Kogarah, New South Wales

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For the seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, see Electoral district of Kogarah.
For the local government area, see the Municipality of Kogarah.
Kogarah
Sydney, New South Wales

Kogarah Community Centre
Population: 10,984
Established: 1885
Postcode: 2217
Area: 2.6 km² (1.0 sq mi)
Property Value: AUD $558,000
Location: 14 km (9 mi) south of Sydney CBD
LGA: Municipality of Kogarah
State District: Electoral district of Kogarah
Federal Division: Division of Barton
Suburbs around Kogarah:
Bexley Rockdale Brighton-Le-Sands
Carlton Kogarah Monterey
Kogarah Bay Beverley Park Ramsgate

Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area. Kogarah is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Kogarah, although a small part of the suburb is located in the City of Rockdale.

Contents

[edit] Location

Kogarah takes its name from Kogarah Bay, a small bay on the northern shore of the Georges River. The suburb originally stretched to the bay but has since been divided up to form the separate suburbs of Kogarah Bay and Beverley Park.

Kogarah has a mixture of residential, commercial and light industrial areas. It is also known for its large number of schools (including primary school, high school and tertiary education) and health care services (including two hospitals and many medical centres). The NRL side, St George Illawarra Dragons have their Sydney office based at nearby OKI Jubilee Oval, often referred to as Kogarah Oval. Kogarah features all types of residential developments from low density detached houses, to medium density flats and high density high-rise apartments.

[edit] History

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Kogarah is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning rushes or place of reeds. It had also been written as 'Coggera', 'Cogerah' and 'Kuggerah' but the current spelling was settled when the railway line came through the area in the 1880s. Early land grants in the area were made to John Townson (1760-1835) who received 2,250 acres from 1808 to 1810, centred around Hurstville and James Chandler, whose neighbouring estate was centred around Bexley. The district provided fruit, vegetables and oysters for Sydney. In 1869, St Pauls Church of England opened on Rocky Point Road (now Princes Highway). It was built on 2 acres of land given to the church by William Wolfen the Swedish Consul to Sydney, who owned 800 acres in Kogarah. The suburb grew around the church and the Gardeners Arms Hotel. Kogarah became a municipality in 1885.

The former neighbourhood of Moorefield is now part of Kogarah. It was originally a 60 acre land grant from Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1812 to Patrick Moore, who built a fine house there. The Moorefield racecourse built by a descendant opened in 1888. The Moorefield estate was subdivided in the 1950s and the Department of Education purchased 19 acres, where it built two high schools and college of further education. Moorefields Girls High School was erected there in 1955 on the former site of Moore’s farm.

For many years, the Mecca cinema was located in Station Street, opposite the railway station. By day, the cinema was often used by local schools for important events such as Speech Days.

Railway Parade in 1915. The former Kogarah Post Office on the right was built in 1892 and is now a community centre.

Kogarah School of the Arts

Kogarah Fire Station, Gray Street

Kogarah Court House, Montgomery Street

Red Martins Hotel, Belgrave Street

Kogarah Hotel

Stepped terrace of Federation buildings, Gray Street

Kogarah Monetarium

[edit] Commercial Area

Kogarah’s main shopping area is located around Kogarah railway station on Railway Parade, Regent Street and on the opposite side of the railway line on Station Street. The commercial area also extends to surrounding streets such as Montgomery and Belgrave Streets. Kogarah Town Centre is a shopping centre on Railway Parade. This commercial area includes the St. George Bank national headquarters in a large office building in Montgomery Street, which provides employment for hundreds of St George bank staff. Many high rise apartment buildings have also been built around the commercial area in recent years. The noted builder, James Goyen, had his works depot at 18 Montgomery Street, and later at 4 Montgomery Street. He built the original building of what was, for many years, the St George Technical College (now a campus of the Sydney Institute of TAFE).

Commercial and light industrial developments are also located along the Princes Highway and Rocky Point Road. The Darrell Lea Chocolate factory is located in Rocky Point Road. Surrounding streets feature more industrial developments. A small group of shops is located on President Avenue, sometimes referred to as Moorefield.

St George Hospital is a major regional hospital, that serves the whole St George area but also accepts patients from other regions in New South Wales. St George Private Hospital is located nearby. Many medical centres, doctor’s surgeries and specialists’ rooms and related services are located in the surrounding area.

Kogarah Police Station and Kogarah Local Court are located on Montgomery Street. The local court serves the whole of the St George area and as such many barristers and solicitors have their offices in Kogarah. A historic fire station is located in Gray Street and another heritage building, the Kogarah School of the Arts is in Bowns Road.

Kogarah Town Centre

The Kogarah Town Centre is Kogarah's largest shopping centre. It includes a post office, a supermarket (Woolworths) along with a multitude of specialty stores like butcher, green grocer, delicatessen, bakery, newsagent, hairdressers, chemist and one of Sydney's first Video Ezy stores[citation needed]. It provides easy access to Kogarah railway station. While it is a shopping centre, it should be noted that the Kogarah Town Centre is quite small and the majority of its customers pass through from the railway station or Woolworths.[citation needed]

Kogarah Town Square

Kogarah Town Square is located in Belgrave Street. It is surrounded by residential developments and is anchored by the Kogarah Library and Cultural Centre. There is a small shopping arcade and below one of the residential buildings and the square is surrounded by shops, offices, cafes and restaurants.

Kogarah Town Centre

Belgrave Street

Montgomery Street

Princes Highway, Kogarah

Kogarah Library

Kogarah Council, Belgrave Street

Kogarah Police Station, Montgomery Street

St George Hospital

right|St George Private Hospital

Calvary Hospital, Rocky Point Road

St George Bank

[edit] Transport

The entire Municipality of Kogarah and surrounding areas rely on bus, train and taxi services that operate from the centre of Kogarah's shopping district. Bus and train services accommodate the large population within Kogarah, as well as the large number of schools in the area.

Kogarah railway station is located on the Illawarra line of the CityRail network. The station sits below a concourse and a small shopping complex called the Kogarah Town Centre. In the late 1990s, the station underwent extensive renovations which added easy access facilities such as elevators from the concouse onto each of the four platforms.

Buses from Kogarah service surrounding suburbs, particularly those along the beach such as Brighton-Le-Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate Beach, Sans Souci etc. which rely heavily on bus services since they are far from railway stations. Until 1937, a steam tramway operated between Kogarah and Sans Souci via Rocky Point Road. This was replaced by an electric trolleybus service, one of only two such services to operate in Sydney. This was subsequently replaced in the 1950s with the current diesel government bus routes that currently operate. The majority of public transportation in Kogarah departs and arrives close to Kogarah Town Centre.

[edit] Churches

  • Resurrection of Christ Greek Orthodox Church, Kogarah Soldiers' Memorial Presbyterian Church, St Patricks Catholic Church, St Pauls Anglican Church, Grace Church Kogarah.

St Pauls Anglican Church

St Pauls Anglican Church

Kogarah Uniting Church

St Patricks Catholic Church

Kogarah Presbyterian Church

Grace Chinese Christian Church

Resurrection of Christ Greek Orthodox Church

Kogarah Calvary Hospital Chapel

[edit] Schools

James Cook Boys High School

James Cook Boys High School

Moorefield Girls High School

Moorefield Girls High School

Kogarah High School

St George Girls High School

St George Girls High School

Kogarah Bethany College

Marist College Kogarah

St George TAFE, Montgomery Street

St George TAFE, Princes Highway

[edit] Parks

The Kogarah area also features many parks and reserves, with no shortage of sports playing fields. These include Hogben Park, Frys Reserve, Scarborough Park, Kogarah Park and Jubilee Oval.

[edit] Institutions

[edit] Houses

Griffith House, Gray Street

Medical Centre in Belgrave Street

Regent Street

Victor Street
Kogarah Street Fair 2006, Belgrave Street
Kogarah Street Fair 2006, Belgrave Street
Kogarah Bed Race 2006, Railway Parade
Kogarah Bed Race 2006, Railway Parade

[edit] Culture and Events

The Annual Kogarah Street Fair and Charity Bed Race

The most popular social event on the Kogarah calendar is the annual Kogarah Street Fair and Charity Bed Race. Teams compete through Kogarah's main street, Railway Parade, on hospital beds, all in the name of charity. Most beds are driven by local businesses in teams that are usually made up of five. The rules stipulate that one member of the team must be in a lying position on the bed. The beds are always decorated, usually with the colours or insignias of the business sponsoring the bed. Many contestants usually dress up for the cause as well. All proceeds of the race go to the St George Hospital.

[edit] Sport

The St George Illawarra Dragons

Kogarah is the northern home of the NRL's St George Illawarra Dragons. The St. George Dragons had played rugby league at Jubilee Oval since 1935, and since merging with the Illawarra Steelers, the new club has continued to play matches at this ground.

[edit] Notable Residents

  • Clive James - writer, poet, essayist, critic and commentator on popular culture was raised in Kogarah.
  • Kenneth Slessor, one of Australia's greatest poets, attended Kogarah Primary School, in the early 20th century. The family lived in Belgrave Street, according to his biographer, Geoffrey Dutton.
  • Rev Dr Rowland Croucher, theologian and author, lived in Warialda Street in the early years of married life while he was a staffworker with the InterVarsity Fellowship. He was later a 'minister-at-large' with World Vision Australia in Victoria. His wife Jan taught at Kogarah High School.
  • Reg Gasnier - rugby league legend

[edit] References

  • The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
  • Pictorial Memories. ST. GEORGE: Rockdale, Kogarah, Hurstville Joan Lawrence, Kingsclear Books, 1996, Published in Australia ISBN 0-908272-45-6

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Suburbs and localities within the Municipality of Kogarah · St George · Sydney
List of Sydney suburbs
v • d • e
Suburbs and localities within the City of Rockdale · St George · Sydney
List of Sydney suburbs
Languages