Rockdale is located just 13 km from the heart of Sydney‘s CBD and is only minutes from Sydney Airport. Getting to Rockdale is easy with direct access by train, plane or automobile and is the gateway to the southern suburbs of Sydney.
Rockdale Town Centre is home to a diverse range of commercial, residential and natural landscapes. It has an extensive shopping precinct where local meets international, beautiful bushland, parks and numerous eateries offering a great range of cuisines. It is also home to a vibrant mix of people making it a great place to live, shop or visit for a day or two.
The main shopping strip runs along the Princes Highway, near the Rockdale railway station, and is jammed packed with family-run boutiques and major department stores. Just off the Highway, the revamped King Street has developed into an eclectic strip of vibrant cafes, eateries and grocery stores.
King St Mall, Rockdale Plaza Shopping Centre, Cameron Street Lookout, Rockdale Park and White Oak Reserve.
The traditional owners of what became the City of Rockdale include the Cadigal, the Gwegal and the Bidjigal tribes. Known as 'Water People', these tribes inhabited the area for thousands of years before white settlers arrived.
Development of the area dates from the early 1800s, and was first known by Europeans as Frog Hollow, then White Gum Flat and West Botany. Finally the name Rockdale was suggested by pioneer and tollgate keeper, Mary Ann Geeves because of the rocky landscape surrounding the area, and was officially adopted in 1887.
Residential development began with the opening of the railway in 1884 and until 1949, an electric tramway operated between Rockdale station and Brighton Le Sands. Significant development occurred in the 1930s, especially around the railway station. Growth continued in the post-war years and in more recent year’s growth has occurred largely due to an increase in high density housing.
Rockdale Town Hall and the St George Tavern are examples of some of the original Art Deco architecture in the area.
The following statistics are provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census for the suburb of Rockdale.
Population
In the 2006 Census, there were 13988 residents in Rockdale. This is an increase of 2708 residents since the 2001 Census.
Of the total population in Rockdale 0.3% are Indigenous persons.
Age
The majority of residents are aged between 25 – 54 years with a total of 48.8%. 15.2% of the population are children aged between 0-14 years, and 20.4% were persons aged 55 years and over. The median age of persons is 32 years.
Country of birth
Australian born residents totalled 36.4%. Other common responses were: China 9.5%, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 5.1%, Bangladesh 3.6%, Lebanon 2.7% and Philippines 2.6%.
Languages
English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 29.8% of persons and the most common languages other than English spoken at home were: Macedonian 7.8%, Arabic 7.3%, Mandarin 7.2%, Cantonese 6.1% and Greek 4.9%.
Religion
The most common responses for religious affiliation for residents of Rockdale were: Catholic 22.8%, Eastern Orthodox 15.9%, No Religion 13.5%, Islam 10.1% and Anglican 6.4%.
Occupation
7070 people aged 15 years and over who were usually resident in Rockdale were in the labour force. There were 3606 usual residents aged 15 years and over not in the labour force.
The most common responses for occupation for employed persons usually resident in Rockdale (Suburb) were Professionals 17.3%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 16.4%, Technicians and Trades Workers 12.9%, Labourers 12.8% and Sales Workers 12.6%.
The median weekly family income was $1128, compared with $1171 in Australia.
Families
There were 3408 families in Rockdale: 44.5% were couple families with children, 36.5% were couple families without children, 15% were one parent families and 4.0% were other families.
Housing
There were 5218 occupied private dwellings: 31.6% were separate houses, 4.9% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 61.4% were flats, units or apartments and 1.8% were other dwellings.
The median weekly rent was $270, compared to $190 in Australia. The median monthly housing loan repayment was $1755, compared to $1300 in Australia. The average household size was 2.6.
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