Smithfield, New South Wales

Smithfield is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Smithfield is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Fairfield and Cumberland Council. Located in the Greater Western Sydney region, the suburb is one of the largest in Fairfield City by area.

Established in 1836, Smithfield was the first major settlement of the Fairfield LGA. The original 1838 summary plan of Smithfield shows the suburb laid out in a grid pattern with most of the streets having the same names as they do today. The suburb is a mix of residential, industrial and commercial areas, but is mostly characterized by low-density housing.

Located partially in the suburb, the ''Smithfield-Wetherill Park Industrial Estate'' is the largest industrial estate in the southern hemisphere and is the centre of manufacturing and distribution in greater western Sydney.

History

Aboriginal people from the Cabrogal tribe, a sub-group of the Gandangara tribe, have lived in the Fairfield area for over 30,000 years.

White settlement began in the area in the early 19th century. Smithfield was originally known as Chilsholm's Bush. In 1803, homeless children were becoming a problem after convicts turned their children out into the streets. As a consequence, Governor Philip Gidley King, put aside a large area of for a Male Orphan School. By 1836, some of this land was offered for sale by the colonial government of the time.

John Ryan Brenan (1798–1868), an attorney who was appointed Police Magistrate in 1836, bought here. Early settlers were attracted to Smithfield by its good soil, dependable water supply and easy access to the Colony's established towns. After subdividing the estate, Brennan initially titled his land 'Donnybrook', but renamed the area 'Smithfield' instead, after deciding to launch cattle and meat markets. The name of Smithfield is linked with the cattle markets of London and Dublin. Brennan Street is where the cattle sale yards were originally located. Some of the best farming land was in the district to the west and southwest of the Smithfield area. Sale yards opened in 1841, but the project to establish a village around the yards failed.

Despite this, Smithfield became a thriving commercial centre and remains a significant employment centre in south-western Sydney as part of the Wetherill Park/Yennora industrial block. In 1867, Smithfield was a semi-rural settlement populated by vine growers, gardeners, wood timber cutters, orchards and tanneries. Smithfield still has the street patterns Brenan planned and the street names he chose. In the subdivision, Brenan offered an extra adjoining allotment to any buyer who built a cottage with a brick chimney and enclosed the property with a fence. The public school opened in 1850 and by the 1880s Smithfield was well provided with churches, many of which still remain today as important relics of Smithfield's rich local heritage.

Transport

The Horsley Drive is the major road that runs through Smithfield. Other major roads include Polding Street, Brennan Street and Victoria Street, with the latter featuring factories.

Bus services are provided by Transit Systems Sydney. The closest train stations are Fairfield train station and Yennora railway station, on the Inner West & Leppington Line and Cumberland Line. Transit Systems Sydney buses 806, 808, 812, 813, 814 and 817, which go through the suburb, link to Fairfield's train station, with 806 also linking to Parramatta railway station and Liverpool railway station.

There is a cycle way called Prospect Creek cycleway that runs through the suburb, which is part of the Western Sydney Regional Park recreational route.

Culture

Smithfield features an art gallery, museum and an RSL club. Smithfield was the location for the 7mate show ''Housos'', being one of the many locations for that TV show. Smithfield Cemetery, established in the 19th century, is situated in the western parts of the suburb, and is currently managed by the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Places of worship

*Smithfield Baptist Church is on the corner of The Horsley Drive and O’Connel Street
*St James Anglican church is on the corner of The Horsley Drive and Justin Street
*St Benedicts Catholic Church is located in Justin Street
*Smithfield Uniting Church is on The Horsley Drive
*Minh Giac Temple, a Vietnamese Buddhist temple on the Horsley Drive
*St Mary's Church, an Assyrian church is located in Polding Street
*Smithfield Mosque, (known as the Australian Bosnian Islamic Society Gazi Husrevbeg) is located in Bourke Street.

Commercial area

The commercial area is centred on The Horsley Drive, which is the main street in Smithfield, the most significant east-west road in the region that runs from Carramar and Wetherill Park. The roadway is ornamented by several curtain figs. The suburb's mains street features health services, a gymnasium, beauty and specialty shops, commercial services, multicultural restaurants such as Italian, Middle Eastern and Chinese among others. A prominent pub on The Horsley Drive and Cumberland Highway, with an entryway from Victoria Street as well, called the ''Smithfield Tavern'' features a restaurant, a TAB, adult entertainment sessions and concert parties. Also on the road is the smaller ''Smithfield Commercial Centre'', an arcade-like building that features businesses and commercial services therein.

The main road features ''Smithfield Square'', which has been in major redevelopment as of 2025 and occupies the largest land holding in Smithfield CBD. Upon completion, the square will have a net lettable area of , converting the two-level retail centre into a shopping mall for recreation and services. Lying on the west side of Cumberland Highway and featuring another entry point from Victoria Street, the square will feature a childcare centre, swim school, gym and a medical centre, supported by a range of specialty retail stores. Its 200+ parking space is shared with Smithfield Tavern. The square contained a Coles supermarket in the second level, before it closed in late 2022 as part of the ongoing refurbishment.

There is a large industrial area in Smithfield with a number of factories and warehouses. The industrial estate in suburb is the largest in the southern hemisphere and is one of the primary centres for manufacturing and distribution in Greater Western Sydney.

Recreational areas

Brenan Park is a large recreational area, and one of the most prominent in Fairfield City, which features sports grounds, children's playgrounds and picnic areas.

Rosford Street Reserve is a parkland in the northern skirts of the suburb which features a large sports grounds and an urban forest that lies along Prospect Creek. The Reserve adjoins Long Street Park to the east and Gipps Road Park to the northwest, the former being in Cumberland Council section of Smithfield and the latter being in Greystanes.

Other parks in the area include Smithfield Park (which features a large soccer field), Beaumont Park, Shamrock Park, Clarrie Atkins Park, Tarrawarra Reserve, Kaluna Reserve, Vineyard Reserve and Prospect View Park (also featuring a large sports field).

Geography

The suburb incorporates Smithfield West, which is mostly a residential locality in the western portion of Smithfield, in addition to being an unofficial designation for the region westwards from Dublin Street to the boundary of Wetherill Park.

Smithfield is within the plant community called the Cumberland Plain Woodland

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