Redfern, New South Wales
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Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The post code is 2016. It is about 3 km south of Sydney's central business district (CBD). The population of the suburb spans a broad spectrum of socioeconomic characteristics. This may be partly due to the geography of the suburb, which is long, narrow, and centrally located.
| Sydney suburbs near Redfern (City of Sydney) | ||
| Chippendale | Surry Hills | |
| Darlington | Redfern | Moore Park |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | Waterloo | |
Redfern is accessible by CityRail trains, one station away from the city, with Redfern station on the western edge of the suburb. Redfern station is the closest CityRail station to the main campus of the University of Sydney at Camperdown and Darlington. A near-constant stream of commuters, mostly students, flows from Redfern station along the south side of Lawson St towards the university in the morning, and back towards the station in a largely hourly rhythm in the afternoon. The north side of Lawson St, which borders the Block, is largely untrafficked.
Name origin and usage
The suburb is named after surgeon William Redfern, who was granted 100 acres of land in this area in 1817 by Lachlan Macquarie.
The dated Australian slang term 'getting off at Redfern', meaning coitus interruptus, derives its meaning from the location of Redfern's CityRail train station, which is situated one stop from Sydney's Central railway station. A number of CityRail train lines pass through Redfern en-route to Central, making Redfern the second-last stop for many commuters.
February 2004 riots
Main article: 2004 Redfern riots
A riot occurred on 14 February 2004 at the end of Eveleigh Street outside Redfern station, sparked by the death of Thomas 'TJ' Hickey. The teenager, riding on his bicycle, was allegedly being chased by a police vehicle, which led to his impalement on a fence. Members of his family were then reported to have started grieving for TJ around Eveleigh Street with a crowd gathering commiserating with the family. Fliers were distributed blaming police for TJ's death. The police closed the Eveleigh Street entrance to the railway station, but youths in the crowd became violent, throwing bricks and bottles; this escalated into a riot. A memorial service was held for TJ Hickey in Redfern on 19 February, and in Walgett, New South Wales on 22 February. A subsequent inquest found that although the police were following Hickey, they had not caused the accident, a verdict that has caused controversy in Redfern's Aboriginal community. The riots have sparked fresh debate into the welfare of Australian Aborigines and the response of the police to those living in the Redfern area.
Redevelopment
Redfern is now subject to extensive redevelopment plans by the state government, to increase the population and reduce the considerable concentration of poverty in the suburb and neighbouring Waterloo (see Redfern-Eveleigh-Darlington).
External links
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