Abbotsford is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

in the

Inner West The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Abbotsford is 10 kilometres west of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often referr ...

in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

of the City of Canada Bay. Abbotsford sits on the

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

between Abbotsford Bay and Hen and Chicken Bay, on the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Se ...

History

Abbotsford took its name from Abbotsford House, owned by Sir Arthur Renwick. He named his property after Abbotsford House in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, the residence of

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

ist and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

Aboriginal culture

Abbotsford was first known by its Aboriginal name Bigi Bigi. The traditional owners are the Wangal clan of the Eora Nation.

European settlement

The suburb was originally part of Five Dock Farm and when subdivided in 1837, was called Feltham. Sir Arthur Renwick, a doctor, philanthropist and politician built his home here in 1890 and called it Abbotsford House in honour of Sir Walter Scott's home. Renwick sold his property in 1903 to Albert Grace, and in 1918 it became the site of a

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

chocolate factory, with the house used initially for chocolate production and later as their administrative offices. The factory was closed in 1991, after which the area was redeveloped as the medium-density Abbotsford Cove housing complex. Australian poet

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial perio ...

did not die in Abbotsford house in 1922, as is sometimes claimed, but at the home of Mrs Isabella Byers at 437 Great North Road, recently demolished. Abbotsford House is now listed on the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Herita ...

Demographics

According to the of the population, there were 5,373 residents in Abbotsford. 64.0% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were Italy 5.5%, England 3.4% and China 3.1%. 66.0% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 9.0%, Mandarin 3.0%, Cantonese 2.2% and Greek 2.1%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

38.6%, No Religion 23.7% and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

10.2%.

Transport

Transit Systems Transit Systems Group is an Australian-based public transport company, which also operates overseas through its subsidiary Tower Transit Group. Transit Systems Group is a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group, formerly SeaLink Travel Group. History ...

bus route 438 operates from

Abbotsford ferry wharf Abbotsford ferry wharf is located on the southern side of the Parramatta River serving the Sydney suburb of Abbotsford. It served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River services operating between Circular Quay and Parramatta. The single wharf is s ...

to Martin Place. Abbotsford ferry wharf is served by Parramatta River ferry services. Electric trams operated to Abbotsford until their replacement by buses in 1954.D. Keenan: ''Tramways of Sydney''. Transit Press 1979

Commercial area

Abbotsford has a small group of shops on Great North Road.

Education

Abbotsford Public School is a local primary school at 350 Great North Road.

Landmarks

File:Abbotsford Public School.JPG, Abbotsford Public School File:Abbotsford Day Care Centre.JPG, Victorian cottage used as Day Care Centre File:Abbotsford Presbyterian Church.JPG, Abbotsford Presbyterian Church File:Abbotsford Cove.JPG, Abbotsford Cove File:St Andrew's Abbotsford2.jpg, St Andrew's Anglican Church

Sport and recreation

Abbotsford Sailing Club and Sydney Rowing Club sit on the Parramatta River, at the end of Great North Road. Abbotsford houses the rowing sheds for Sydney Boys High School,

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

and Abbotsford Rowing Club.

Notable residents

* David Hicks *

Reg Latta Reginald Augustine 'Whip' Latta (1897–1970) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s who also became a coach. An Australia national and New South Wales state representative forward, he playe ...

* Sir

* Sir Arthur Renwick

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of Sydney City of Canada Bay