This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Stormie (talk | contribs) at 00:37, 7 October 2004 (Some more detail on location, local government area, more links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:37, 7 October 2004 by Stormie (talk | contribs) (Some more detail on location, local government area, more links)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Newtown is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Approximately 4 km south-west of the central business district, Newtown straddles the border between the Local Government Areas of the City of Sydney and of Marrickville Council.
Originally a blue-collar area, its proximity to the main Camperdown campus of University of Sydney has gained it a reputation as a bohemian center, with a strong student, gay and lesbian population, although it has become somewhat yuppiefied of late. It is also home to the Anglican seminaries Moore Theological College and Mary Andrews College.
The main strip of Newtown is along King Street, which is sometimes referred to as "eat-street" in the press due to its large number of cafes, pubs and resturants. Newtown is serviced by a railway station, and regular bus services run along King street.
Newtown was established as a residential and farming area in the early 19th century. It got its name from a grocery store opened there by John and Eliza Webster in 1832, at a site close to where the Newtown railway station stands today. They placed a sign on top of their store that read "New Town Stores". Passers by took this to mean that the area was called New Town and the name caught on, with the space gradually disappearing over the years to form the name Newtown. Bids in the late 19th century to rename the area South Sydney failed.