Milperra, 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 ...

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 ...

City of Canterbury-Bankstown The City of Canterbury Bankstown (also known as Canterbury-Bankstown Council) is a local government, local government area located in the South Western Sydney, South Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on ...

, is located 24 kilometres west 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 ...

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 ...

, and is a part of the South

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 id ...

region.

History

Milperra is an Aboriginal word for ''a gathering of people''. The land at Milperra was taken over by George Johnson Jr. After

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 ...

, returning soldiers established poultry farms and vegetable gardens in the area. The area commonly known as Thorns Bush, became officially known as Bankstown Soldier Settlement in 1917. Many streets in the area are named after World War 1 battles and officers. The

Milperra College of Advanced Education Macarthur Institute of Higher Education was an Australian tertiary education institution (College of Advanced Education) from 1974 to 1989. It was known as the Milperra College of Advanced Education until 1983. Milperra College of Advanced Educati ...

was established in 1974, bringing tertiary education to south-western Sydney. It became the Macarthur Institute of Higher Education in 1983, and then became the Bankstown campus of

Western Sydney University Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, Australia. The university in its current form was founded in 1989 as a federated network ...

in 1989. In September 1984, on Father's Day, members of rival motorbike gangs the

Comanchero The Comancheros were a group of 18th- and 19th-century traders based in northern and central New Mexico. They made their living by trading with the nomadic Great Plains Indian tribes in northeastern New Mexico, West Texas, and other parts of the ...

and the

Bandidos The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters, l ...

had a showdown in the car park of the Milperra Viking Tavern, which is technically located in Revesby. This altercation has since been called the '

Milperra Massacre The Milperra Massacre, Milperra bikie shoot-out or Father's Day Massacre was a gunfight between rival motorcycle gang members on 2 September (Father's Day in Australia) 1984, in Milperra, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. The ...

'. Six bikies (bikers) and a 14-year-old girl were killed. Milperra Georges River 2

Parks

Milperra sits on the bank of 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 ...

and features a number of parks and reserves along the river, including Deepwater Park, Bankstown Golf Course and Vale of Ah Reserve.

Schools

Milperra is home to Western Sydney University Bankstown Campus. Milperra is also home to

Mount Saint Joseph, Milperra , motto_translation = Put on the Armour of Light , established = , founders = Sisters of St Joseph , type = Systemic comprehensive single-sex secondary day school , denomination = Roman Catholic , oversight = Catholic Edu ...

, an all-girls high school with grades 7-12. Milperra Public School is located on Pozieres Avenue.

Commercial areas

Milperra features a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial areas. A number of small retail strips are scattered throughout the suburb including Milperra Shopping Village on Bullecourt Avenue and Ashford Village on the corner of Bullecourt Avenue and Ashford Avenue. Another small group of shops is located on the corner of Pozieres Avenue and Amiens Avenue, opposite the public school and many commercial developments are situated along Milperra Road. Milperra shops 1

Transport

Milperra Road is a major road on the northern border which links to Newbridge Road and

Moorebank Moorebank is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Moorebank is located 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Liverpool. Moorebank features a mix ...

, on the western side of the

Milperra Bridge Milperra Bridge is a road bridge that carries Newbridge Road across the Georges River, located between Bankstown and , in South Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge is located adjacent to Henry Lawson Drive and the Bankstown ...

, over the

. The

M5 South Western Motorway The M5 Motorway is a motorway located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is designated with the M5 route and forms part of the Sydney Orbital Network. The M5 route number comprises two connected parts, separately owned and operated: *T ...

runs along the southern border and Henry Lawson Drive is the other major road through the area.

Notable residents

Robyn Denholm Robyn M. Denholm (; born 27 May 1963) is an Australian business executive. In November 2018, Denholm succeeded Elon Musk as chair of Tesla, Inc. Early life Denholm was born on 27 May 1963 in Milperra, New South Wales. Her parents met and marri ...

(born 1963), chair of

Tesla, Inc. Tesla, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles (electric cars and trucks), battery energy storage from home to grid- ...

, born and grew up in Milperra *

Ian Thorpe Ian James Thorpe, (born 13 October 1982) is an Australian retired swimmer who specialised in freestyle, but also competed in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian along wit ...

(born 1982), swimmer, grew up in Milperra

References

External links

How Did Your Suburb Get Its Name?
* C-By-SA{{City of Canterbury-Bankstown topics, state=collapsed Suburbs of Sydney City of Canterbury-Bankstown