Redfern | |||||||||||||
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  Redfern Location ingreater metropolitan Sydney | |||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Redfern | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:33°53′36″S151°12′17″E / 33.89334°S 151.20461°E /-33.89334; 151.20461 | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| City | Sydney | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
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| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
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| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 1.17 km2 (0.45 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 37 m (121 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 13,072 (SAL2021)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 11,173/km2 (28,940/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 2016 | ||||||||||||
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Redfern is aninner southern suburb of Sydney located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of theSydney central business district and is part of thelocal government area of theCity of Sydney.Strawberry Hills is a locality on the border withSurry Hills. The area experienced the process ofgentrification[3] and is subject to extensive redevelopment plans by the state government, to increase the population and reduce the concentration of poverty in the suburb and neighbouringWaterloo (seeRedfern-Eveleigh-Darlington).
The suburb is named after surgeonWilliam Redfern, who was granted 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land in this area in 1817 byLachlan Macquarie. He built a country house on his property surrounded by flower and kitchen gardens. His neighbours were Captain Cleveland, an officer of the 73rd regiment, who builtCleveland House and John Baptist, who ran a nursery and seed business. Sydney's original railway terminus was built in Cleveland Paddocks and extended fromCleveland Street to Devonshire Street and west toChippendale. The station's name was chosen to honour William Redfern. At that time, the presentRedfern station was known asEveleigh.[4] WhenCentral station was built further north on the site of the Devonshire Street cemetery, Eveleigh station became Redfern and Eveleigh was retained for the name of theEveleigh Railway Workshops, south of the station. The remains of Cleveland Paddocks becamePrince Alfred Park.
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In August 1859, Redfern was incorporated as a borough. TheMunicipality of Redfern merged with theCity of Sydney from 1 January 1949. The first recorded and codified game ofAustralian rules football in NSW was played in Redfern on the Albert Ground, Redfern between the Rugby Union Club, Waratah, and theCarlton Football Club fromMelbourne.[5]
On 17 January 1908, theSouth Sydney Rabbitohs rugby football club was formed atRedfern Town Hall to compete in thefirst season of theNew South Wales Rugby Football League premiership.
In July 1947, theRedfern Council commissioned the firm Smith and Styles for large-scale proposals forUrban renewal in Redfern, to conform to theCumberland County Council masterplan zoning. The proposal included "clearance" of wide swathes of buildings across the suburb, a national theatre and opera house.[6] This planning scheme was required by the Local Government (Town and Country Planning) Act 1945. From 1949 Redfern was absorbed by theCity of Sydney council.[7]
TheRedfern All Blacks rugby league team was co-founded in Redfern byBill Onus in 1945. It became a central community and political organisation up until throughout the 1960s.
In the 1960s and 70s,Liquidambar styraciflua trees were planted in Baptist Street in attempts to green and improve the physical environment. The notoriousRedfern Mail Exchange was built in 1965, after 300 people were evicted from their homes on the 2.15-hectare (5.3-acre) site. It became the scene of many industrial disputes when the automatic mail-sorting machinery, which was supposed to sort mail more efficiently, destroyed many letters and became known as the Redfern Mangler.[8]
In the late 1960s and 1970s, ablack power movement, centred around Aboriginal Australian migrants to the city, formed and resulted in the creation of health clinics, food drives, housing co-operatives and a legal aid centre.[9] Agreen ban helped save the Redfern Aboriginal Centre in the 1970s[10] and activists from Redfern created theAboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra.
The2004 Redfern riots began on 14 February 2004, at the end of Eveleigh Street outsideRedfern station, sparked by the death of Thomas 'TJ' Hickey. The teenager, riding on his bicycle, was allegedly being chased by a police vehicle, which led to his impalement on a fence. Members of his family were then reported to have started grieving for TJ around Eveleigh Street with a crowd gathering commiserating with the family. Fliers were distributed blaming police for TJ's death. The police closed the Eveleigh Street entrance to the railway station, but youths in the crowd became violent, throwing bricks and bottles; this escalated into a riot. A subsequent inquest found that although the police were following Hickey, they had not caused the accident, a verdict that caused controversy in Redfern's Indigenous community. The riots sparked fresh debate into the welfare ofIndigenous Australians and the response of the police to those living in the Redfern area.
The main shopping strip is located on Redfern Street, east of Redfern railway station. There are also commercial developments nearby, along Regent Street and surrounding streets. The Redfern skyline is dominated by theTNT Towers and two residential blocks located between Regent Street and Gibbons Street, beside Redfern railway station.
Redfern railway station, located on the western edge of the suburb is a major station on theSydney Trains network. Redfern is the first station south fromCentral Sydney terminus on the edge of the city. Redfern station is the closest station to the main campus of theUniversity of Sydney atCamperdown andDarlington. A near-constant stream of commuters flows from the station along the south side of Lawson Street towards the university in the morning, and back towards the station in a largely hourly rhythm in the afternoon.
Redfern is bisected by theSouthern Arterial Route, a majorone-way paired arterial road corridor.
Redfern has many examples of Victorianterraced housing similar to other inner suburbs, such asSurry Hills andPaddington. Also, like some other inner-city suburbs, some parts of Redfern have been gentrified, whilst still retaining a largepublic housing estate shared with Waterloo, consisting of flats, terrace houses and high rise apartment blocks, developing a similar reputation to the former block on the other side of the suburb.
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church is on Redfern Street. St Saviour's Anglican Church (which is also known as one1seven church) is on Young Street. St George Antioch Orthodox Church is on the corner of Walker Street and Cooper Street built by the historic Lebanese community in the area. The Greek Orthodox Church in Cleveland Street is called the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady, formerly St Paul's Church of England built in 1848 and designed byEdmund Blacket. TheSt Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College sits beside it.Hillsong Church's city campus is at 188 Young Street. There is also another cathedral, theSt Maroun’s Cathedral for theLebanese community.
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Redfern has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
TheAboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern is at 82–88 Renwick Street.[20][21]
At the2021 census, Redfern had a population of 13,072,[22] compared to 14,616 at the2016 census.[23]
In 2021, Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander people making up 3.2% of the population and 52.0% of the population were born overseas. The most common countries of birth were England 4.8%, China 4.3%, New Zealand 3.0%, United States of America 1.4% and India 1.4%. 65.0% of the population only spoke English at home, with the most important other languages being Mandarin (3.6%), Spanish (2.9%), Cantonese (2.1%), Greek (1.5%) and Russian (1.4%). 53.7% of the population marked no religion, higher than thenational average. 14.2% were Catholic, 4.8% Anglican and 3.5% Buddhist.[22]
Redfern has become increasinglygentrified, with many medium and high density developments replacing low density and industrial developments.[citation needed] In 2021, 68.1% of residences were flats and 28.6% were semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc.[22]
Redfern has been characterised[clarification needed] by successive migrant populations.[citation needed] In the late 19th century, local businessmen George Dan in 1890, Stanton and Aziz Melick in 1888 and Shafiqah Shasha and Anthony and Simon Coorey in the 1890s were fromLebanon.
'The Block' is an area in the immediate vicinity of Redfern station bounded by Eveleigh, Caroline, Louis and Vine Streets. The Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) was set up as the first urban Aboriginal community housing provider, using grant money to purchase the houses on the Block. As a result, the area is important to the Aboriginal community. Eveleigh Street, which is part of 'The Block', is well known[25] for its community. In 2004, much of the Eveleigh Street housing was demolished with plans for redevelopment, but it is still an area around which many people congregate. The AHC's plans for redevelopment are known as thePemulwuuy Project. The plans were approved in 2009.
Artwork on the outside of the local police boys club(PCYC) was made in the early 1990s. The front wall has a mural of a picture taken at Cleveland Street High School of a day when Dwayne "the D Train" McClain (formerSydney Kings player) visited the school. The picture has local sports stars such as Richard Bell, Bruce Swanson, Rossie Symmans, Nicholas Murray, Nathan Denzil, Jamie Sharpe, Lisa Mundine and Margaret Sutherland. The mural was painted by probably the most notable artist of the 90's in the Redfern district, Sir Joseph Phillips.[dubious –discuss][citation needed]
A number of sporting teams represent the local area. TheSouth Sydney Rabbitohs NRL club was formed at theRedfern Town Hall on 17 January 1908. One of the oldestAboriginal rugby league teams in Australia, theRedfern All Blacks, play atRedfern Oval. The Redfern Raiders Soccer Club is a local Junior Soccer Club. Redfern Gym opened in 1985 and many boxing world champions have trained there.[citation needed]
Nikita Ridgeway established Australia's first indigenouship-hop record label with her brother Stephen.[26] Called Redfern Records, the label was named after the Sydney neighbourhood of Redfern they grew up in.[27] A wall with a mural dedicated to one of the first Women in Rugby League was painted to honourMaggie Moloney, in 2022.[28]
In the centre of Redfern isRedfern Park, a recreational and sporting area. This park was the site of theRedfern Park Speech.
The park contains the sports fieldRedfern Oval, which is the home to theRedfern All Blacks. It was previously the training location of theSouth Sydney Rabbitohs.
St Paul's Place is at the intersection ofCleveland Street and Regent Street in Redfern, bordering the suburb ofChippendale. Named in 1924,[29] the square is the subject and title of the 1995 oil painting by Archibald prize-winning artistNicholas Harding[30] and is the current official place name according to the City of Sydney Spatial Services department as of 2023.[31]
The square is portrayed in a number of photos held in the City of Sydney Archives.[32]
In 1915, the site is pictured as the intersection of two tram lines.[33] The square was officially named St Paul's Place in 1924.[29] Correspondence relating to the naming of the intersection is documented in the Town Clerk's Department Correspondence Files between 7 October 1924 and 19 December 1924.[34]
The site also goes by the name St Paul's Square in theDictionary of Sydney[35] and on the City of Sydney History of Prince Alfred Park website.[36]
In June 1929, St Paul's place was specified as one part (of 35) in new "van stands" regulation. It was specified that the fisrt van should park in "St. Paul's place, south side, 15 yards west of Regent-street" and the second van should park park in "St. Paul's place, south side, at Tramway pole No. 19".[37]
On 25 January 1930, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the City Commissioners and the Main Roads Board agreed to progressively widen Cleveland Street between the Princes Highway and St Paul's Place, and between St Paul's Place and Chalmers Street.[38] The first practical move to widen Cleveland Street (by 16 feet) from the Prince's Highway to St Paul's Place was made with the submission of plans for two new houses at a Redfern council meeting 9 November 1937, with the Main Roads Department making consideration of widening from St Paul's Place to Dowling Street (near Moore Park).[39]
In the 1930s the road was re-aligned and resurfaced. City of Sydney archive photos depict the road before[40] and after,[41] however it is unclear whether the metadata specifies a date of 1939 or 1933. Towards the south-east a Shell Service Station and the Camden Vale Milk Co Ltd building is visible in these photos and described in the captions.
In 1954 a nameplate was installed bearing the name, along with four directional signs to St Pauls Church[42] (now namedCathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady).
A 1980 photograph depicted heavy traffic, and political graffiti where advertisements are currently located.[43]
In 1991 the square was named in multiple photographs, one mentioning the road being widened[44] and one stating "The intersection has been widened so that the traffic crossing Cleveland Street get a straighter flow."[45]
The place has been used to specify the corner of council ward boundaries over multiple years. For example it defined Phillip Ward in February 1950,[46] Redfern Ward in April 1950,[47] Philip and Redfern in 1961,[48] the Chippendale subdivision in 1966,[49] Newtown Ward in 1969,[50] and Redfern in 1984.[51]
Between 1993 and 1995, Archibald prize winning artistNicholas Harding created the painting titled "St Paul's Place, Redfern" using oil on canvas on hardboard.[30] It was most recently exhibited at the S.H Ervin gallery inThe Rocks, in the exhibition "Margaret Olley: painter, peer, mentor, muse" in 2017.[30] It is listed in the collection of theArt Gallery of New South Wales.[30]
The City of Sydney Aerial Photographic Survey of 1949 displays photographs 82 and 83 with St Pauls Place in the title.[52][53]The 1939 - 1952 City of Sydney Civic Survey depicts St Paul's Place on the map of Redfern (Map 18).[54]
The Environmental Impact Statement of the 1987 Pyrmont - Alexandria Traffic Management Proposal[55] (also known as the Redfern one-way paired road or Southern Arterial) refers to the area as St. Paul's Place and includes several maps. Fig 3.10b ("The Existing Visual Environment St. Pauls Place") records a "Focus on city views" to the north-east and "Renovated building reinforces historical them of intersection" to the west. Figure 2.2b included a "Detail Plan" of the "Extended Bridge Deck" as part of the proposal. Figure 5.1b(ii) "Landscape Treatment St. Pauls Place" included "...shrub planting carried out along front of building to create a forecourt area with seating and pedestrian provisions".
In 2004, the square was depicted in theUBD Street Directory as St Paul's Place.[56]
The City of Sydney Spatial Services department of the City of Sydney names St Paul's Place as the site name of the intersection in their internal GIS software as of 2023. The address of the intersection, with object 14244 is recorded as 4010 St Paul's Place, Redfern, 2016.[31]
In 1999, a development application for two sign structures to be built on council land was rejected.[57] As of August 2024,OpenStreetMap depicts at least 19 large format advertising billboards in St Paul's Place.[58]
The Redfern Estate Heritage Conservation Area page on theDepartment of Planning and Environment website in 2021 stated that recommended management included "Interpret original subdivision of Redfern Estate, and St Pauls Place" under "Protection of Significance", and "Interpret St. Pauls Place" under "Enhance Significance of Area".[59]
The 2011 Australian drama seriesUnderbelly: Razor and 2012 Australian drama seriesRedfern Now were filmed on location in Redfern.[citation needed]
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