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The
original residents of Marrickville were the Cadigal people who lived in
the area for more than 40,000 years. The Cadigal were a clan of
the Darug people and spoke the coastal Eora language. Other clans of the
area included the Wangal, the Kameygal and the Bediagal. They did not
settle in the Marrickville area, but for thousands of years roamed
through territory which stretched from Port Jackson to Botany Bay. Aboriginal artefacts found around Cooks River
and Alexandra Canal area indicate at least 7,000 years of occupation.
The
Marrickville Local Government Area (LGA) is a unique locality with a
rich and varied history. The LGA has, from the earliest days of European
settlement, been distinguished by its multicultural nature.
European
settlement of the area commenced with the first land grant in 1789. By
1809 all land within the district had been granted. By the 1830's
Marrickville had been consolidated into five great estates. The area was
not heavily populated. Only several hundred people from a variety of
ethnic backgrounds, including English, Scottish, Italian, German, Dutch
and Chinese, lived here. With just a small proportion of the land having
been cleared and cultivated, the principal occupations were rural: grain
- growing, market gardens, timber cutting, dairy farms, pig and poultry
farms.
In
1861 the Municipality
of Marrickville was proclaimed. It was soon followed by
Newtown
(1862), then St Peters (1871) and Petersham (1872). Camperdown was proclaimed in 1861 but did
not function until 1868.
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From the 1880's to the 1920's Marrickville grew from a sparsely settle
rural area to a densely populated industrial region. By 1948 the
combined population of the original municipalities peaked at over
113,000 people. The 1996 Census indicates that this has decreased to
76,000.
Following the introduction of the
Local Government (Areas) Act of 1948, there was an amalgamation of
Marrickville, Petersham and St Peters Municipal councils. They became
the enlarged Marrickville Municipal council on 1 January, 1949.
Camperdown Municipal had been amalgamated into the City of Sydney
in 1908 and Newtown followed in 1948. In 1968 there was a readjustment of local government
boundaries and parts of Camperdown and Newtown were added to the Marrickville LGA to form the present Council area.
Migration
has been paramount in the history of Marrickville. Each wave of
migration has added to its character. The peak of migrants occurred from
the 1950s to the late 1970s when very large numbers of migrants arrived
from Southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia
. The area has become a new home to a diversity of cultural groups. It
has one of the highest percentages of overseas - born population of any
local government are in New South Wales, being ranked 3rd in the 1991
Census behind Fairfield and Ashfield
Marrickville
is an extraordinarily diverse community, with people from all socio
economic backgrounds, trades and professions. There are over 27 different Christian relgious denominations
along with the Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus. You can travel around the
world in one day at Marrickville. |
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