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About Georges River
History
The traditional owners of the area now known as the Georges River are the Biddegal people of the Eora Nation, who have lived on this land for more than 40,000 years. European settlement in the area in 1788 led to dramatic change for the Aboriginal community.
The first land grant was assigned in 1804, with Hannah Laycock and her family receiving 700 acres. In 1808, Captain John Townson was granted 1,950 acres of land, comprising the present-day suburb of Hurstville and part of Bexley. His brother Robert Townson was granted the land which now comprises Penshurst, Mortdale, and parts of Peakhurst.
European settlement was the catalyst for significant changes to the natural landscape, which was rich in natural resources, such as lime and timber. Communities began to work in areas including limeburning, timber-getting, oyster-farming, ship-building, and brickworks.
Further transformation of the Georges River area took place in 1850, when Michael Gannon purchased land and subdivided it into small farms along what is now Croydon Road. Three larger farms were purchased by Messrs Dent, Peake, and Ibbotson, and the area became known as Gannons Forest.
When a local school was established in 1876, it was named "Hurstville", and in 1884, the new railway station took the same name. The establishment of the Illawarra Railway line saw the landscape shift from rural to an environment featuring cottages and roads, and residents opted for trades over agricultural work.
Webster’s Lookout, Oatley Park, Oatley NSW, Believed to be 1930s.
Kogarah Council was first established in 1885, with a municipality in Hurstville following in 1887. Improved transport links brought about an increase in population in the 1900s, which led to a boom in new shops and businesses. The picturesque rivers, coves and beaches of Georges River became the ‘pleasure grounds’ of Sydney, popular for swimming, boating, and picnicking.
The discovery of gold in NSW in the 1850s attracted Chinese migration to the Georges River, and migration from China and Hong Kong again boomed in the 1990s, when a distinct Chinese community began to form in the area. By 1988, Hurstville had become a central business district for the southern suburbs of Sydney, and was declared a city.
Georges River Council was formed in 2016 following the amalgamation of the former Hurstville and Kogarah Councils. Today, the Georges River area is home to a thriving multicultural community, sharing links with more than 50 countries. Some 159,471 people call the Georges River area home, with 16 per cent of the community born in China and 53.4 per cent speaking a language other than English at home (2016 Census).
Council
Our 15 elected councillors are supported by 623 staff members undertaking both administrative and outdoor activities. Our annual operational expenditure budget for 2019/20 exceeded $147 million and an additional capital expenditure program in excess of $54 million.
You can learn more about our organisational structure on page 202-206.
Suburbs
Allawah Beverley Park Beverly Hills Blakehurst Carlton Carss Park Connells Point Hurstville Hurstville Grove Kogarah Kogarah Bay Kingsgrove Kyle Bay Lugarno Mortdale Narwee Oatley Peakhurst Peakhurst Heights Penshurst Riverwood Sans Souci South Hurstville
Demographics
Location
Georges River LGA is 17 kilometres from Sydney CBD and covers 38 square kilometres. Georges River LGA is close to Sydney Airport and the M5 Motorway, as well as the foreshores of Botany Bay and the Georges River. The area is serviced by Stoney Creek Road, Forest Road, King Georges Road, and the East Hills and Illawarra rail lines. It is the major public transport interchange for the St George region, with excellent access to train and bus services. The LGA consists of five wards: Blakehurst, Hurstville, Kogarah Bay, Mortdale, and Peakhurst.
Population
The estimated resident population for 2019 is 159,471 with a population density of 41.57 people per hectare. The population in 2020 is estimated at 160,965 and is forecast to grow to 185,346 people by 2036 (15.15 per cent increase). The Georges River LGA has a slightly lower proportion of people 17 and younger and a higher proportion of people aged over 60 than the Greater Sydney average.
Overall, 20.2 per cent of the population was 17 and under, and 20.6 per cent 60 and over, compared with 22.1 per cent and 19 per cent respectively for Greater Sydney.
The area has a high proportion of people born overseas (44.8 per cent) and 42 per cent of the population is from a non-English speaking background. The largest overseas country of birth in the LGA is China, where 16.1 per cent of the population, or 23,654 people, were born.
The next most common places of birth are Nepal (3.3 per cent), Hong Kong (2.5 per cent) and the United Kingdom (1.6 per cent).
The countries of birth with the biggest net gain in number of residents between 2011 and 2016 were China (+5,168), Nepal (+3,081), The Philippines (+725), India (+397) and Bangladesh (+352).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represented 0.5 per cent of Georges River’s population in the 2016
Census.
Languages
The most common languages spoken at home other than English are Chinese languages (17.7 per cent), Greek (5.4 per cent) and Arabic (3.6 per cent). Those speaking Nepali has increased from 1.3 per cent in 2011 to 3.4 per cent (compared to 0.7 per cent in Greater Sydney) in 2016.
Economy
The local economy sustains 54,813 jobs with 84,680 employed residents. Of the 42,487 local workers in the LGA, 15,726, or 37 per cent, also live in the area.
46 per cent of the local workers are male and 54.1 per cent female. The LGA is home to around 16,289 local businesses with the largest industry (by employment) being healthcare and social assistance (15,631 local jobs in 2018/19). Financial and insurance services were the most productive industries, generating $1,374 million in 2018/19.
Our gross regional product was $8.21 billion in the year ending June 2019, growing 1.2 per cent on the previous year.
Healthcare and social assistance had the largest total exports by industry, generating $1,088 million in 2018/19. Manufacturing had the largest total imports by industry, generating $1,854 million in 2018/19. COVID-19 economic outlook
The estimated impacts for the June quarter 2020 compared to 2018/19 four-quarter average predict a gross regional product change of -9.8 per cent. Local jobs are forecast to fall by 6.2 per cent which equates to a loss of 3,416 local jobs. If JobKeeper recipients are included, then the employment decline is estimated at -10.8 per cent (5,946 jobs).
Environment
We are committed to the conservation, restoration and enhancement of the LGA’s environment. Since 2016, we have introduced projects and programs to enhance the local environment and encourage recycling and waste minimisation, including:
Carss Park Foreshore Naturalisation Project Riverwood Wetlands Restoration Project Dover Park West Foreshore Restoration Dairy Creek Bank Stabilisation and Restoration Project Butler Reserve Rain Garden and Playground The Myles Dunphy Reserve Nature Boardwalk Stage 1 of the Gannons Park Water Quality Improvement and Stormwater Harvesting Project ‘Retail your Rubbish’ program Bower Reuse Café Composting and worm farm workshops Eco body workshop Bee conservation project Hydro Panel project; and Activities for World Environment Day.
Carss Park Foreshore Naturalisation Project.
Georges River Council Customer Service staff during COVID-19.
