Historic overview

1.3 Historic overview

Aboriginal people have lived along the Cooks River for thousands of years. It is generally accepted that the area around Campsie is Wangal land. The Wangal were a clan of the Darug (sometimes spelt Dharug, Dharuk or Daruk) tribe or language group. The Wangal clan used the Cooks River as a significant source of food and water, and would collect eel, molluscs and fish by canoe or from the river bank. The walking tracks of first nations people are reflected in the contemporary urban landscape, Old Canterbury Road, Georges River Road and Beamish Street are thought to follow traditional Aboriginal pathways.

The arrival of European settlers from 1788 onward irrevocably changed the lives of Wangal clan through the forceful acquisition of their lands, which was divided for farming purposes and given to European settlers through land grants.

The urbanisation of Campsie begun around 1879, when the Municipality of Canterbury was established. The proclamation of the Municipality coupled with plans for a railway line, led to land speculators buying up farmland to subdivide. Many of the resultant subdivision patterns remain intact. The legacy of these subdivision patterns is a poor interface with the Cooks River. Due to health of the river at the time, dwellings were designed to turn away from the riverfront and few access routes to the river were established.

In 1895, Campsie train station opened, when the existing railway line was extended from Sydenham to Belmore breaking the existing grid pattern and bisecting the centre. This divide remains today, with only limited vehicular and pedestrian opportunities to cross the railway line. In the early 20th century, cheap land and presence of a train station attracted both working class residents and middle-class professions to the centre. Much of the housing developed at this time was in a Federation style. Canterbury Hospital was built in 1929 with just 28 beds and after utilising the verandahs to place patients, it was soon expanded. The population of Campsie grew until the Great Depression when development slowed until the end of World War II.

The end of World War II triggered a change in national migration policy that helped transform Campsie into the ethnically diverse centre it is today. New migrants from Europe and then from Asia settled in the area, including large Chinese and Korean communities.

During this time, the introduction of the Strata Title Act 1961 created an opportunity to cater to Campsie’s growing population. Throughout Campsie, federation homes were replaced with two to three storey apartments blocks. These apartments were primarily rented, a trend that continues today.

Waiting room at Canterbury Hospital, Campsie, New South Wales, April 1943

Orion Theatre interior, 1960. Courtesy Barry Sharp and City of Canterbury Local History Photograph Collection Campsie bridge construction Beamish St, Campsie c.1900-1927