Wentworth Point, New South Wales

Wentworth Point Sydney, New South Wales
Looking across Homebush Bay to Sydney Olympic Park near Wentworth Point
Coordinates	33°49′35″S 151°04′41″E / 33.82647°S 151.07797°ECoordinates: 33°49′35″S 151°04′41″E / 33.82647°S 151.07797°E
Population	2,759 (2011 census)[1]
Established	2009
Postcode(s)	2127
Location	16 km (10 mi) west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Parramatta
State electorate(s)	Electoral district of Parramatta
Federal Division(s)	Reid
Suburbs around Wentworth Point: Melrose Park Meadowbank Rhodes Newington Wentworth Point Liberty Grove Lidcombe Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park

Wentworth Point is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wentworth Point is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of City of Parramatta. It is on the western shore of Homebush Bay on the southern side of the Parramatta River.

History

This suburb was once part of the suburb of Homebush, named after Homebush Bay, the bay with a natural and artificial shoreline on the southern side of the Parramatta River. Homebush was established in the 1800s by the colonies assistant surgeon D'arcy Wentworth.^[2] According to local government historian Michael Jones, "Wentworth is popularly credited with having called the area after his 'home in the bush', although Homebush is also a place in Kent." It is considered unlikely that it was named after the village in Kent as D'Arcy Wentworth was Irish and had no links to the English county.^[3]

The northern part of the peninsula had been named Wentworth Point and gazetted in 1976.^[4] The waterfront residential area was renamed Wentworth Point on 2 October 2009.^[5][6] Auburn Council sought public comment on a proposal to rename the Homebush Bay area, to remove confusion with its namesake suburb Homebush. The area encompassing Sydney Olympic Park was given autonomy as a suburb and the Carter Street industrial precinct was absorbed by the neighbouring suburb of Lidcombe, this brought the suburb of Homebush Bay to an end.

Industrial and commercial usage

After much of the area was reclaimed from Homebush Bay, Wentworth Point was used for a variety of industrial uses.

Notable businesses include Ralph Symonds, a plywood manufacturer, which used the river as a transport route for large logs, which were then moored in Homebush Bay while awaiting processing. Other activities have included McPhee Transport depot (now TNT who are due to move out in mid-2015), the former Head Office and warehouse space for Hyundai Cars (now occupied by Acer Computers) and a radio transmission tower for 2GB, a Sydney radio station.

de Havilland Marine (Large Craft) (registered company number F11799) was located on the waters edge at 5-7 Burroway Road, Homebush Bay. Due to a lack of new business it closed its doors in 1982. In the years prior it manufactured various large aluminium craft for both the local and international market. These included Carpentaria Class Patrol Boats for Burma & the Solomon Islands, Titan Work Boats for the New South Wales (NSW) government, and the hulls of the Nepean Bell which still operates on the Nepean River in NSW.

A dedicated F/book page has been created to preserve information and many pic's of DHM at Homebush Bay. It can be accessed by the title of Dehavilland Marine. (No gap in the spelling of Dehavilland) - David Woods.

Residential development

Prior to the move of the Royal Agricultural Society showgrounds from Moore Park to Homebush (as the area of Sydney Olympic Park was then known), much of Wentworth Point was bought by Payce Consolidated Limited. Most of Wentworth Point is now zoned for medium to high density residential development.

Internet

ADSL/ADSL2 is not available in the area because the nearest phone exchange is 8 km away on Parramatta Road. The Mariners Cove Community does have ADSL1 but with only 150 ports in the RIM and around 200 Apartments, many residents live without an ADSL connection and connect to the internet in other ways. For a long time Homelinx, which was owned by Payce Consolidated Limited, installed a fibre network and was the sole provider of internet to the Waterfront Community. Net Open Access came into being to hold the network owned by Homelinx to open up the network to competition and to give residents choice. Stealth Networks and W3 Networks now provide services, just as any other ISP can, as long as they cooperate with Net Open Access to start selling services as the network is open to anyone to use.

Transport

Buses

A 526 bus services Wentworth Point from Burwood to Rhodes in both directions. A 533 bus services Wentworth Point from Chatswood to Olympic Park in both directions.

Ferries

Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf is at the northern end of Wentworth Point and is served by Parramatta River ferry services. Regular services run to Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and Parramatta. The wharf was upgraded to have two docks and a faster transitions in 2015.

Trains

There are no train services to Wentworth Point, but the nearby Sydney Olympic Park has a station. Services are however infrequent out of major events and peak hours. The opening of Bennelong Bridge between Rhodes and Wentworth Point in May 2016 has provided residents easier access to Rhodes station.^[7]

Bennelong Bridge

The 300m Bennelong Bridge across Homebush Bay is open, providing benefits to residents of the Wentworth Point, Sydney Olympic Park and Newington areas.^[8] The bridge will be used by local buses 526 and 533 and emergency service vehicles along with cyclists and pedestrians, making it easier for residents to access shops, public transport and place Wentworth Point on the map as a bay run.

An additional local shuttle bus is expected to begin running soon. The project started early 2014 and opened on 22 May 2016.^[9][10]

Commercial areas

Wentworth Point has some small shops, cafes and restaurants, but has no significant shopping centre. There is a large supermarket and shopping centre at nearby Newington and Rhodes.

NSW Maritime owns about 18 hectares of land at the northern end of the point. This land has been subject to proposals for marine related development including boat storage. It has been considered as a possible location for a primary school.^[11]

Recreation

The local bridge is open and creates a bay run or cycle loop. A shorter 6 kilometer loop through Bicentennial Park or a longer 12 kilometer loop through to Silverwater Bridge is available.

Cycle paths extend further through Sydney Olympic Parklands used by cyclists, runners and walkers. And onwards to Parramatta and elsewhere.

Kayaking, rowing and dragon boating can be seen inside Homebush Bay, but water access and boat storage facilities are limited. There is a recreation club in Wentworth Point called ‘Pulse’ which has a 25-meter indoor heated pool, an outdoor recreational pool, gym and tennis courts. A wide range of other recreation facilities are available at nearby Sydney Olympic Park.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Wentworth Point (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
2. The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 124
3. Jones, Michael (1985). Oasis in the West: Strathfield's first hundred years. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin Australia. ISBN 0-86861-407-6, page 15
4. "Wentworth Point". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales.
5. http://www.auburn.nsw.gov.au/page.aspx?id=3946
6. "Wentworth Point". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales.
7. "Homebush Bay Bridge". www.homebushbaybridge.com.au. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
8. http://www.billbergia.com.au/news/a-bridge-to-belonging
9. http://www.homebushbaybridge.com.au/news.html
10. "Homebush Bay Bridge". www.homebushbaybridge.com.au. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
11. "Department of Planning and Environment - Wentworth Point". www.planning.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-02-27.