Mortdale 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 separate ...

located in

southern Sydney Southern Sydney is the southern metropolitan area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Southern Sydney includes the suburbs in the local government areas of Georges River Council and part of Bayside Council (collectively known ...

, 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 state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Mortdale is located 20 kilometres south of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, 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 c ...

and is part of the

St George Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

area. Mortdale is situated 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 ...

Georges River Council Georges River Council is a local government area located in the St George region of Sydney located south of the CBD, in New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of the Kogarah City Council and Hurstvi ...

. Mortdale extends south to Lime Kiln Bay, on the

Georges River The Georges River, also known as Tucoerah River, is an intermediate tide-dominated drowned valley estuary, located to the south and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The river travels for approximately in a north and then easterly ...

Mortdale Heights Mortdale is a suburb located in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mortdale is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Mortdale is situated in the ...

is a locality in the western corner of the suburb.

History

Mortdale has been known in the past as Mort's Road, Mort's Hill, Mort's Crossing, Mort's Township and Mort Dale. The suburb was named after Sydney industrialist

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (23 December 18169 May 1878) was an Australian industrialist who improved the refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-Works in ...

(1816–1878), who was famous for pioneering the refrigeration of shipping meat and the construction of

Mort's Dock Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959. The site is now parkland. Histor ...

, Balmain. Thomas Mort purchased the land from Robert Townson (1763–1827), who had been granted land in the Hurstville area with his brother John Townson. A small farming community started when the land around Mort's Road was subdivided into 17 farms. The Hurstville Steam Brick Company (better known as Judds Brickworks) was established in 1884 by William George Judd. The large brick-making chimneys were easily seen from around the district. The first residences were built opposite the Brickworks in 1885. The railway was extended through the district around the same time. The railway divided two of the main farms, Kemp's orange orchard and Parkes's farm near Victoria Avenue, and these were subdivided for housing by 1894. The official title for the suburb was set as Mortdale when the railway station opened with that name on 20 March 1897. The school opened in January 1889, and the post office and grocery store opened in November. Mortdale became a popular residential suburb in 1920s for soldiers returning from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1921, there was a movement for Mortdale to split from Hurstville and form a separate municipality. An official 1923 inquiry into the proposed Municipality of Mortdale decided against the change, despite the separation movement having the law behind them. At the same time there was also a push to have the name of Mortdale changed due to its similarity with the suburb of Mortlake and the association with its literal translation from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

('Valley of the Dead'). Suggestions by various groups over several years included: Leyton, Montrose, Morella, Kingrose and Boronia. A final list approved by the Department of Lands were: Carruthers, Princemead, Wyargine, and Storrieville, but the matter was never resolved.

Commercial area

Mortdale consists mainly of residential dwellings with some commercial and industrial developments in the north-west corner. The main shopping centre is located on Morts Road and Pitt Street, near

Mortdale railway station Mortdale railway station is located on the Illawarra line, serving the Sydney suburb of Mortdale. It is served by Sydney Trains T4 line services. History Mortdale station opened on 20 March 1897 being relocated north to its current location on ...

. Commercial and industrial developments are located along Boundary Road. A number of streets near the commercial area are named after notable streets in the Sydney CBD; These include: George Street,

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

Pitt Street Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sec ...

Macquarie Place The Macquarie Place Park, also known as the Macquarie Place Precinct, is a heritage-listed small triangular urban park located in the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Th ...

and

Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...

. This is the only group of Sydney-wide streets named as such. File:Mortdale Fire Station.jpg, Mortdale Fire Station File:Mortdale Hotel.jpg, Mortdale Hotel File:Mortdale Masonic.JPG, Woronora Lodge, Mortdale Masonic Centre (now demolished)

Transport

is on the

Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line (numbered T4, coloured azure blue) is a commuter railway line in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and is a part of the Sydney Trains network. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to ...

of the

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban- suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...

network. Mortdale is a 30min (approx) train journey from the city.

Punchbowl Bus Company Punchbowl Bus Company is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney Region 5, servicing the Hurstville, Roselands, Bankstown, Strathfield and surrounding suburbs. It also operates bus services in Goulburn and Crookwell in the Souther ...

services 944, 945 and 955 run throughout the week, with limited services on weekends.

Churches

* Christ Church Anglican * Mortdale Uniting Church * Mortdale Oatley Baptist Church * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) * Hurstville District

Christadelphian The Christadelphians () or Christadelphianism are a restorationist and millenarian Christian group who hold a view of biblical unitarianism. There are approximately 50,000 Christadelphians in around 120 countries. The movement developed in the U ...

Ecclesia * Mortdale Spiritual Church

Schools

* Mortdale Public School * Carinya Special School *

Marist College Penshurst Marist Catholic College Penshurst (established 1953) is a co-educational high school located in Penshurst, a southern suburb of Sydney, Australia. The school currently caters for approximately 1000 students from Years 7 to 12. Since 2020, the s ...

* Penshurst West Public School

Parks and Waterways

Mortdale Memorial Park Mortdale Memorial Park is a reserve located in the southern Sydney suburb of Mortdale. It contains a war memorial commemorating local people who served their country in time of war. The park is a popular place for picnics, weddings, and concerts ...

, Renown Park, Jubilee Park, Hurstville Golf Course, Mick Downes Reserve, Oatley Heights Park, Lime Kiln Bay Reserve, Olds Park, Edith Park, Beatty Street Reserve, Ruby Wing Reserve, Paddy Tyler Reserve, Milsop Place Reserve, Sunlea Avenue Reserve, Treloar Avenue Reserve, Walter Street Reserve, Nicol Murray Reserve, Lesley Crescent Reserve, MortdaleMemorialPark

, Lime Kiln Bay, Dairy Creek

Landmarks

* Historic Buildings - Mortdale Fire Station, Old Police Station, Mortdale Hotel,

, Mortdale RSL Club, Mortdale Bowling Club (demolished 2012), St George Masonic Club, Mortdale Scout Hall, Mortdale Senior Citizens Centre, Ellen Subway underpass. *

- Contains a perimeter of large

Small-leaved Fig ''Ficus obliqua'', commonly known as the small-leaved fig, is a tree in the family Moraceae, native to eastern Australia, New Guinea, eastern Indonesia to Sulawesi and islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Previously known for many years a ...

trees, a classical rotunda and a decorative War Memorial. The park is popular for picnics, weddings, and concerts.

Sport

* Hurstville Golf Course - 18-hole golf course * Ken Rosewall Tennis Centre - 8 tennis courts adjoining the golf course * Renown United Rugby League Club - play at Renown Park, Mortdale * Mortdale Heights Cricket Club - play at Oatley Park Oval * Hurstville Small Bore Range - rimfire shooting rifle range opposite the golf course * Beatty Street Reserve - Cricket Nets * Jubilee Park - netball court

Pop culture

Mortdale has been colloquially referred to as the "Valley of the Dead" or "Death Valley", due to the Latin ''mort'' ("death") and English ''dale'' ("valley"). In 1992,

Su Cruickshank Susan Cruickshank (31 August 1946 – 8 December 2009), commonly known as Su Cruickshank, was an Australian jazz singer, actress and writer. She was regarded as one of the finest female jazz singers in Australian history. Early life Cruickshank ...

, published a book entitled 'Bring A Plate to The Mortdale Scout Hall - The Autobiography of a Fat Tart Complete with Recipes'.

Population

Demographics

According to the , there were 21404 people usually resident in Mortdale, being 49.4% male and 50.6% female, median age 40 years. 34.9% stated they were born overseas, with the top countries of birth being China 7.7%, Nepal 2.3%, England 2.2% and Hong Kong 1.6%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 62.6% of residents, and the most common other languages spoken were Mandarin 8.1%, Cantonese 5.2%, Greek 2.9%, Macedonian 2.7%, and Nepali 2.4% . The most common responses for religious affiliation were no religion 32.1%,

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 ...

24.4%,

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 th ...

11.2% and

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

8.0%, with religion not stated being 4.7%. Mortdale households consisted of 50.3% occupied by 2 parent families, single parent families 12.9%, 35.2% by couples with no children at home, and 1.4% by others. 31.8% of households were purchasing their homes, 28.7% were renting, and 37.3% were owned outright (others not stated). There were 56.4% of these in separate houses, semi-detached 13.8%, and 29% in apartments. 41.0% had one vehicle, and 34.7% had 2.

Notable residents

Mark Gasnier Mark Gasnier (born 19 July 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A rugby league New South Wales State of Origin and international representative , he played eleven seasons in the N ...

- St George

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 ...

footballer *

Reg Gasnier Reginald William "Reg" Gasnier (12 May 1939 – 11 May 2014) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967 and represented Australian national rugby league team, Australia in a then ...

- St George Rugby league footballer * J. H. Leonard - illustrator * Billy Smith - St George Rugby league footballer * Ruby Violet Payne-Scott (1912-1981) - physicist, radio astronomer and schoolteacher

Mortdale Heights

Mortdale Heights is a waterfront locality located between the Georges River and the western edge of the

of Mortdale in southern

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 Mountain ...

, in the state of

. Mortdale Heights is located 20 kilometres south of the

in the

of the

. This small, elevated area is bounded on the south by Oatley Heights Park and Lime Kiln Bay, and on the west by Hurstville Golf Course. It is known for the unusual choice of its street names, as most begin with the letter "B" and have a Scottish heritage.

History

The name "Mortdale Heights" was in use by 1919, but there only scattered residences in the area. The estate was not fully subdivided for sale until 1924 when a subdivision of 300 allotments was made available. The area did not fully develop until shortly after World War II.

Culture

* A row of around 12 shops was built along Balmoral Road during the 1950s. Many of these have since been converted into residences * Beatty Street Reserve incorporates part of an old Quarry site (originally known as Hannon's Quarry) that was cleared by the Mortdale Heights Progress Association in 1954. A children's playground was built on the top section in 1955. Cricket nets were later installed in the quarry section. * The Girl Guides Hall is situated beside Beatty Street Reserve * The Mortdale Heights Cricket Club was founded in 1957 and is one of the oldest clubs participating in the Georges River St George District Cricket Association's competitions. Their home games are played at Oatley Park OvalMortdale Heights Cricket Club Website * Lime Kiln Bay Reserve, Oatley Heights Park, is a natural bushland area surrounding Lime Kiln Bay which extends into nearby Oatley Park

References

{{Sydney Georges River Council suburbs Suburbs of Sydney Populated places established in 1855 Georges River Council 1855 establishments in Australia