Kogarah and Carlton are located 14 km south of the Sydney’s CBD. Kogarah originally stretched to the bay but has since been divided up to form the separate suburbs of Kogarah Bay and Beverley Park.
The western section of Kogarah is bounded by the railway line in the east, generally by Union Street in the south and generally by Warialda Street in the west and north-west. The eastern section of Kogarah is bounded by Harrow Road, Schofield Street and generally by Beach Street in the north,
West Botany Street, President Avenue and the suburb of Monterey in the east, the suburb of Ramsgate in the south and Rocky Point Road and Princes Highway in the west. Part of the suburb of Kogarah is located in the Municipality of Kogarah.
Carlton is bounded generally by Ethel Street, Willison Road and Henry Street in the north, generally by Union Street and Union Lane in the east, the railway line in the south and Xenia Avenue in the west. Parts of the suburb of Carlton are located in the City of Hurstville and Municipality of Kogarah.
Kogarah is from an Aboriginal word meaning 'a place of rushes'. Often spelt "Koggerah" in early documents, the name was not officially applied to the district until after the opening of the Illawarra Railway Line in 1884.
Kogarah is a mixed use area, with residential, industrial and commercial land use and is considered to be the centre of the St George area. Kogarah is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Kogarah, although a small part of the suburb is located in the City of Rockdale.
Kogarah is known for its large number of schools (including primary, high school and tertiary education) and health care services (including two hospitals and many medical centres). Kogarah features all types of residential developments from low density detached houses, to medium density flats and high density high-rise apartments.
Kogarah is also home to the heritage listed Toomevara Lane Chinese Market Gardens.
Carlton is an established residential area. Development of the area dates from the 1840s, although little growth occurred until the 1880s. Significant development occurred in the interwar period and post-war years. Carlton has experienced a small increase in population between 1996 and 2001, a result of new dwellings being added to the area.
Major features of the area include James Cook Boys High School, Moorefield Girls High School, St George College, Southern Sydney Institute of TAFE, Civic Avenue Reserve, Scarborough Park, Tindale Reserve, The School of Arts Hall and Stell Reserve.
Development of the area dates from 1808 when early land grants in the area were made to John Townson (1760-1835) who received 2250 acres. Although growth was slow until the 1840s as there was no access to Cooks River and the area was filled with dense forest. In 1840 a dam was constructed at Cooks River, then a road was built and land was cleared. Settlement increased, with market gardens, orchards and vineyards established. Many Chinese settlers arrived after the gold rushes of the 1850s, with land being used mainly for agricultural purposes.
Growth occurred following the opening of the railway in 1884. Significant development occurred in the 1920s and 1950s. Kogarah has experienced a relatively stable population between 1996 and 2001, the result of little change in dwelling stock and a decline in the average number of persons living in each dwelling.
The following statistics are provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census for the suburb of Kogarah.
Population
There were 11715 persons usually resident in Kogarah: 49.6% were males and 50.4% were females. Of the total population in Kogarah 0.4% were Indigenous persons.
Age
The majority of residents are aged between 25 – 54 years with a total of 48.7%. 16.9% of the population usually resident in Kogarah were children aged between 0-14 years, and 21.4% were persons aged 55 years and over. The median age of persons in Kogarah was 34 years, compared with 37 years for persons in Australia.
Country of birth
Australian born residents totalled 38.7%. Other common responses within Kogarah were: China 11.3%, Bangladesh 3.8%, India 3.0%, Greece 2.8% and Philippines 2.1%.
Languages
English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 34.2% of persons usually resident in Kogarah. The most common languages other than English spoken at home were: Mandarin 9.8%, Cantonese 6.8%, Greek 6.7%, Bengali 4.1% and Arabic 4.0%.
Religion
The most common responses for religious affiliation for persons usually resident in Kogarah were Catholic 21.7%, No Religion 15.7%, Eastern Orthodox 13.6%, Anglican 8.6% and Islam 7.8%.
Occupation
5847 people aged 15 years and over who were usually resident in Kogarah were in the labour force. There were 2984 usual residents aged 15 years and over not in the labour force.
The most common responses for occupation for employed persons usually resident in Kogarah were Professionals 23.7%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 16.7%, Labourers 12.0%, Technicians and Trades Workers 11.2% and Sales Workers 10.5%.
The median weekly family income was $1124, compared with $1171 in Australia.
Families
There were 3008 families in Kogarah: 45.8% were couple families with children, 35.4% were couple families without children, 16.3% were one parent families and 2.6% were other families.
Housing
There were 4621 occupied private dwellings counted in Kogarah: 32.0% were separate houses, 7.6% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 59.8% were flats, units or apartments and 0.6% were other dwellings.
The median weekly rent was $240, compared to $190 in Australia. The median monthly housing loan repayment was $1733, compared to $1300 in Australia. The average household size was 2.5 and the average number of persons per bedroom was 1.3.
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