Rooty Hill is a
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, in the state of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Rooty Hill is located 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 ...
, 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
of the
City of Blacktown
Blacktown City Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Esta ...
and is part of the
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions with ...
region.
History
Pre-colonial (Aboriginal) era
Rooty Hill was broadly inhabited by the
Darug
The Dharug or Darug people, are a nation of Aboriginal Australian clans, who share ties of kinship, country and culture. In pre-colonial times, they lived as hunters in the region of current day Sydney. The Darug speak one of two dialects o ...
people before European settlement.
Colonial era
The earliest exploration of the area was led by Captain Watkin Tench in 1789.
The origin of this name puzzled historians for many years because the clue lay not in Blacktown City but on
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
. Governor
Philip Gidley King
Captain Philip Gidley King (23 April 1758 – 3 September 1808) was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1800 to 1806. When the First Fleet arrived in January 1788, King was detai ...
had been in charge of the first settlement there in early 1788 and had noted that the hillside where he had built his Government House had been difficult to dig owing to the amount of tree roots beneath the surface. The hill on Norfolk became known as Rooty Hill and the name is now official. When King returned to New South Wales he built the headquarters for his government reserve of 1802 at the foot of a hill that reminded him of the Norfolk Island Rooty Hill and used the same name. The name Rooty Hill is first found on a map from 1803.
The early development of the area came when Captain
William Minchin was given a grant of in 1819, leading to the development of the
Minchinbury estate. Dr Charles McKay purchased the estate in 1859 and subdivided it in the 1880s. Afterwards, the Watts family built Watts Cottage in Watt Street. It combines Italianate elements with a bullnose verandah and is almost unique in the Blacktown Municipality. It is locally heritage-listed.
In 1890, the
Imperial Hotel was built north of the railway station by F.J. Weston. It was intended to cater for the crowds who attended the greyhound racing at Lamb's Woodstock Coursing Track at
Plumpton. By the early 1970s it had become semi-derelict, but was acquired by a local dentist in 1977. It reopened in 1982 and is now state heritage-listed.
In 1891, the Pioneer Memorial Church, located on Rooty Hill Road South, was built on land donated by Dr Charles McKay. It was originally a Baptist church, but was later acquired for the Presbyterian community by James Angus, owner of the
Minchinbury estate from 1895. It is still in use and is locally heritage-listed.
Post federation
In 1902–1903, the School of Arts, located in Rooty Hill Road South, was built by the residents for community activities. The foundation stone was laid 1 November 1902, by Miss Angus, daughter of James Angus. It is locally heritage-listed.
On 13 April 1916, James Angus was killed at Rooty Hill railway crossing, as a result of being hit by that morning's express train. He was survived by his wife, his son James (of Adelaide), his son John (a pastoralist in New South Wales) and his daughter, who by that time was the widow Mrs Fleming.
The name of James Angus is preserved in Angus Avenue; Charles McKay's name survives in Dr Charles McKay Reserve; the name of the Evans family, who built ''Fairholme'', survives in Evans Road. ''Fairholme'', now part of the
St Agnes Catholic High School
St Agnes Catholic High School is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in Rooty Hill, in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school caters for approximately 800 students from Year ...
, is locally heritage-listed.
Post war
During and following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Australia had realised its demographic crisis in simply not having enough people, exacerbated by the threat of Japanese invasion. In response, Australia allowed immigration from more and more nations as previously restricted by the
White Australia policy. In 1973, the
Whitlam government
The Whitlam government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party. The government commenced when Labor defeated the McMahon government at the 1972 Australian federal elect ...
effectively abolished the White Australia policy, meaning people would not be denied immigration due to their nationality. Notably, this allowed immigrants from Asia to come in, and in the ensuing decades, especially from the 1990s-2010s, many Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis, Polynesians and Chinese immigrants populated Rooty Hill, rendering the suburb in the multicultural state it is in today.

In 1964, the Rooty Hill RSL (now known as West HQ) was built, and over time turned into the largest licensed club in New South Wales, serving as a hub for entertainment, fitness and lifestyle. Dubbed by some as the "Vegas of the West", the RSL also has Western Sydney's largest gym, five star accommodation and conference facilities. Currently, the RSL has approximately 50,000 members.
Heritage listings
Rooty Hill has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Dunsmore Street:
Government Depot Site
* Eastern Road:
Rooty Hill
Rooty Hill is a heritage-listed historic site and now parkland at Eastern Road, Rooty Hill, City of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1802 to 1828. It is also known as The Rooty Hill and Morreau Reserve. The property is ...
* 1 Rooty Hill Road:
Imperial Hotel
Demographics
In the 2021 Census, there were 16,176 people in Rooty Hill, 48.9% of who were male and 51.1% of who were female. The median age was 37, lower than Australia's national median of 38. The median weekly income was $2,001, higher than Australia's national median of $1,250. The average motor vehicles per dwelling was 1.9.
The most common ancestries were Filipino 21.0%, Australian 14.9% English 13.0%, Indian 8.3% and Pakistani 4.0%.
*43.7% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Philippines 15.5%, India 5.3%, Pakistan 3.4%, Fiji 2.9% and New Zealand 2.3%.
*The most common responses for religion were Catholic 33.4%, Islam 12.4%, No religion 12.1% and Hinduism 9.6%.
*40.3% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Tagalog 9.7%, Filipino 5.1%, Urdu 5.0%, Hindi 3.6% and Arabic 2.6%.
Sport and recreation

Rooty Hill is home to the multi-sports
Blacktown International Sportspark
Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP) (officially known as Blacktown Olympic Park) is a multi-sports venue located in Rooty Hill, a suburb in Sydney, Australia. The venue includes two cricket grounds, which have also been used for Australi ...
, which includes two
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
grounds (which have also been used for
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
), an
athletics track and field, three
baseball diamonds, two
soccer fields, four
softball
Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
diamonds, administration centres and park land. It has been used as a training and administrative base for the
Greater Western Sydney Giants
The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS or Giants) are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney Olympic Park which repres ...
from 2010 to 2012, and for the
Western Sydney Wanderers FC
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football, association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South W ...
since 2012. Since 2010 the
Sydney Blue Sox
The Sydney Blue Sox are a professional baseball team, and one of six founding teams in the re-formed Australian Baseball League (ABL). The team plays their home games at Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP), one of the two venues used fo ...
of the
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it s ...
have used the main baseball stadium as their home field. There is also a boutique stadium at the facility which hosts National Premier League fixtures for
Blacktown Spartans FC
The Blacktown Spartans Football Club are an Australian semi-professional association football club currently playing in the NSW League One, the 2nd tier of association football in New South Wales and the 3rd tier including the fully professional ...
.
West HQ is a central location for a variety of entertainment venues, such as the
Zone Bowling
Zone Bowling is a group of bowling centers in Australia and New Zealand currently owned and operated by The Entertainment and Education Group (TEEG). Zone Bowling has 34 locations across Australia, and three locations across New Zealand.
Histo ...
centre, the
Sydney Coliseum Theatre
The Sydney Coliseum Theatre is a multi-mode lyric theatre in Rooty Hill, New South Wales, Australia, which opened in December 2019. It lies alongside Rooty Hill RSL Club, and was entirely funded by the organisation behind the club.
The 2,20 ...
, numerous restaurants, a
Novotel
Novotel is a French midscale hotel brand owned by Accor. Created in 1967 in France, the company grew into what became the Accor group in 1983, and Novotel remained a pillar brand of Accor's multi-brand strategy. Novotel manages 559 hotels in 65 ...
location, a gymnastics & aquatics centre and a gym.
Rooty Hill Skatepark opened in 2003. It features quarter pipes, various ledges, and a stair handrail.
Commercial area
The main commercial area of Rooty Hill is primarily on Rooty Hill Road North and Rooty Hill Road South, surrounding the railway station, especially on Rooty Hill Road North. There is also a significant commercial area on the intersection of North Parade, Sherbrooke Street and Railway Street, where the
Sydney Coliseum Theatre
The Sydney Coliseum Theatre is a multi-mode lyric theatre in Rooty Hill, New South Wales, Australia, which opened in December 2019. It lies alongside Rooty Hill RSL Club, and was entirely funded by the organisation behind the club.
The 2,20 ...
can be found.
Image:Rooty-Hill-South.jpg, Rooty Hill Road South shops
Image:Imperial Hotel.JPG, The Imperial Hotel, Rooty Hill Road North
Image:(1)Rooty_Hill_School_of_Arts-2.jpg, Rooty Hill School of Arts, built 1902
Image:RailwayLine.jpg, Railway line dividing Rooty Hill as seen from Davis overpass
Image:(1)church_Rooty_Hill_Road-1a.jpg, Heritage-listed Pioneer Memorial Church on Rooty Hill Road South
Image:(1)Watts_Cottage_Rooty_Hill-1.jpg, Watts Cottage, Watt Street
Image:Rooty Hill RSL Club with Holiday Inn Rooty Hill.JPG, Rooty Hill RSL Club with Holiday Inn Rooty Hill
File:(1)St_Agnes_High_School_Rooty_Hill-2a.jpg, ''Fairholme'', built by the Evans family, now part of St Agnes Catholic High School
Schools

* Rooty Hill Public School is a New South Wales
public school providing education from
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
to Year 6. It has been on Rooty Hill Road North since its opening in 1957 with 114 students. The entire class of the opening year attended the 50th anniversary celebrations held in May 2007.
Member for Chifley,
Roger Price commented that "''the influence a school can have on a student lasts their lifetime. Having the entire class of 1957 at the (50th anniversary) celebration shows just how positive that can be"''.
* St. Aidans Primary School (Kindergarten-Year 6), located in Adelaide Street, was founded in 1907.
*
St. Agnes Catholic High School (Years 7–10), Evans Road, Rooty Hill is a secondary school located in Rooty Hill South. Established in 1962, the school is a part of the Christ Catholic College Community of schools which was established in 1999, and which is a system of three schools that broke apart in 2004 - the other two schools being Clare Catholic High School in Hassall Grove, and Loyola Senior High School in Mt Druitt, which is the only Senior High School in the Parramatta Diocese. In late 2004, St Agnes underwent a major building development, with a new building containing six classrooms, a library and an undercroft, which would provide easy access to the school hall. In late 2007, the school underwent a whole-campus redevelopment.
* Rooty Hill High School (Years 7–12). North Parade, Rooty Hill. Rooty Hill High School is a comprehensive, 7 to 12 community school.
Transport
Trains
Rooty Hill railway station
Rooty Hill railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western railway line, Main Western line, serving the Blacktown City Council, Blacktown suburb of Rooty Hill. It is served by Sydney Trains' North Shore & Wester ...
is on the
Main Western railway line
The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...
. Rooty Hill station opened on 23 December 1861 as the terminus of the
Main Western line when it was extended from
Blacktown
Blacktown is a suburb in New South Wales, Australia, west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Sydney, Greater Sydney.
History
Before the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, the area of ...
. On 1 May 1862, the line was extended to
St Marys. The station was rebuilt in the 1940s. In 2020, a station upgrade was completed, with renovated platforms, 4
lifts, a new concourse/footbridge replacing the old one, a 6 storey
parking garage
A multistorey car park (Commonwealth English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistorey, parking building, parking structure, parkade (Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck, or indoor parking, is a building designed fo ...
, and a facelift of the surrounding area.
Bus
Rooty Hill is served by buses which allow its residents to travel east towards
Blacktown
Blacktown is a suburb in New South Wales, Australia, west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Sydney, Greater Sydney.
History
Before the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, the area of ...
and throughout
Mount Druitt
Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney regio ...
and its satellite suburbs.
Road
Rooty Hill Road North and Rooty Hill Road South act as important roads which run along Rooty Hill's longitude, with Rooty Hill Road North connecting Rooty Hill with
Plumpton,
Oakhurst, and
Hassall Grove. Rooty Hill Road South, meanwhile, connects Rooty Hill with
Minchinbury, and provides access to the
Great Western Highway
Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...
and the
M4 Motorway. Woodstock Avenue connects Rooty Hill with
Mount Druitt
Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney regio ...
and
Whalan, and also provides access to the
Westlink M7
The Westlink M7 is a tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network. Owned by the NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it connects three motorways: the M5 South-West Motorway at Prestons, the M4 We ...
(M7 motorway). Francis Road runs over the railway tracks, connecting the North with the South and connects Rooty Hill with
Doonside, once the road turns into Eastern Road after an intersection with Rooty Hill Road South. North Parade and Beames Avenue run along Rooty Hill's latitude, with North Parade connecting the suburb with Mount Druitt's commercial centre.
Places of worship
Christianity
* St. Albans Anglican Multicultural Bible Ministry (MBM) is located in Westminster Street, Rooty Hill. St Alban's MBM exists in order to lead all people in the multicultural west of Sydney to Christ and into maturity in Christ. Mal Gill is the Lead Pastor
* Rooty Hill Uniting Church is located on Rooty Hill Road North. Sunday service is at 9am.
* St. Aidan's Parish is a Catholic church and is located on Adelaide Street, Rooty Hill.
* Pioneer Memorial Church is located on the corner of Rooty Hill Road South and Church Street, Rooty Hill.
* Minchinbury Anglican Church (MAC) is on Rupertswood Road, Rooty Hill.
* St Stephen is a Serbian Orthodox Church located on Woodstock Avenue, Rooty Hill.
* Cornerstone Baptist Church is a King James Bible Believing Baptist Church, located on Rooty Hill Road South.
Islam
Rooty Hill Masji
serves as the main mosque for the area. Despite being named after Rooty Hill, the Rooty Hill Masjid is actually in
Mount Druitt
Mount Druitt is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown, and is part of the Greater Western Sydney regio ...
, though is on the border between Rooty Hill and Mount Druitt.
Hinduism
No proper temples exist, however the Hindu Priest/Pundi
Prakash Maharajoffers pooja and ritual services.
Parks
* Angus Park
* Aquilina Reserve
* Blacktown International Sportspark
* Central Park
* Harry Dennison Park
* Kimberley Park
* May Cowpe Reserve
* Morreau Reserve
*
Nurragingy Reserve
The Nurragingy Nature Reserve is an Australian open urban park and nature reserve, it is a protected area owned by Western Sydney Parklands Trust and operated by Blacktown City Council that opened in 1981. The Nature Reserve is a site of state h ...
* Rooty Hill
Skatepark
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairw ...
Image:Kimberley Park.jpg, Kimberley Park
Image:BlacktownBaseball.jpg, Blacktown Baseball Stadium @ Blacktown International Sportspark @ sydney blue Sox
Image:BlacktownISPoval.jpg, Cricket at Blacktown International Sportspark Oval
Notable residents
Notable residents include:
*
Mile Jedinak
Michael John "Mile" Jedinak (; ; born 3 August 1984) is an Australian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He was until recently an assistant coach at Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur.
Jedin ...
, footballer for the
Socceroos, was born and raised in Rooty Hill
*
Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...
, geologist and explorer, known for his role during the
Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922 is often ci ...
*
Brian To'o
Brian To'o (born 18 August 1998) is a Samoan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League, New South Wales in the State of Origin series and Samoa at international level. Known for ...
, rugby league player for the
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
, went to school in Rooty Hill
*
Grentperez
Grant Perez (born 4 December 2001), known professionally as Grentperez, is a Filipino-Australian singer and songwriter. He is widely known for his 2021 single, "Cherry Wine". Perez records on the Fast Friends record label.
At the APRA Music A ...
, Filipino descent pop artist
*
Harley Windsor
Harley Windsor ('' né'' Dahlstrom-Windsor; born 22 October 1996) is a former Australian pair skater. With his former skating partner, Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, he was the 2017 Junior World Champion, the 2017 CS Tallinn Trophy champion, th ...
, pair figure skater, born in
Penrith and was the first Australian Indigenous athlete to compete in the
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
.
References
External links
Historic Sites of Rooty Hill and Mount DruittJames Angus photos at Google
{{Sydney Blacktown suburbs
Suburbs of Sydney
City of Blacktown