South-Eastern Sydney

The region can be defined as everything south of the Centennial Parklands and east of the M1 travelling down as far as Botany and La Perouse on Botany Bay. This area includes most of the suburbs within City of Randwick as well as the eastern portion of Bayside Council. This covers postcodes 2031 to 2036 with the addition of 2052 (UNSW), 2019 and part of 2018, consisting of 21 suburbs in total. Roughly this area corresponds with the Federal Division of Kingsford Smith (minus Mascot).

In a more expansive sense the area can sometimes include the Inner Southern Suburbs colloquially referred to as 'South Sydney' which are west of the M1, north of the Airport and south of Central station comprised of Redfern, Eveleigh, Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Waterloo, Zetland, Rosebery, Eastlakes (West of M1) and Mascot. These suburbs mostly fall within City of Sydney as well as a portion of Bayside Council and are occasionally referred to as South-Eastern Suburbs due to the fact that they are neighbouring, strictly speaking however these suburbs are directly south of Sydney CBD and not south-east.

For statistical purposes, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines a region of "Eastern Suburbs - South" which includes most of City of Randwick (minus Centennial Park and Port Botany) as well as a region called "Botany" which includes the part of Bayside Council that used to be City of Botany Bay along with the addition of Port Botany. Both regions are part of the ABS Statistical Area Level 3.

The South-Eastern Suburbs are part of the larger Eastern Sydney metropolitan area and occasionally references to Sydney's Eastern Suburbs in the greater sense can include some or all of the South-Eastern Suburbs. The Inner Southern Suburbs however are part of the larger Southern Sydney metropolitan area.

History[]

With The Municipalities Act of 1858, Randwick Council was established on February 23rd, 1859 making it the first suburban and the second oldest municipality in the Greater Sydney area, City of Sydney being the first, established on July 20th, 1842. The municipalities of Waverley, Glebe, Redfern, Woollahra, Paddington, Waterloo, Hunters Hill, Marrickville, Parramatta and Newtown came shortly after Randwick all establishing themselves within the following few years, most of which have been amalgamated since. Randwick Council started off much smaller than it is today until residential development and transport expanded as far south as La Perouse in the 1900s with most of the area originally being swamps.

The portion of Sydney's South-Eastern Suburbs within Bayside Council were once governed by the Borough of Botany which was established March 29th, 1888 at the same time as the separate neighbouring Borough of North Botany (Mascot). Both boroughs were primarily industrial areas at the time and as development expanded, in 1906 both boroughs were proclaimed municipalities. In 1911, The Municipality of North Botany changed its name to The Municipality of Mascot in order to differentiate themselves from their southern neighbour. In 1949 The Municipality of Mascot was dismantled and all suburbs were amalgamated into The Municipality of Botany. In 1996 The Municipality of Botany was declared The City of Botany Bay before being forcibly amalgamated 20 years later with the City of Rockdale to form the current Bayside Council in 2016.

Landmarks[]

The largest commercial hubs in Sydney's South-Eastern Suburbs are Randwick and Maroubra Junction which provide transport, services, restaurants, residential space, retail space and office space. A popular locality within Sydney's South-Eastern Suburbs is ‘The Spot’ in Randwick which is a destination filled with restaurants and a famous local cinema called ‘The Ritz’. Annually The Spot holds its own festival with outdoor markets and entertainment. Randwick’s central location within Eastern Sydney is to blame for what makes it such a thriving hot spot.

Shopping centres in Sydney's South-Eastern Suburbs include Royal Randwick Shopping Centre, Pacific Square in Maroubra, Southpoint in Hillsdale and Westfield Eastgardens which is Sydney's largest south-eastern shopping centre. Westfield Eastgardens lies on the site of the former Pagewood bus depot. The centre was completed in 1987 falling within the suburb of Pagewood and partially Hillsdale before becoming the suburb it is today named after the shopping centre itself.

Sydney's south-eastern university is The University of New South Wales or ‘UNSW’, located in Kensington. The UNSW is one of the top performing universities in Australia. Within the same suburb of Kensington lies the National Institute of Dramatic Arts or ‘NIDA’. Sydney's south-eastern port is Port Botany which is New South Wales' largest container port.

Transport[]

The major transportation infrastructure for Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs is the CBD and South East Light Rail. Completed in 2020 The CBD and South East Light Rail splits at Moore Park with one line terminating at Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick and the other line terminating at The Juniors Leagues Club in Kingsford. The light rail takes residents of both Randwick and Kingsford as well as Kensington to Circular Quay via Moore Park, Surry Hills and George Street in the Sydney CBD.

Major roads connecting Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs to Sydney CBD are Anzac Parade, The Eastern Distributor, Southern Cross Drive, Bunnerong Road and Alison Road. Other major roads in Sydney's South-Eastern Suburbs include Coogee Bay Road, Clovelly Road, Darley Road, Avoca Street, High Street, Banks Avenue, Arden Street, Malabar Road, Maroubra Road, Beauchamp Road, Rainbow Street and Foreshore Road.

Sporting Culture & Recreation[]

Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs are a strong supporter of the NRL South Sydney Rabbitohs. Although based in the Inner Southern Suburb of Redfern, The South Sydney Rabbitohs have leagues clubs called ‘The Juniors’ in Kingsford, Maroubra and Malabar. These clubs provide entertainment and events.

Sydney's south-eastern racecourse is Royal Randwick Racecourse which is NSW's largest racetrack and is a popular recreational spot for residents in Eastern Sydney as well as all over Sydney.

Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs are popular for surfing and beach culture with the popular beaches and bays of Clovelly Beach, Gordon's Bay, Coogee Beach, Lurline Bay, Maroubra Beach, Malabar Beach, Little Bay Beach, Little Congwong Beach, Congwong Beach, Frenchmans Beach, La Perouse and Yarra Bay Beach in Phillip Bay with Maroubra Beach being Sydney's largest south-eastern beach.

Golfing is a sport enjoyed by many residents in Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs with golf courses in Kensington, Eastlakes, Pagewood, Botany, Malabar, Little Bay and La Perouse.

Governance[]

Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs are mostly governed by Randwick City Council with a portion governed by Bayside Council. The Randwick City Council Chambers are in Randwick Town Hall which was completed in 1882.

At the federal government level, the South-Eastern Suburbs fall within the Federal Division of Kingsford Smith which extends to Mascot and is named after Sydney Airport. At the state government level Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs are represented by a few electorates in the lower house. The main electoral district is 'Marouba' with a portion of the area also falling within the electoral districts of 'Coogee' and 'Heffron'.

The political allegiances of these electorates and divisions reflect the socio-demographic profile of the region. The Federal Division of Kingsford Smith has been held by the working class 'Australian Labor Party' since its establishment in 1949. The same can be said for the electoral districts of 'Maroubra' and 'Heffron' which have also been held by the Australian Labor Party since each of them was established. The electoral district of 'Coogee' is historically a more marginal electorate with parts of it falling within Waverley Council in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

Sydney’s South-Eastern Suburbs Listing[]

Randwick City Council[]

(2031) Clovelly
(2031) Randwick
(2032) Kingsford
(2033) Kensington
(2034) Coogee
(2034) South Coogee
(2035) Maroubra
(2036) Chifley
(2036) La Perouse
(2036) Little Bay
(2036) Malabar
(2036) Matraville
(2036) Phillip Bay
(2036) Port Botany

Bayside Council (Eastern Side)[]

(2018) Eastlakes (East of M1)
(2019) Banksmeadow
(2019) Botany
(2032) Daceyville
(2035) Pagewood
(2036) Eastgardens
(2036) Hillsdale

South-Eastern Sydney

Contents

Location[]