Lilyfield, New South Wales

Lilyfield
Sydney, New South Wales

Sensory Park in Leichhardt Park
Coordinates 33°52′23″S 151°09′58″E / 33.87303°S 151.16601°E / -33.87303; 151.16601Coordinates: 33°52′23″S 151°09′58″E / 33.87303°S 151.16601°E / -33.87303; 151.16601
Population 7,342 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density 3,340/km2 (8,640/sq mi)
Postcode(s) 2040
Area 2.2 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Location 6 km (4 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s) Inner West Council
State electorate(s) Balmain
Federal Division(s) Grayndler
Suburbs around Lilyfield:
Rodd Point Drummoyne Rozelle
Haberfield Lilyfield Glebe
Annandale Leichhardt Forest Lodge

Lilyfield is a suburb in the Inner West[2] of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lilyfield is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council.

Lilyfield is nestled in between the suburbs of Annandale, Rozelle and Leichhardt and is bounded to the west by Iron Cove. Originally a working-class area, today Lilyfield like many inner-city suburbs is becoming increasingly gentrified. Property investors, eager to capitalise on the suburb's proximity to the Sydney CBD, have purchased many of the original workers' cottages to renovate or develop. Although predominantly middle class, the suburb still retains some of its working-class roots and like its neighbouring suburbs, is home to people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

History

Popular belief has it that the area was once farmland and was named for the lilies that reportedly grew in the fields. However, its name origin remains unclear. Lilyfield was originally part of the suburb of Leichhardt.[3]

Kirkbride complex, Callan Park hospital

The most dominant landmark in the area is the former Callan Park hospital. This was built on land acquired from the Callan Estates, a property between Balmain Road and Iron Cove. A psychiatric hospital was designed by James Barnet, the government architect, based on an asylum in Kent and utilising the principles of Dr Kirkbride, an American psychiatrist.[4] Completed in 1884, the hospital was known until 1914 as the Callan Park Hospital for the Insane; the main part of the hospital, a cluster of sandstone buildings, was called the Kirkbride complex.

More recently, the Kirkbride complex became the home of the Sydney College of the Arts, and the hospital functions were confined to the western buildings. This is now known as Rozelle Hospital. The Kirkbride complex is listed on the Register of the National Estate.[5]

After the construction of the City West Link Road in the 1990s, the suburb was effectively split into two parts. One half on the Rozelle side of the road, the other half on the Leichhardt side. This dramatic change in the geography did much to disrupt the sense of community in the relatively secluded suburb and almost led to its being subsumed into the neighbouring suburbs.


Transport

Lilyfield Tram Stop. Lilyfield's relative close proximity to the Sydney CBD can be judged by the visibility of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background

Lilyfield tram stop, in Catherine Street, is served by the Dulwich Hill Line of Sydney's light rail network. The station opened in 2000, using a disused goods railway line from Central railway station. The stop was the western terminus of the light rail until 2014, when the line was extended along the route of another disused railway line to Dulwich Hill. Lilyfield was also the terminus of a tram line in the original Sydney tram system.

The 470 bus service runs from Lilyfield to the Sydney CBD via Glebe, Broadway and Elizabeth Street. The 370 service runs from Leichhardt to Coogee via Newtown. The 440 service runs from Rozelle to Bronte via Leichhardt, Camperdown, Paddington and Bondi Junction. The 444 and 445 services run from Balmain to Campsie railway station, via Norton Street. The 445 includes a diversion to serve the Lilyfield tram stop.

The City West Link Road is a major arterial road, which is part of the A4 and crosses the Anzac Bridge. It provides an alternative route to Parramatta Road for the Sydney CBD from Ashfield.

Bicycle routes in Lilyfield include part of the regional east-west route from Parramatta to the Sydney CBD, along Lilyfield Road, the Bay Run path around Iron Cove, and the Whites Creek path, which provides a north-south route from Parramatta Road to The Crescent at White Bay.

Parks and recreation

Leichhardt Park, which includes the Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre was originally part of Leichhardt, as was Leichhardt Oval. the home of the Wests Tigers/Balmain Tigers

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lilyfield (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Australian Suburb Guide: Sydney Inner West Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  3. ↑ The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 154
  4. ↑ The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/39
  5. ↑ The Heritage of Australia, pp.2/39-2/40
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