Suburb Profiles

Rhodes, New South Wales

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Rhodes is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rhodes is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay.

Rhodes sits on a peninsula between Bray Bay and Homebush Bay, on the southern bank of the Parramatta River and is located about 3 kilometres from the Telstra Stadium, Olympic Park (home of the 2000 Summer Olympics), Sydney International Aquatic Centre, Bicentennial Park and Millennium Parklands.

The suburb has three sections with distinct characteristics:

1. The eastern section, east of Concord Road, is predominantly single dwelling residential and parkland. It features two residential streets, Cropley Street and Llewellyn Street, which fronts the Parramatta River.
2. The central section, between Concord Road and the Main Northern railway line, is mixed commercial, single dwelling residential, warehouse/office developments and community facilities. It includes Rhodes Corporate Park, built on the site of the former Tullochs Phoenix Iron Works, two office blocks with some retail opposite the station, the Rhodes NSW Fire Brigades station (staffed by retained volunteers), single dwelling residences, the former Rhodes Public School (now a community centre), a Coptic Orthodox church and facilities, the Masonic Aged Care Hostel, warehouse/office development along the river and the First Yaralla Sea Scouts.
3. The western section, west of the railway line, features new developments on the former chemical works site and includes the Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre, many new (2007) apartment blocks and a public foreshore walkway with two small parks. This area was planned by the NSW Government under Sydney Regional Environment Plan No 29

Rhodes was named after the home of an early resident, Thomas Walker (1791–1861), which was built on the north-eastern side of the peninsula. Walker named his property Rhodes after his grandmother's home, Rhodes Hall, in Leeds, England. The house was demolished in 1919, when the land was purchased by the John Darling Flour Mills, later owned by Allied Feeds Limited.

Rhodes railway station is on the Northern line of the CityRail network. The station is about 30 minutes from the Sydney CBD by rail. Sydney Buses provide services (including 458 and 459) along Concord Road and Rider boulevard. John Whitton Bridge runs alongside the railway bridge.

The Ryde Bridge links Rhodes to Ryde, across the Parramatta River. Rhodes is on a major north-south road system through the suburbs of Sydney, Met Road 3, which consists of Mona Vale Road, Lane Cove Road, Concord Road, Homebush Bay Drive, Centenary Drive, Roberts Road and King Georges Road. It is close to two main east-west links, Victoria Road to the North and the F4/Parramatta Road/City West Link to the South.

Sydney Ferries provide ferry services from nearby Meadowbank to the City and Parramatta.

Rhodes features a mixture of single dwelling residential, high density residential, major retail developments such as the Rhodes Shopping Centre (including IKEA, Coles Supermarkets, Bing Lee, Reading Cinemas and a Target variety store), commercial, warehouse/office developments and community facilities.

There are a number of commercial buildings in the Rhodes Redevelopment Area west of the railway, mainly in Rider boulevard, housing substantial businesses such as Australian Associated Press. The Rhodes Corporate Park developed by Australand is located at the corner of Concord Road and Homebush Bay Drive on the eastern side of the railway line and includes businesses such as National Australia Bank and Nestle.

While virtually all the residential areas on the eastern side of the railway line are low to medium density of one or two storeys, the residential area on the western side of the railway line is a high density residential area. Most of the western side of the railway, particularly south of Mary Street, is zoned for high density residential development with buildings of four to eight storeys. There is an area of mixed high density residential and business opposite the railway station in Walker Street. The planning instrument for the Rhodes Redevelopment Area, provides for over 7,500 people to live west of the railway line in Rhodes.

Rhodes has one of the last NSW Fire Brigades stations staffed by volunteers in metropolitan Sydney. It was established on land owned by the McIlwaine family, for whom McIlwaine Park is named. Three generations of the McIlwaine family have been Captain of the Brigade.

First Yaralla Sea Scouts has a hall near Ryde Bridge. The hall was rebuilt in brick after the original hall was destroyed by fire. Dragon boat paddling also takes place from this site. The Concord Rhodes Open Sailing Club (now Concord Ryde Sailing Club) operated from King George V park until relocated to Putney to allow for the building of the duplication of Ryde Bridge.

Rhodes Community Centre is located in Blaxland Road in the former two teacher Rhodes Primary School. Most primary school children in the area now attend Concord West Public School, Strathfield North Public School or Saint Ambrose at Concord West. A community building is planned for the foreshore park on the western side of the peninsula and is expected to be completed in 2010.

There is an aged care hostel in Cavell Avenue and Rhodes Residents Association has represented the community for over 20 years. A Coptic Orthodox church has been built on the site of a former church of another denomination and additional parish facilities added.

Rhodes is home to the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway to Concord General Hospital

Concord Repatriation General Hospital is a large general hospital with an emergency department which is within walking distance of Rhodes station.

Concord West Public School on Concord Road opposite Hospital Road is the nearest primary school and is within walking distance of much of Rhodes. Other primary schools attended by students from Rhodes include St Ambrose, Concord West.

The local state high (secondary) schools are Concord High School, Strathfield Girls High School and Homebush Boys High School. Other high schools attended by students from Rhodes include Meriden at Strathfield, MLC at Burwood, St Patricks College Strathfield, Santa Sabina College Strathfield, Christian Brothers High School Lewisham, Marist College Eastwood, Trinity College and Fort Street Selective High School, Taverner's Hill.

The large, 2 storey, Concord Library opened in 2008 at the corner of Wellbank and Flavelle Streets, Concord, NSW is the local library for Rhodes.

There are a number of foreshore parks in the eastern part of the suburb, including McIlwaine Park, King George V Park, Brays Bay Reserve (which contains the Oliveto restaurant), and Rhodes/Rotary Park. Concord and Ryde Sailing Club was based in King George V Park until construction of the second Ryde Bridge required its demolition, after which the club premises were relocated to Kissing Point in Ryde.

The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway, which connects Brays Bay Reserve with Concord Hospital, is a memorial to those killed in Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda Track during World War II.

Rhodes features a foreshore path and cycleway, which links to an extensive network of foreshore parks in Sydney. Cycleways run west to Silverwater Bridge and on to Parramatta on both sides of the river. John Whitton Bridge, which is the former railway bridge joining Rhodes and Meadowbank, has a cycleway and pedestrian walkway.

 

 

 

Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes,_New_South_Wales