Centennial Park 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 ...

split between 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 Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

and the

City of Randwick The City of Randwick is a local government area in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1859, Randwick is the second-oldest local government area in New South Wales, after the City of Sydney. It comprises an ...

, located south-east 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

eastern suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

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

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 ...

. Centennial Park is home to a number of wild animals including birds, rabbits, and foxes. It is also home to a number of equestrian schools and other domestic animal endeavours such as the Centennial Park Rabbit Retreat, a boarding facility for rabbits in the Centennial Park and Paddington area.

Geography

The western fringe of the suburb is used for residential purposes and is within the City of Sydney. It features quality houses on large blocks as well as large multi-unit buildings. The bulk of the suburb consists of the

Centennial Parklands Centennial Parklands is the name given to a group of three urban parklands located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Comprising approximately , the lands encompass Centennial Park, Moore Park and Queen's Park. T ...

(from which the suburb takes its name) and is within the City of Randwick. The parklands extend further partly into the suburb of Queens Park, adjacent to (but separate from) the park of the same name in that suburb.

History

Centennial Park started out as a reserve to protect the central ponds and swamps which formed early Sydney's water supply. When it was superseded by the Nepean water supply system in the 1880s it was decided to create a large park, which opened as Centennial Park in 1888. Part of the funding was to come from selling off residential lots adjacent to the park, but this did not occur until 1904 when of land along the western border was subdivided. To ensure high standards of residential development, strict requirements were imposed. No wooden buildings or terrace homes were allowed; brick or stone were mandated, with tile or slate roofs. Between 1905 and 1925, a wide range of substantial, quality homes were built, featuring a mixture of

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

, Victorian and Old English styles. The streets created were Martin Road, Robertson Road, Lang Road and Cook Road.

Notable houses

Patrick White house ''Highbury'' is a heritage-listed residence located at 20 Martin Road in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Centennial Park in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by William Nixon and buil ...

(also known as Highbury), was the home of writer

Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987. White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...

for many years, until his death. It is heritage-listed. *

The Crossways The Crossways is a historic two-storey house in the suburb of Centennial Park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It built in 1908 and designed by Waterhouse and Lake. History and description Listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, ...

is an example of the international Arts and Crafts style. It was designed by Waterhouse and Lake and built in 1908. The Crossways was built as part of the subdivision of 1904 that created the suburb, and was the home of physician/surgeon Dr Craig Gordon. It is heritage-listed. * Devon is a distinctive example of the Arts and Crafts style. It is heritage-listed. * Murrulla is a two-storey home in the Federation Anglo-Dutch style, which is rare in residential architecture. The first known occupant was Solomon Cohen in 1908. The house has a state heritage listing. * The Bungalow is a heritage-listed home in the California Bungalow style. It has a skillion roof that distinguishes it from other bungalows like the ranger's cottage in the park. * Devoncliffe is a two-storey mansion designed in the Federation Free Classical style and made of sandstone. It was built c.1910 and is heritage-listed. * Walshome was built c.1890 and features the polychrome brickwork style that was popular at the time. It is an example of the architecture of the Boom Era, when people were building elaborate homes to display their wealth. It is 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 Heritag ...

. * Stanton Hall (also known as Babington) is an example of the Inter-War Free Classical style, and is heritage-listed.

Heritage listings

Centennial Park has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 3R Oxford Street:

Centennial Park Reservoir The Centennial Park Reservoir or WS001 is a heritage-listed underground reservoir at 3R Oxford Street, Centennial Park, City of Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by NSW Public Works Department from 1896 to 1898. ...

* 5R Oxford Street:

Woollahra Reservoir The Woollahra Reservoir or WS022 is a heritage-listed underground reservoir at 5R Oxford Street, Centennial Park, City of Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the NSW Public Works Department. The property is own ...

* 20 Martin Road:

Population

At the 2021 census, 2,225 people were living in Centennial Park. In the 2016 census, there were 2,376 people in Centennial Park. 57.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 6.1%. 70.6% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion, so described 34.9% and Catholic 24.0%.

Climate

Gallery

Image:(1)Patrick_White_house_Centennial_Park.jpg, Highbury, former home of

Image:(1)Crossways_in_Martin_Road.jpg, The Crossways, Martin Road Image:(1)Devon.jpg, Devon, Martin Road Image:(1)Murrulla_Martin_Road-6.jpg, Murrulla, Martin Road Image:1CentennialParkHome8.JPG, The Bungalow, Robertson Road Image:(1)Devoncliff_Lang_Road.jpg, Devoncliffe, Lang Road Image:(1)Italianate_home_Lang_Rd.jpg, Walshome, Lang Road

References

{{Authority control Suburbs of Sydney City of Sydney City of Randwick