Auburn is a

Western Sydney Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

suburb in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. Auburn is located west of the Sydney central business district and is in the local government area of

Cumberland City Council Cumberland Council, trading as Cumberland City Council, is a local government area located in the western suburbs of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of parts of the Citie ...

, having previously been the administrative centre of Auburn Council. The suburb was named after

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel '' The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem '' The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his ...

's poem ''

The Deserted Village ''The Deserted Village'' is a poem by Oliver Goldsmith published in 1770. It is a work of social commentary, and condemns rural depopulation and the pursuit of excessive wealth. The poem is written in heroic couplets, and describes the declin ...

'', which describes 'Auburn' in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

as the "loveliest village of the plain". Auburn prides itself as one of the most multicultural communities in Australia, being home to a high percentage of immigrants from

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pa ...

, Turkish,

Lebanese Lebanese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Lebanese Republic * Lebanese people The Lebanese people ( ar, الشعب اللبناني / ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may al ...

, and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

backgrounds.

History

Origins

The Auburn area was once used by Aboriginal people as a market place for the exchange of goods, a site for ritual battles and a 'Law Place' for ceremonies. The area was located on the border between the Darug inland group and the Eora/Dharawal coastal group. The Wangal and Wategoro, sub-groups or clans, are the groups most often recognised as the original inhabitants of the Auburn/Homebush Bay region. Bennelong, one of the most famous Natives of the time, was a member of Wangal, as was his wife, Barangaroo.

Pemulwuy Pemulwuy (also rendered as Pimbloy, Pemulvoy, Pemulwoy, Pemulwy or Pemulwye, or sometimes by contemporary Europeans as Bimblewove, Bumbleway or Bembulwoyan) (c. 1750 – 2 June 1802) was a Bidjigal man of the Eora nation, born around 1750 in ...

, who organised tribes to resist the white settlement of the Sydney region from 1790 to 1802 was also a member of the Wangal. On 5 February 1788, soon after the landing of Captain

Phillip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

at Sydney Cove, Captain John Hunter and Lieutenant William Bradley sailed up what is now known as the Parramatta River, as far as Homebush Bay. Captain Hunter was the first European to set foot within the Auburn Local Government Area. Ten days later, the Governor, along with a well-armed party in three boats, reached Homebush Bay. They ventured about inland. The following day a party of explorers traced the river in a westerly direction, coming to the place where the Duck River enters the Parramatta River. They explored the tributary as far as the depth of water permitted. Seeing what appeared to be ducks rising out of a swamp covered with reeds, they named the river Duck River. The ducks were actually Eastern Swamp Hens, but the name Duck River remained. The Eastern Swamp Hen featured prominently on the council's Coat of Arms and was part of the former Auburn City Council logo.

Settlement

In February 1793, Auburn area was established as the first free-agricultural settlement thanks to Governor Phillip's repeated applications to the British government for free settlers. Phillip was of the opinion that only free settlers with the assistance of convicts will be able to create an environment in which a country could support its inhabitants. Secretary Dundas endorsed Governor's opinion and secured an agreement with several farmers, some of whom were members of the Religious Society of Friends (

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

), to settle in the colony. The first grants were given to Thomas Rose, Frederic Meredith, Thomas and Joseph Webb as well as Edward Powell. The deeds of the land described the farms' location as Liberty Plains and this is the name given to the neighbourhood of their farms by the first settlers, although the actual area bearing that name was a little further, lying at the upper part of Port Jackson. Dwellers of the Liberty Plains Parish were very proud of the fact that in the colony of felons they were the first people who came to Australia as free men and were given a privilege of choosing their own grants. This proud heritage is reflected in the motto on the Auburn coat of arms: "Liberty, with steady zeal". In the late 1870s a "township" was surveyed "in the centre of the Liberty Plains… 11 miles from Sydney, on the Suburban Railway line" and divided into "fine township allotments all fronting grand wide streets". The subdivision was named 'Auburn', being a reference to Goldsmith's poem 'The Deserted Village'. The poem begins: "Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain". Advertisements for the sale of allotments in May 1878 quoted the poem and added: "So wrote the poet in years gone by in describing the 'Auburn' of Old England, and fitly does it describe the new Auburn of the Sunny South". One of the early settlers in the area was Fred Chisholm, who had an estate west of the present site of Auburn railway station. In the 1880s, John Buchanan, a timber merchant, purchased land from Fred Chisholm and built his home, 'Duncraggarn Hall', a two-storey

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italia ...

mansion with a central tower and elaborate wrought-iron balconies. In 1892, Buchanan sold his thirteen-acre estate to the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The ...

, who turned the house into St Joseph's Hospital for Consumptives. In 1903, extensions to the hospital were constructed and the house itself became a convent for the sisters. Further modifications and extensions took place over the years, with the eventual result that the old hospital site became St Joseph's Village—a retirement village—with a modern hospital next door. 'Duncraggarn Hall' is heritage-listed.

Auburn council

The formal Auburn Local Government Area was formed in 1948, when Auburn and Lidcombe Councils merged into Auburn Municipal Council. In 2006 it became the

City of Auburn The Auburn City Council (formally City of Auburn) was a local government area in the Greater Western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. Prior to its 2016 merger, the council area was located about west of the Sydney central busines ...

which in 2016 was split between other local government areas.

20th century and immigration

In the late 20th century, Auburn became a popular point of settlement for successive waves of immigrants. In the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

era, immigrants from the

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

settled in Auburn, who were succeeded in the 1960s by immigrants from

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

. More recently, a large number of immigrants have settled in Auburn from China and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

. The history of immigrant settlement in Auburn has resulted in a suburb which is noted for its multicultural environment.

Heritage listings

Auburn has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Great Southern and Western railway:

Auburn Railway Signal Box Auburn Railway Signal Box is a heritage-listed railway signal box on the Main Suburban railway line, Auburn, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) and built in 1954 by the NSW Department of ...

* 93 Parramatta Road:

Electricity Substation No. 167 Electricity Substation No. 167 is a heritage-listed electrical substation at 93 Parramatta Road, Auburn, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built from 1924 to 1929 by the Municipal Council of Sydney, with the C ...

Commercial area

Auburn has a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial areas. A commercial area is located close to

Auburn railway station Auburn station may refer to: * Auburn station (California), in Auburn, California * Auburn station (SEPTA), a former station in Auburn, Pennsylvania * Auburn station (Sound Transit), in Auburn, Washington * Auburn Park station, a planned railro ...

. There are many multicultural restaurants and cafes. South of the railway station, the commercial area stretches for approximately and features many shops, restaurants and supermarkets, including a number of shops and restaurants specialising in

Middle Eastern The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europea ...

, Turkish and

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

n products and cuisine. This reflects Auburn's history as a popular place of settlement for successive waves of immigrants in Sydney. It is a focal point especially for significant events such as football matches or political developments in the Middle East. Some distance north of the town centre clustered around the railway station, commercial and industrial developments are also located along the length of

Parramatta Road Parramatta Road is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, connecting the Sydney CBD with Parramatta. It is the easternmost part of the Great Western Highway. Since the 1990s its role has been ...

and surrounding streets. It is home to the LFL team Auburn Wildcats who play in the Australian Eastern Conference as it is one of 6 teams in Sydney who represent this league. There are 40 teams in total of the LFL Australia and 12 are located in NSW. File:Auburn NSW 2144, Australia - panoramio (15).jpg, Street scene in the town centre File:Auburn NSW 2144, Australia - panoramio (27).jpg, Street scene in the town centre File:(1)Keighery_Hotel_Auburn.jpg, The Keighery Hotel, located close to the railway station Image:Auburn Parramatta Road 3.JPG, Harvey Norman Centre, Parramatta Road Image:Auburn Parramatta Road 2.JPG, Bell Tower Complex, Parramatta Road Image:Nick-scali.jpg, Nick Scali Centre, Parramatta Road

Transport services

Rail

Auburn railway station is on the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

and Inner West & Leppington lines of the

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger Railways in Sydney, rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Railways in Sydney, network is a hybrid urban rail, urban-suburban rail system with a central un ...

network, where there are frequent services. The Auburn Maintenance Centre, a large maintenance and storage facility which services Sydney Trains rolling stock, is located to the northwest of the town centre, close to Clyde station.

Bus

Auburn also has a number of bus services, which service Auburn and the surrounding areas.

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Great Lakes, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia. History The ori ...

operate two routes to and from Auburn station: *540: to

Silverwater Correctional Complex The Silverwater Correctional Complex, an Australian maximum and minimum security prison complex for males and females, is located in Silverwater, west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The complex is operat ...

*544: to

Macquarie Centre Macquarie Centre is a shopping centre in the suburb of Macquarie Park on the North Shore of Sydney and is located opposite the main campus of Macquarie University. Transport The Metro North West Line offers frequent services to Macquarie U ...

Transdev NSW Transdev NSW is a bus operator in the northern, southern and western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, operating on behalf of Transport for NSW. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia. It is a different subsidiary to Transdev John Holland, whi ...

operates four routes via Auburn station: *908:

Merrylands Merrylands is a suburb in Western Sydney, Australia. Merrylands is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is in the local government area of the Cumberland City Council. History Merrylands was named after the f ...

Bankstown Bankstown is a suburb south west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is located in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, ...

*909:

Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...

to Bankstown *911: to Bankstown *S3: to

Auburn Botanical Gardens The Auburn Botanic Gardens are a botanical garden located in Auburn (a suburb of Sydney), New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1977 and covers an area of . There are two lakes, a waterfall and bridges. Duck River winds through t ...

Auburn railway station is served by two NightRide routes: *N60:

Fairfield station Fairfield may refer to: Places Australia * Fairfield, New South Wales, a western suburb of Sydney. **Electoral district of Fairfield, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Fairfield, Queensland * Fairfield, Victor ...

to Town Hall station *N61: Carlingford station to Town Hall station

Landmarks

Auburn Hospital Auburn Hospital is a 155-bed community hospital in Auburn, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It provides basic 24-hour emergency facilities, as well as a medical, surgical, paediatrics, and maternity facilities as well as ...

with basic 24-hour emergency facilities is on Norval and Hargrave Streets. *

Schools

* Al-Faisal College *Alpha Omega Senior College *Auburn Girls High School *Auburn North Public School *Auburn West Public School *Auburn Public School *

Amity College Amity College, previously called Sule College, is an independent, non-denominational school that is currently operating in three different campuses in , the Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wa ...

(Auburn Campus) *St John of God Primary school *St Joseph The Worker Primary School * Trinity Catholic College * Sydney Adventist College, Auburn Campus

Religious structures

The Auburn Baptist Church opened in 1888 and since 1928 has resided at its present location on Harrow Road. The Sri Mandir in Auburn is Australia's oldest Hindu temple, having opened in 1977. The Auburn Gallipoli Mosque took thirteen years to construct and was largely funded by the Turkish community in the area. The name of the mosque reflects the legacy of Gallipoli in Turkey and the shared bond between Australian society and the Australian Turkish Muslim Community who constructed the

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...

Population

Demographics

According to the 2016 census of population, there were 37,366 residents in Auburn. 29.5% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were China 12.7%, Nepal 6.5%, Afghanistan 6.1%, Pakistan 5.5% and India 5.0%. 12.9% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 13.3%, Mandarin 12.0%, Turkish 8.4%, Cantonese 6.8% and Nepali 6.7%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Islam 43.0%, No Religion 15.5%, Catholic 9.7% and Hinduism 8.8%.

Notable people

Chris Bath Christine Bath (born 13 May 1967) is an Australian journalist, radio and television presenter and news anchor. Bath was host of Evenings on ABC Radio Sydney from 2017 to 2019, and has previously been a weekend presenter of ''Seven News'' in Syd ...

, television and radio journalist *

John Benaud John Benaud (born 11 May 1944) is a former Australian cricketer. Benaud is the son of Louis and Irene Benaud. His only sibling was fellow cricketer Richie Benaud, who was older by 13 years. John is married to Lindsay Benaud with two children. ...

, Australian test cricketer *

Hippolyte De La Rue Air Commodore Hippolyte Ferdinand (Frank) De La Rue, CBE, DFC (13 March 1891 – 18 May 1977) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Joining the Mercantile Marine as a youth, he became a pilot in Brita ...

, Senior RAAF Commander * Ahmad Elrich, football (soccer) *

Tarek Elrich Tariq ( ar, طارق) is an Arabic word and given name. Etymology The word is derived from the Arabic verb , ('), meaning "to strike", and into the agentive conjugated doer form , ('), meaning "striker". It became popular as a name after Tariq ...

, football (soccer) *

Brad Fittler Bradley Scott Fittler (born 5 February 1972), also known by the nickname of "Freddy", is the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, a commentator and a television presenter. Fittler has previously coached the Sydney Roosters i ...

, former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

player, coach, and sportscaster, born in Auburn. *

Alex Gersbach Alexander Joseph Gersbach ( ; born 8 May 1997) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a left back for MLS team Colorado Rapids and the Australia national team. He made his debut for Australia in 2016, having previously played nu ...

, football (soccer) *

Jamal Idris Jamal Dasuki Idris is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. Idris was a junior athletics record holder and played in representative teams such as: Country, the indigenous nrl all stars New South Wales rugby league team, New ...

, rugby league player * Scott Jamieson, football (soccer) *

Tomi Juric Tomi Juric ( ; hr, Jurić, ; born 22 July 1991) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a striker for A-League club Melbourne Victory and the Australia national soccer team. Club career Adelaide United On 10 February 2013, after ...

, football (soccer) * Jack Lang, former Premier of NSW (1925–1927, 1930–1932), had a long and close association with Auburn, setting up a successful real estate business there. He went on to serve on the local council, eventually becoming Mayor. He died in Auburn in 1975 *

Feleti Mateo Feleti Sosefo Mateo (born 2 June 1984) is a former Tonga international rugby league footballer. He played a variety of positions from and five-eighth. Mateo was also selected to represent NSW City Origin and the NRL All Stars. He last pla ...

, rugby league player * Salim Mehajer, suspended deputy mayor of

Auburn City Council The Auburn City Council (formally City of Auburn) was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Greater Western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. Prior to its 2016 merger, the council area was located about west ...

. Attracted national infamy for his grossly exuberant wedding, criminal record, allegations of corruption and electoral fraud. * Grant Millington, rugby league player * John Moulton was a general surgeon in Auburn *

Warren Mundine Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine is an Australian Aboriginal leader and politician. He was the National President of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but quit the party in 2012. Mundine was appointed chairman of the Coalition government's Indi ...

, the first Indigenous president of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms ...

. Born in Grafton in 1956, Warren and his family lived in Auburn in the mid-1960s. * Lelea Paea, rugby league and rugby union player *

Lopini Paea Lopini Paea (born 19 April 1984) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who last played for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and the Catalans Dragons in the Sup ...

, rugby league player * Mickey Paea, rugby league player *

Stanley Llewellyn Perry Stanley Llewellyn Perry was born on 23 August 1890 in Sydney. He is the eldest son of seven children born to English poulterer John William Perry and his wife Louisa, née Mitchell. Perry became surgeon major of the 3rd Battalion when attended A ...

, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 48th Battalion during World War I *

Garry Rush Garry Rush (born July 5, 1944)) is a retired Australian professional motor racing driver. Born in the New South Wales town of Camden, he competed in Sprintcars, Speedcars, NASCAR, Formula Ford and Touring cars in a 40 year career. Rush won a recor ...

, racing driver * Myuran Sukumaran (1981–2015), executed drug trafficker and co-ringleader of the

Bali Nine The Bali Nine were nine Australians convicted for attempting to smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were ...

* Zeb Taia, rugby league player * Kelepi Tanginoa, rugby league player *

Tevita Tatola Tevita "Junior" Tatola (born 10 November 1996) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL. Background Tatola was born in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia. He is of Tongan de ...

, rugby league player with

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are ...

Anthony Watmough Anthony Watmough (born 10 July 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played the majority of his career with the Manly-Warrin ...

, rugby league player

Pop culture

* SBS television drama ''

East West 101 ''East West 101'' was a drama series airing on the SBS network. The series was produced and created by Steven Knapman and Kris Wyld, the team behind other drama series such as '' Wildside'' and '' White Collar Blue''. It ran from 2007–2011, h ...

'' was filmed in Auburn.

References

External links

Auburn Council Website

2001 Census Information
* C-By-SA {{DEFAULTSORT:Auburn, New South Wales Suburbs of Sydney Turkish communities outside Turkey Populated places established in 1793 Muslim enclaves