The metropolis ofGreater Sydney inNew South Wales, Australia, is informally subdivided into a number of geographic regions. The geographical definition ofGreater Sydney spans across 33 local government areas and includes theBlue Mountains in the west, theNorthern Beaches and theHawkesbury in the north, theRoyal National Park, theWollondilly andMacarthur in the south, andBotany Bay in the east. These areas sometimes, but not always, roughly coincide with official boundaries of suburbs, local government authorities, orcadastral units (used for land title purposes), and some of the customary regions do not have well defined boundaries at all. Some commonly referred to regions overlap: for example,Canterbury-Bankstown is often referred to as a region, but it is also part of theSouth Western Sydney region. The regions themselves are not used as a formal jurisdiction, and generally do not have administrative or legislative bodies, although some regions are coterminous with a local government area, and in a number of regions that include multiple local government areas,Regional Organisations of Councils have been established that represent the councils in the region.
For government planning purposes, the metropolis of Sydney is divided in other ways, including into "districts" or "cities".[1]
Described as the City of Suburbs, the "regions" of Sydney acquired their distinct social-geographical characteristics as a result of successive waves of development and suburbanisation, as well as geography.
Prior to European arrival, Sydney was inhabited by a number ofclans of Aboriginal people. The country inhabited by each clan is often defined by natural geographical features. As a result, there is often a degree of correlation between the traditional country of the Aboriginal custodians and the geographical regions. These include theGadi of theCadigal people, encompassing the City and the Eastern Suburbs;[2] theWanne of theWangal people, encompassing Inner West; theWallumetta of theWallumettagal people, encompassing the Ryde and Hunters Hill areas of Northern Sydney;[3] theCammeray of theCammeraygal people and theGorual of theGorualgal people, both in theLower North Shore; and theBurramatta of theBurramattagal people, in Western Sydney.[4]
The "City" region is the site of the earliest urban settlement after European arrival in 1788. Until the building of theSydney Harbour Bridge, development north of Sydney Harbour was constrained by geography, and most suburban development occurred in the areas immediately to the east and west of the City - the "Eastern Suburbs" and "Inner West" regions respectively. In the late 19th century, certain parts of those two regions were recognised as the premier residential areas of the emerging metropolis. Improved transport links across theParramatta River began changing this by the end of the 19th century. The 1895 bookHow to Know Sydney namedStrathfield (Inner West),Gladesville (Northern Suburbs),Double Bay,Darling Point,Rose Bay,Elizabeth Bay,Potts Point,Rushcutters Bay andPoint Piper (allEastern Suburbs) as the most fashionable residential suburbs, featuring large houses on extensive grounds.[5] The only suburb in this list which lay north of the river was Gladesville, which was serviced by a bridge across the Parramatta River built in 1881. The building of theSydney Harbour Bridge led to rapid development of the Lower North Shore region, and soon after, theUpper North Shore andNorthern Beaches, as new developments with large houses on generous lots appealed to residents seeking the "picturesque suburb" lifestyle. Together with the oldest suburbs in the East and Inner West, these regions still contain the most desirable residential areas of Sydney: as of the end of 2021, the 20 most expensive postcode areas in Australia (measured by median house price) were all in metropolitan Sydney, and included nine in the Eastern Suburbs, four on the Northern Beaches, two on the Lower North Shore, three on the Upper North Shore, one (straddlingHunters Hill andWoolwich) in Northern Sydney and one (Strathfield) in the Inner West.[6]
At the same time, the arrival of the suburban railway around the end of the 19th century led to development of existing towns and villages into new urban centres outside the traditional metropolis, such asParramatta,Bankstown andLiverpool. Increased urbanisation in the interwar years, and infill development afterWorld War II, including projects built as part of thesoldier settlement scheme,[7] eventually led to these centres becoming part of the metropolitan conurbation of Sydney. By the 1950s, previously rural areas such as theSutherland Shire were becoming rapidly suburbanised.[8]
The 1951County of Cumberland planning scheme attempted to rein inurban sprawl by designating an expansive "green belt", which would have limited further urbanisation beyond the already-urbanised parts of Western Sydney. The planned green belt stretched in a curve aroundPennant Hills,Baulkham Hills,Blacktown,Seven Hills andLiverpool before ending on the banks of theGeorges River oppositeEast Hills. A non-contiguous section would then have covered the westernSutherland Shire, roughly bordered by the Georges River in the north and theWoronora River in the east, connecting up existing national parks in the north and south.[9] The plan would have constrained suburbanised "Western Sydney" to a much smaller area than it is now, stretching fromLidcombe in the east toWestmead in the west, centred on the urban centre of Parramatta. However, the need to house an "explosion" in population after the war, together with continued demand for suburban housing, led to the "green belt" being whittled away starting from the 1960s. Although a version of the green belt survives, for example, in the form of theWestern Sydney Parklands, today'sGreater Western Sydney region is far larger than envisaged in the County of Cumberland plan, stretching contiguously west toPenrith and south beyondCampbelltown.[10]
TheCity is composed of the inner parts of the local government area of theCity of Sydney.[11] The core of the region known as City is theSydney CBD, and this is the City region in the narrow sense. However, City is often also used in a wider sense to include other inner suburbs within the City of Sydney local government area, such asHaymarket,The Rocks andPyrmont.[11] In this wider sense, the City region roughly corresponds with the four cadastral parishes ofSt Andrews,St Philip,St James andSt Lawrence.
The City of Sydney participates in the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) along with 11 other councils in the Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, St George and Canterbury-Bankstown regions.[12]
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The suburbs to the east and southeast of the city, bounded bySydney Harbour to the north, thePacific Ocean to the east, theEastern Distributor to the west, andBotany Bay to the south, are often referred to as theEastern Suburbs in the greater sense. This includes the entirety of the local government areas ofWaverley,Woollahra andRandwick as well as the eastern parts of theCity of Sydney andBayside Council.[13]
These five councils participate in the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) along with seven other councils in the Inner West, St George and Canterbury-Bankstown regions.[12]
The northern end of the Eastern Suburbs is centred onWaverley Council andWoollahra Council districts as well asThe Centennial Parklands which are directly east of theCBD. This area roughly corresponds with the cadastralParish of Alexandria as well as the FederalDivision of Wentworth.
The southern end of the Eastern Suburbs are the suburbs south-east of TheCBD including the entirety ofCity of Randwick and sometimes the suburbs of Bayside Council which are to the east of the Eastern Distributor, as well as theUniversity of New South Wales. The region roughly corresponds with the cadastralParish of Botany as well as the FederalDivision of Kingsford Smith.
The inner east refers to the suburbs directly surrounding the eastern and south-eastern borders of Sydney CBD within theCity of Sydney. This is because they can be considered both inner city and Eastern Suburbs.
The Western suburbs of Sydney is a large region, starting from the western boundary of the city centre and stretching some 60 kilometres to the west to the foothills of theBlue Mountains. This large area is conventionally divided into a number of regions (some of which overlap).
TheInner West is primarily composed of theInner West Council,Burwood Council,Municipality of Strathfield, and theCity of Canada Bay local government areas. It may also be regarded as including small parts of nearby local government areas such as the northeastern part of theCity of Canterbury-Bankstown (such as the suburb ofAshbury) and the western part of theCity of Sydney (such as the suburb ofGlebe). The region is approximately bounded by the Parramatta River in the north, Cooks River in the south, and in the west by theA3 arterial road (Centenary Drive / Homebush Bay Drive) and parklands adjacent to that road.
These six councils participate in the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) along with six other councils in the Eastern Suburbs and St George regions.[12]
Suburbs usually regarded as being in the Inner West region includeAbbotsford, Ashbury,Ashfield,Balmain,Burwood,Concord,Dulwich Hill,Five Dock, Glebe,Homebush,Hurlstone Park,Leichhardt,Lilyfield,Marrickville,Newtown,Rozelle,Strathfield andSummer Hill. The Inner West roughly corresponds to the two cadastral parishes ofPetersham (in the east) andConcord (in the west).
Western Sydney is generally regarded as the local government areas within metropolitan Sydney west of the Inner West. The region of Canterbury-Bankstown may or may not be regarded as part of Western Sydney, depending on context. Some councils of these local government areas participate in theWestern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, whose members are: theCity of Blacktown,City of Blue Mountains,Cumberland Council,City of Hawkesbury,City of Lithgow andCity of Liverpool.Fairfield,Parramatta,Canterbury-Bankstown,City of Hawkesbury, theHills Shire andPenrith are no longer WSROC members, although these local government areas are still regarded as part of Greater Western Sydney.
The primary regional centre of Western Sydney isParramatta. Some suburbs across different local government areas in this region includeGranville,Doonside,Cabramatta,Windsor,Wentworthville,Glenorie,Westmead,St Marys,Kellyville andEdmondson Park.
TheCanterbury-Bankstown region is centered on theCity of Canterbury-Bankstown local government area but is not coextensive with it. It is generally regarded as the area bounded approximately by theCooks River to the north and east,Wolli Creek to the south, andSalt Pan Creek andDuck River to the west. It covers the suburbs extending north-west from southern Canterbury, to the south ofLidcombe and north-east fromBankstown. The part of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown that lies north of the Cooks River is generally regarded as part of the Inner West region. The Canterbury-Bankstown region is a subset of South Western Sydney andGreater Western Sydney, and sometimes with some overlap with the Inner West region.
The primary centre of Canterbury-Bankstown isBankstown.
The City of Canterbury-Bankstown participates in the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) along with ten other councils in the Inner West, City, Eastern Suburbs and St George regions.[12]
The "Inner South West" is a region name used mostly in administrative and statistical contexts. It is based on theAustralian Bureau of Statistics statistical area of the same name.[14] It covers both theParish of St George (which covers the whole of this region except for the former City of Bankstown area), and the Parish of Bankstown. It therefore includes thelocal government area ofGeorges River Council (in the southeast), the western part ofBayside Council (formerly theCity of Rockdale) in the northeast, and, in the north and west, theCity of Canterbury-Bankstown excluding its northernmost parts.[15] It is therefore the combination of the Canterbury-Bankstown region and theSt George region, and includes the former City of Canterbury, which (depending on context) may be included in either of those regions. The term is frequently used in media reporting about the real estate market.[16]
Suburbs in theHills District are generally located withinThe Hills Shire local government area and parts of theCity of Parramatta Council andHornsby Shire are also included in the area. Suburbs includeCastle Hill,West Pennant Hills,Glenhaven,Kenthurst,Annangrove,Dural,Beaumont HillsKellyville,Baulkham Hills,Rouse Hill andBox Hill
TheMacarthur region is located to the outer south-west[17] of Sydney that includes theCity of Campbelltown andCamden Council.[18] TheWollondilly Shire is occasionally informally included in the Macarthur region.
South Western Sydney is a customary region that includes the south-western part of metropolitan Sydney. When used in the narrow sense, "South Western Sydney" refers to the southern portion of Western Sydney, roughly includingLiverpool,Campbelltown,Fairfield and some parts of theCanterbury-Bankstown local government areas.
The boundaries of this region are often imprecise, as it is sometimes also extended further south to include the Camden local government area, and sometimes even the Wollondilly Shire, in which usage the whole of the Macarthur region is included.
South Western Sydney, or "Sydney's southwest" as the media often calls it, is a subset of Greater Western Sydney.
The part of Sydney north of Sydney Harbour and theParramatta River is generally referred to as the Northern suburbs or Northern Sydney.
TheNorthern Suburbs includes suburbs in the local government areas ofHornsby Shire,City of Ryde,City of Willoughby,North Sydney Council,Municipality of Mosman,Municipality of Lane Cove,Northern Beaches Council,Ku-ring-gai Council,Municipality of Hunters Hill and the eastern parts of theCity of Parramatta Council. Suburbs includeEpping,Chatswood,Dee Why,Ryde andManly.
The Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils represents the northern Sydney councils, other than Northern Beaches council.
TheNorthern Beaches generally correlates with theNorthern Beaches Council local government area. Major suburbs includeManly,Dee Why,Mona Vale andNarrabeen.
Sydney'sForest district is located within the Northern Beaches Council local government area and is generally regarded as part of the largerNorthern Beaches region. Suburbs includeFrenchs Forest,Terrey Hills andBelrose.
TheLower North Shore usually refers to the land that is located to the north of theSydney Harbour Bridge, betweenLane Cove River andMiddle Harbour and as far north as Boundary Street,Roseville, or all suburbs within the local government areas ofMosman Council,City of Willoughby,Municipality of Lane Cove andNorth Sydney Council. Suburbs includeNeutral Bay,Northbridge,Lane Cove andChatswood. The Hunter's Hill peninsula (mostly in theMunicipality of Hunter's Hill, and some suburbs ofCity of Ryde) lies west of the Lane Cove River, but is sometimes also counted as part of the Lower North Shore.
TheUpper North Shore usually refers to all suburbs within the local government area ofKu-ring-gai, and a small area ofHornsby Shire, situated between Lane Cove National Park and Ku-ring-gai National Park, or suburbs between Boundary Street,Roseville, theM1 Motorway inWahroonga and up to Westleigh on Pennant Hills road. Suburbs includeLindfield,St Ives andPymble, Thornleigh, Westleigh, Normanhurst, Wahroonga, Turramurra and Gordon.
The suburbs approximately to the south and south-west ofSydney CBD and theSydney Airport are generally referred to as the southern suburbs orSouthern Sydney.
Southern Sydney is composed of theCity of Sydney (part),Bayside Council,Georges River Council and theSutherland Shire local government areas.
These four councils participates in the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) along with eight other councils in the Inner West, City, Eastern Suburbs and Canterbury-Bankstown regions.[12]
TheInner Southern Suburbs of Sydney sometimes referred to as 'South Sydney' include the southern suburbs ofCity of Sydney as well as some ofBayside Council. The area encompasses the suburbs directly south ofCentral Station or more specificallyCleveland Street leading all the way down to theAirport and fall west of theEastern Distributor but east ofAlexandra Canal. The area starts withRedfern then continues down throughEveleigh,Waterloo,Zetland,Alexandria,Beaconsfield,Rosebery,Eastlakes (West ofED) and ends inMascot.[citation needed]
The postcodes start at 2015 and end in 2020 with the suburbs ofBotany andBanksmeadow being the exception having the postcode of 2019 which while being geographically south of theCBD along with the included suburbs are actually past theAirport and on the other side of theEastern Distributor deeming them South-East and notInner South.
The region consists of three train stations beingRedfern,Green Square andMascot as well as aMetro station inWaterloo.Green Square is a locality situated at the meeting point of Alexandria, Zetland, Waterloo, and Beaconsfield.Green Square andMascot station are on theAirport Link completed in 2000 which is part of the T8Airport & South Line. Many of these suburbs were predominantly industrial and commercial but have now developed into new residential neighbourhoods of high rise apartments.
The Inner Southern Suburbs are often considered[by whom?] an indefinite region ofSydney as it is sometimes considered Inner city or included as part of theEastern Suburbs or more specifically South-East however strictly speaking these suburbs geographically are neither east nor south-east of the Sydney CBD.
TheSt George area includes all the suburbs in theGeorges River Council and part of theBayside Council government areas. This area corresponds to the eastern part of the cadastralParish of St George, from which the region derives its name. The western part of the Parish of St George was formerly in the City of Canterbury and now within Canterbury-Bankstown council.
The Shire generally correlates with theSutherland Shire local government area.
The region is mainly composed of theCity of Blue Mountains, which borders onSydney's metropolitan area, its foothills starting about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west ofthe state capital. Major towns in this local government area includeKatoomba,Blackheath andSpringwood.[19]
TheGreater Sydney Commission's regional plan for Sydney divide the metropolis into three "cities", with approximately defined boundaries. Alternatively, the metropolis is divided into more precisely defined "districts", each of which comprises multiple local government areas.[1] This scheme of division is also followed for metropolis-wide planning purposes by other New South Wales government bodies, such as in the government's "Future Transport Strategy".[20]
The "metropolis of three cities" comprises:[21]
The more precisely defined "districts" are the following:[23]
A district plan has been formulated for each district, and local government authorities are required to align their planning instruments to the priorities listed in the Metropolis of Three Cities (Regional Plan) and the relevant District Plan.