What's in a name? - ALLAWAH

Allawah Shops, Railway Parade Allawah NSW, circa 1925 | Georges River Libraries (spydus.com)

Allawah comes from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘remain here’ or ‘stay here’. The area was opened up in 1925 when the railway station was built. The name for the station was submitted to the Railway Commissioners by Hurstville Council in July 1924. Two rejected names were Solander and Robert’s Hill, on account of there being similarly named locales elsewhere in the state. Hamer’s Estate, on the Princes Highway, was advertised in September 1924 as being ‘close to Allawah, the new railway station,’ and the Allawah Estate, a subdivision offered for sale by Peach Bros in April 1925 comprised eight shop sites at the junction of Forest Road and Durham Street, ‘convenient for the new Allawah Station’.

An Allawah Progress Association was formed in May 1925, and put forward suggestions to Kogarah Council for improvements to the area. It was in existence up to 1932.

The landmark Allawah Hotel designed by the practice of Rudder and Grout, opened in March 1929. The licensee, Jack Shaw, had previously successfully run the Hurstville Hotel.

Champion Davis Cup tennis star John Bromwich lived at Illawarra Street, Allawah.

In the mid-1930s there were moves to change the name of the suburb to North Hurstville, but Kogarah Council rejected the proposal.

Allawah-Langlea RSL Hall was opened in 1951 on the corner of Railway Parade and Illawarra Street.

Did You Know…? In 1935 a man working on unemployment relief road work in Mona Street found buried in the clay, a tin containing gold sovereigns dating back to 1830. The man’s name was not made public, as he would have no longer been entitled to further unemployment relief.