Local Information
A close-knit community with a great love for family values. Menai and surrounding suburbs is one of the greatest places in the country if you like security and lifestyle choices.
Quality public and private schools with easy access are the envy of older Sydney suburbs. The commitment to education and development of our nation’s youth is apparent in every one of our local schools. Each school has its own unique approach, you are sure to find one that suits you and your kids.
From the Sutherland Shire Menai is accessed across the Woronora Bridge. This fast growing area has some lovely homes viewing the Valleys of Bangor and Woronora Heights. New building developments around Menai are increasing the availability of both low and medium density housing in this picturesque bushland suburb. This very popular suburb should become one of Sydney's future real estate boom areas.
Menai Metro is the districts business centre with access to Solicitors, Conveyancing, Hairdressers, Dance Schools, Financial Consultants, Doctors, Dentists, Travel Agents, Real Estate Agents and much more.
Fine dining can be enjoyed by families, couples or singles looking for a great night out. Your choice of Italian, Thai, Chinese, Indian and of course those good old favourites Fish and Chips and Gourmet Pizza are all available.
Menai Catholic Club has the honour of being NSW Club of the year and offers the very best in family entertainment at budget prices. Ample parking and kiddie care for kids over 4 means you can have a hassle free evening.
If sports are your passion then you will be well catered for with very successful clubs offering membership in most age groups in all major codes. Soccer, League, Netball, Golf, Martial Arts, Swimming, Basketball, Touch Football, Cricket and more.
Bordered by the beautiful Georges and Woronora Rivers and natural bushland, the district has a reputation for quality homes with amazing views. If you're looking for an area that will offer the lifestyle and security you deserve and potential for above average capital growth then the 2234 postcode should become home for you.
• Under 10 minutes to Sutherland station
• 15 minutes to Miranda Fair
• 25 minutes to Cronulla
• 15 minutes to Bankstown
• Numerous bus services and arterial roads to the above towns including Homebush - Olympic Park
• Many childcare and school facilities
• Many parks and recreational facilities
• Fire brigade, ambulance, police
• Community health centre, library & youth club
• Major retail shops and banking facilities
Menai
Menai is a newer suburb, having been developed only since the early 1980s, and as such, nearly all the homes are new 4-bedders with dual bathrooms and double-garages and mostly owner occupied. In fact, the region has the highest rate of home ownership in Australia, at over 70% (according to the last census).
Commercial Area
Menai contains a bustling shopping centre around Menai Road with many retail stores and fine restaurants. The two major retail developments are called Menai Central and Menai Marketplace. Menai Marketplace is located beside the Menai Community Buildings and features a Woolworths supermarket, Big W discount department store and many specialty shops including an Electronics Boutique, Bakers Delight, Michel's Patisserie and Gloria Jean's. The restaurants include Caesars Gourmet Pizza Restaurant, Rocksalt, 10 'n' 20 Cafe, Palace Garden Chinese restaurant and Bua Thai.
Sport and Recreation
An indoor sporting complex is adjacent to the Menai shopping centre. Menai is home to the Menai Junior Rugby League Football Club.
Large outdoor playing fields, including a championship golf course and a state-of-the-art athletics field, are found in the nearby suburb of Barden Ridge, just a few minutes away. These will be accompanied by hockey fields and a world class BMX facility.
Schools
Menai's schools include Menai Primary [K-6], Aquinas College [Catholic, 7-12][1] and Holy Family [Catholic, K-6]. Residents also use schools in neighbouring suburbs such as Alfords Point Primary [Public, K-6] in Alfords Point, Menai High [Public, 7-12], Tharawal [Public, K-6] and Illawong Primary [Public, K-6] in Illawong and Bangor Primary School [K-6] and Inaburra High School [K-12] in Bangor.
Churches
Menai Anglican Church, Holy Family Catholic Parish Church, Menai Baptist Church, Shire West Christian Church.
History
Menai is not, as many people first guess, an Aboriginal name, but is named after Menai Bridge, a town on the Menai Strait in Wales, Great Britain.
The area now known as Menai was originally called Bangor in 1895 by the land's owner, a farmer named Owen Jones, after his birthplace Bangor in Wales. To avoid confusion with Bangor in Tasmania, the Postmaster General's Office changed the suburb name to Menai in 1910. Menai Bridge in Wales lies opposite Bangor on the Menai Strait. When Menai expanded, the eastern section became Bangor again.
Alfords Point, New South Wales
Postcode: 2234
Location: 28 km from CBD
LGA: Sutherland Shire
State District: Menai
Federal Division: Hughes
Suburbs around Alfords Point
Picnic Point Revesby Heights Padstow Heights
Holsworthy Alfords Point Lugarno
Menai Illawong Illawong
Alfords Point is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Alfords Point is located 28km south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Alfords Point shares the postcode of 2234 with neighbouring suburbs of Menai, Bangor and Illawong.
Alfords Point is located on the southern bank of the Georges River. Alfords Point Bridge carries Alford Point Road north across the river to the suburb of Padstow Heights in the City of Bankstown.
Commercial Area
Alfords Point has a small group of shops on Brushwood Drive.
Sport and Recreation
Alfords Point contains two sporting ovals, which are used for soccer and cricket, in local competitions. Beautiful natural bushland is abundant in this area with many walking tracks and fire trails.
Education
Alfords Point Primary school K-6 is a community-orientated school that often hosts community events and functions.
History
Jane Alford, widow of John Alford Senior owned 50 acres of land near here in 1828. Alford was originally the name given to an area of public reserve on the bank of the Georges River.
Illawong
Illawong is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Illawong is located 27km south of the Sydney Central Business District, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The post code is 2234, which is also assigned to the contiguous suburbs of Menai, Bangor and Alfords Point.
Illawong sits between the southern shore of the Georges River and the northern shore of the Woronora River. Illawong comprises mainly of residential homes, a nursing home and a small shopping centre. Residents are middle to upper class families, and are very hospitable to visitors of the area. Illawong is colloquially known as "The Wong" to locals.
Commercial area
Illawong Village shopping centre sits between Fowler Road and Hobart Place. Originally a small collection of shops, the shopping centre is currently being rebuilt (2007). Illawong Village features a Coles supermarket, and many specialty shops.
History
Illawong is an Aboriginal word meaning between two waters, referring to the Georges and Woronora Rivers. Illawong was originally inhabited by the Tharawal and/or Eora tribes who left remnants of their lives in many middens, rock carvings and cave paintings.
Captain John Hunter (1731-1821) was the first European to explore the area. In 1789, Hunter sailed through the Georges and Woronora Rivers. In 1795-6, with Matthew Flinders and George Bass, Hunter explored further up the Georges River and declared the area of Bankstown.
Construction of Old Illawarra Road took place between 1843 to 1845 and was inspected by Major Thomas Mitchell, it being one of the last public works completed by convicts. The construction allowed the new route to be about 32 kilometres shorter towards the South Coast. At the southern end of the district Major Mitchell took the road across the ford at the head of the Woronora River, naming the ford "Pass of Sabugal", possibly due to the resemblance in scenery of the north-eastern frontier of Portugal.
In the 1890s Menai was a farming area and Illawong, then known as East Menai, was an area where wealthy people of Sydney built holiday homes and weekenders.
Schools
Illawong Primary School
Tharawal Primary School
Menai High School is the major high school servicing the Menai Area.
Churches
Illawong Uniting Church is located opposite Illawong Village Shopping Centre in Hobart Place. Everyone is welcome!
Scouts
The Scout group in Illawong is 1st Wearne Bay Sea Scouts. They have all five youth sections (Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers) represented within the group. The group meets in their hall at Wearne Bay, on the Georges River. This hall was previously the house of the old ferry master, who started the group.
Bangor
Sydney, New South Wales
Bangor Shopping Centre
Population: 5,672 (2001 census)
Established: 1836
Postcode: 2234
Area: 4.1 km²
Location: 28 km from Sydney CBD
LGA: Sutherland Shire
State District: Menai
Federal Division: Hughes
Bangor is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bangor is located 28km south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Bangor sits on the southern bank of the Georges River and is adjacent to Menai and Woronora.
Commercial Area
Bangor is a mostly residential suburb with a small shopping centre which consists of a post office, Bangor Bakery, The Chicken Spot, Franklins and Bangor Chinese. Most residents rely on other commercial centres, particularly Menai, for services. Bangor's outskirts are surrounded by privately owned bushland, which is undeveloped. The last development application for this land was declined.
Schools
Bangor Primary School [K-6].
Inaburra School [K-12], a private school.
Churches
Menai Baptist Church, Holy Catholic Family Parish Church, Salvation Army and local Kabbalah Church.
Sport
Bangor has tennis courts and two sporting ovals (Akuna Oval and Billa Oval) named after the roads they are situated on. Bangor is home to the Bangor Brumbies soccer club and its home field is Billa Oval. Melanie and Polina = love.
Transport
The main road running through Bangor and Menai is Menai Road. The Bangor Bypass was completed in February 2005, to alleviate traffic in the area.
The public transport is run by Veolia Transport NSW (formerly Connex Southtrans). The buses (961 and 962) operate on Menai Road and connect Bangor to Menai, Illawong, Alfords Point, Barden Ridge, Padstow, Bankstown, Sutherland (the nearest major transport hub, which includes a major railway station), Kirrawee, Gymea and Miranda.
Since the Bangor Bypass was opened, extensive roadworks have been implemented to Bangor's main road, Menai Road. These included narrowing of the road, traffic lights at the intersection with Dandarbong Avenue and a small parking area for parents outside Bangor Primary School. During the Easter Show period, these changes have caused the large quantities of drivers that normally park along the formerly curb-less road to park in narrow neighbouring streets. However, similar changes to the road within Menai have caused Easter Show parkers to park along the outer traffic lane of Menai Road.
History
The name 'Bangor' was selected in 1895 by the land's owner, a farmer named Owen Jones, after his birthplace Bangor in Wales. To avoid confusion with Bangor in Tasmania, the Postmaster General's Office changed the suburb name to Menai in 1910. Another Australian Bangor is located in South Australia. Menai Bridge is a town opposite the original Bangor, on the Menai Straits in Wales. When Menai expanded, the eastern section was renamed Bangor in 1976.
Barden Ridge
Sydney, New South Wales
St Pauls Anglican Church
Established: 1996
Postcode: 2234
Location: 31 km from Sydney CBD
LGA: Sutherland Shire
State District: Menai
Federal Division: Hughes
The Ridge, Golf Driving RangeBarden Ridge is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Barden Ridge is located 31km south-west of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire. The postcode is 2234. Barden Ridge is colloquially known to locals as 'The Ridge'.
Location
Barden Ridge is located on the Woronora River, which flows north into the Georges River. 'The Needles', is a body of water (fjord) on the Woronora River, on one of the original roads west from Helensburgh. On the northern side of the fjord lies the fresh water source of the Woronora River, whilst on the other side is salt water. The water, between two steep hills, remains so cold that even during summer it has been known to have caused heart attacks. While car access has been generally blocked, pedestrian access is still available. This area is also popular for recreational activities such as hiking and mountain biking.
Barden Ridge has shifted from a remote bushland area, when known as Lucas Heights, to an expanding suburb that now contains all the necessary amenities that have established a strong community.
History
Barden Ridge was named after Alfred Barden, whose pioneering family is associated with the Bangor area prior to the 1850s. In early times Barden Ridge had been used to identify the geographical location and Lucas Heights was given to the suburb that developed here.
Transport
The nearest train station is at Sutherland on the City Rail Illawarra line and South Coast lines. Veolia Transport, formerly known as Connex Southtrans operates the local bus service.
In 2005, the Bangor Bypass was completed. It takes motorists directly from Sutherland to Barden Ridge, instead of passing through Menai and Bangor. A new section of the Bypass is being planned that will pass by Barden Ridge.
Sport and Recreation
The Ridge Sports Complex is a major sporting facility on the western side of New Illawarra Road. It features playing fields and associated amenities buildings, netball courts, a synthetic athletic track and golf driving range. Also planned for this area are hockey fields, a championship golf course and club facilities to service the needs of the sporting and golfing community.
Schools
Barden Ridge has two schools: Lucas Heights Community School and Sutherland Shire Christian School.
Churches
St Pauls Anglican Church.
Politics
Barden Ridge comes under the Federal seat of Hughes, which is currently held by Liberal MP Danna Vale. In State Government, it comes under the seat of Menai, which is currently held by ALP MP Alison Megarrity. In Local Government, Barden Ridge falls under Sutherland Shire E Ward, which has three representatives. .