Mortdale, New South Wales
| Mortdale Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Morts Road, Mortdale | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 10,745 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2223 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 20 km (12 mi) south of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Oatley | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Banks, Barton | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Mortdale is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mortdale is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Mortdale lies across the local government areas of the City of Hurstville and Municipality of Kogarah. Mortdale extends south to Lime Kiln Bay, on the Georges River. Mortdale Heights is a locality in the south-western corner of the suburb, in which all but one street names start with "B".
History
Mortdale has been known in the past as Mort's Road, Mort's Hill, Mort's Township and Mort Dale. It was named after wool merchant Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (1816-1878) who was famous for pioneering the refrigeration of shipping meat and the construction of Mort's Dock, Balmain. Thomas Mort purchased the land from Robert Townson (1763-1827), who had been granted land in the Hurstville area with his brother John Townson.
In 1855, a small farming community started when the land around Mort's Road was subdivided into 17 farms. The Hurstville Steam Brick Company was established in 1884 by William George Judd, when the railway went through the district. The railway divided two of the main farms, Kemp’s orange orchard and Parkes’s farm near Victoria Avenue, and these were subdivided for housing by 1894. The railway station opened as Mortdale on the 20th March 1897. The school opened in January 1889 and the post office and grocery store opened in November. Mortdale became a popular residential suburb in 1920s for soldiers returning from World War I.[2]
Commercial Area
Mortdale consists mainly of residential dwellings with some commercial and industrial developments in the north-west corner. The main shopping centre is located on Morts Road and Pitt Street, near Mortdale railway station. Commercial and industrial developments are located along Boundary Road.
Transport
Mortdale railway station is on the Illawarra line of the CityRail network. Punchbowl bus services 944 and 945 run throughout the week, with limited services on weekends.
Churches
- Christ Church Anglican Mortdale
- Mortdale Uniting Church
- Mortdale-Oatley Baptist Church
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
- Mortdale Masonic Centre - Woronora Lodge
Schools
- Mortdale Public School - Colebourne Avenue
- Carinya Special School - Colebourne Avenue
- Penshurst Marist College - Victoria Avenue, Mortdale
- Penshurst West Public School - Forest Road, Mortdale
Parks and Waterways
- Mortdale Memorial Park, Oatley Heights Park, Olds Park, Jubilee Park, Edith Park, Beaty Street Reserve, Paddy Tyler Reserve, Hurstville Golf Course
- Lime Kiln Bay, Georges River
Landmarks
- Mortdale Fire Station, Old Police Station, Mortdale Railway Station, Mortdale Hotel, Mortdale RSL Club, Mortdale Bowling Club, St George Masonic Club, Mortdale Scout Hall, Mortdale Senior Citizens Centre, Ellen Subway.
- Mortdale Memorial Park - Contains a perimeter of large Moreton Bay Fig trees, a classical rotunda (which has featured in television commercials) and a decorative War Memorial. The Park is a popular place for picnics, weddings, and concerts.
- Australian Model Railway Association (AMRA) NSW Branch Inc., 48 Barry Avenue, Mortdale. AMRA is an organisation of modellers who are interested in model railways of all scales and gauges, with a public Open Day held in October each year.
Pop Culture
Mortdale is colloquially referred to as "Morty". Mortdale has also been colloquially referred to as the "Valley of the Dead" or "Death Valley". The Latin roots of the suburb's appellation to mean "death" (mort)[3] and "valley" (dale)[4].
Population
Demographics
According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population, there were 9,554 people usually resident in Mortdale. 38.6% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being China 5.5%, United Kingdom 3.1% and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2.5%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 64.5% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Cantonese 5.2%, Mandarin 4.6% and Macedonian 4.4%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 26.7%, Anglican 18.5% and Orthodox 4.4%. [5]
Notable Residents
- Jean Frances - Poet
- Mark Gasnier - St George Rugby League Footballer
- Reg Gasnier - St George Rugby League Footballer
- John Gore - Salvation Army officer
- Dan Kane - Philanthropist
- Hedwig Ross - Teacher and socialist
- Billy Smith - St George Rugby League Footballer
- Dave Wright - Civil Libertarian
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mortdale (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ Book of Sydney Suburbs, Frances Pollon (Angus and Robertson) 1990, page 178
- ^ Latin Dictionary University of Notre Dame. Retrieved on 15/12/07
- ^ Latin Dictionary www.babylon.com. Retrieved on 15/12/07
- ^ http://id.com.au/dosydney/default.aspx?pg=1&gid=4170
External links
- Thomas Sutcliffe Mort[1]