditional Victorian and Edwardian streetscapes.[10]

Parks

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View of the Camperdown and Newtown local area

Victoria Park is located on the corner of Parramatta Road and City Road, adjacent to the University of Sydney.

Camperdown Park is surrounded by Mallett, Pidcock, Fowler and Australia Streets and includes several sports grounds and an urban farm.[11]

Contrary to popular belief and naming conventions, the highly-frequented 'Camperdown Memorial Park' actually resides in the suburb of Newtown.[12]

Transport

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Roads

Parramatta Road (Great Western Highway) (A22) is a major transport artery between Sydney and Parramatta. It runs across the northern side of Camperdown. City Road (A36) is part of a major route to the southern suburbs of Sydney. It meets Parramatta Road and Broadway at a major intersection on the eastern tip of Camperdown. Both City Road and Parramatta Road had tram services until the late 1950s.

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The suburb is mentioned in the song "Australia Street" by the band Sticky Fingers, featuring on their 2013 album Caress Your Soul. Also, poem titled "The Sleeping City, Australia Street" by Helen Loughlin references many sites around the Camperdown area.[13]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Camperdown". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 November 2024.  
  2. ^ "Camperdown". Raine & Horne Newtown. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  3. ^ Dando-Collins, Captain Bligh's Other Mutiny, Random House, Sydney, 2007, ISBN 978-1-74166-798-1
  4. ^ The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
  5. ^ "Cranbrook Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00418. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  6. ^ "Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Admission Block". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00830. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  7. ^ "Royal Prince Alfred Hospital - Victoria & Albert Pavilions". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00829. Retrieved 18 May 2018.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  8. ^ "The University of Sydney, University Colleges and Victoria Park". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01974. Retrieved 21 December 2019.   Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  9. ^ "2021 Camperdown (NSW), Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  10. ^ "About Camperdown". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Camperdown Park". Inner West Council. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Camperdown Memorial Rest Park - Inner West Council". www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  13. ^ Zetland, Red Room Poetry ABN: 35 103 464 446 Joynton Avenue Creative Centre 3A Joynton Ave; redroompoetry.org, NSW 2017 Australia Phone: 02 9319 5090. "The Sleeping City | Australia Street". Red Room Poetry. Retrieved 28 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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33°53′24″S 151°10′48″E / 33.89013°S 151.17988°E / -33.89013; 151.17988