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Summer Hill is a suburb in the municipality of Ashfield, in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 7 kilometres West-South-West of Sydney's central business district.

Boundaries and Size

To the north of Summer Hill is the suburb of Haberfield, to the east is Lewisham, to the south is Dulwich Hill, and to the west is Ashfield. The boundaries of Summer Hill are defined by Parramatta Road to the North, Prospect Road and Liverpool Road to the East, Old Canterbury Road to the South, and the north-south goods railway line to the east. In the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing, the population of the Summer Hill postcode area was 6332 people, in an area of 1.1 square kilometres.

Characteristics

Summer Hill features a mix of federation-era houses and medium density apartment blocks near the station. Most of the shops run are run by local independent business people, giving the area quite a friendly feeling, and it has been christened "the village".

History of Summer Hill

The first white property ownership in the area that would later become Summer Hill was in 1794, with a grant for a farm to Henry Kable, a former convict and jailor.

The earliest known use of the name "Summer Hill" was in 1876, for a land subdivision between Petersham and Ashfield. The name Summer Hill is though to be a name chosen by the land sub-divider, presumably based on an attachment for England.

A large mansion, known as Carleton mansion was built in the 1850s on Liverpool Road for Charles Carleton Skarrat. The suburb boomed with the opening of the railway station in 1879, and the subdivisions of much of the surrounding area followed. Between 1880 and 1910, the area became an upper-class suburb. Subdivision for gardens and housing continued in the 1920s and 30s, but socioeconomically the suburb moved downhill. Demolition of most of the surviving mansions occurred in the 1970s, to allow erection of home units, especially within walking distance of the railway station.

Aboriginal Culture

Aborigines only arrived in the Sydney basin 4000 to 6000 years ago, when the sea level lowered. They were mainly fisher-folk, who used plants and land animals to some extent, and burnt the land. The English settlers reported large areas of parkland, and Summer Hill and the surrounding area were originally know by white settlers as the "Kanguroo grounds" (sic). This indicates that the country was probably fairly open (the type of terrain favoured by Kangaroos), and that secondly that Kangaroos probably formed a significant part of the aboriginal diet.

What is now called the Hawthorne Canal was originally the Long Cove Creek. This creek appears to have marked the boundary between the Cadigal and Wongal aboriginal group lands. Today there is small park, called Cadigal Reserve, located at 1-4 Grosvenor Crescent, in Summer Hill, which contains a bronze plaque placed by Ashfield Council, that names the reserve after the Cadigal (Eora) group of Koori people that fished along these estuaries in the distant past.

Transportation

Summer Hill railway station is located on the Inner West line of the CityRail network. The railway station was opened in 1879, and most of the local shops are clustered close to the station. Travelling towards the city, the railway stops in order are Lewisham, Petersham, Stanmore, Newtown, Macdonaldtown, Redfern, Central, Town Hall, Wynyard. Travelling west towards Strathfield, the stops are Ashfield, Croydon, Burwood, and Strathfield. A recent renovation of the railway station was completed in 2004, after some initial controversy about whether to build the pedestrian walkway above or underneath the railway tracks.

Summer Hill is located close to Liverpool road, and Parramatta road, and so is well served by road, although in peak hour these roads can be quite congested. There also buses that follow routes along both Parramatta and Liverpool roads.

The area is gradually becoming more bicycle friendly.

Local landmarks

The flour mill

The flour mill was built circa 1922, utilising the north-south goods railway line that was constructed during World War 1. The silos were added from the 1950s onwards. The flour mill has been owned by various companies, including Mungo Scott, and Goodman Fielder, and is currently owned by Allied Mills.

St Andrews Church

St Andrews church has 3 transept arches, and was designed by a Presbyterian. The foundation stone was laid in 1883, and the top of the spire was completed in 1906. For a church at this time this represented a very quick construction period, so this can be taken as indicative of the affluence of the area at that time.

St Patrick's church

St Patrick's is a Catholic church located in the oldest known still standing building in the area, built in 1874.

Chinese Temple

The Chinese temple is located on the corners of Kensington Road and Liverpool Road, and occupies a building that was a Masonic temple in the 1920s. The same building was retained and converted into the Chinese temple.

Trinity Grammar School

Trinity Grammar is located across Prospect Road from the Prospect Hall estate. The site of the school has been in continuous use for educational purposes for 120 years. The headmaster's house building at Trinity was erected circa 1877. The site operated as several different teaching institutions, until it was purchased by the Anglican Church, and became known as Trinity Grammar in 1925. Trinity grammar is one of the wealthiest schools in NSW, and has previously received some of the largest federal funding grants (as government grants to private schools are partially based on postcodes, and the school is located in a not especially wealthy postcode).

Local events

The Ashfield Carnival of Cultures has been running since 1996, and has grown to become one of the leading multicultural festivals in Sydney's Inner West. The carnival is organised by Ashfield Council and held annually on the second Sunday of October in Ashfield Park, and features free attractions and cultural performances, as well as stalls selling knick-knacks and a eclectic mix of foods.

Significant people

Ninram Melville Junior lived in a Summer Hill, and died in 1879. He was accused of being the "the veriest charlatan that ever lived", and was an intelligent self-made man. He was also liked to cause conflict - he was a stirrer at street meetings, was a stirrer in council (where he became Mayor of Ashfield), and a stirrer as a parliamentarian (where he became a chairman of committees). He also had skills as a furniture maker, and there is a story that he may have carved a chair now located in the Jubilee Room of Parliament House.

Politics

For federal elections, Summer Hill is in the seat of Grayndler. This seat is currently held by Anthony Albanese, of the ALP.

For state elections, Summer Hill is predominantly in the State Electoral District Of Strathfield. This seat is currently held by Virginia Judge, of the ALP.

Local political issues include:

• Proposed construction of the M4 East, and which construction option should be used.
• Opposition to plans that would result an increase in traffic at Kingsford Smith International Airport, and thus more aircraft noise.
• Concern over the new supermarket building, and whether it is in keeping with the local shopping area.

Local Organisations

• St Andrew's Church
• St Patrick's church
• Summer Hill Community Centre, located at 131 Smith Street, Summer Hill. For information about services and activities phone/fax (02) 97995800.
• Ashfield & District Historical Society

References

• Summer Hill book, edited by Chris Pratten, of the Ashfield & District Historical Society, 1999, Published in Australia, ISBN 0949842117.
• "A Short Walk Through Ashfield's past" booklet, a collaboration between Ashfield Municipal council and the Ashfield & District Historical Society.
• Ashfield council document on Cadigal Reserve.
• Australian Bureau of Statistics, POA2130 2130 (Postal Area).

Additional External Links

• Places to eat in Summer Hill
• Trinity Grammar School, located in Summer Hill.

• Suburbs of Sydney