Yagoona, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Yagoona
city = Sydney
state = nsw


caption = Hume Highway, Yagoona
lga = City of Bankstown
postcode = 2199
est = 1927
pop = 14,876 (2006 census)
density =
area = 4.47
propval =
stategov = Bankstown
fedgov = Blaxland
near-nw = Sefton
near-n = Birrong
near-ne = Chullora
near-w = Bass Hill
near-e = Greenacre
near-sw = Georges Hall
near-s = Condell Park
near-se = Bankstown
dist1 = 20
dir1 = south-west
location1= Sydney CBD

Yagoona is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Yagoona is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Bankstown. Yagoona is surrounded by the suburbs of Sefton, Birrong, Chullora, Bass Hill, Greenacre, Georges Hall, Condell Park and Bankstown.

History

Yagoona is an Aboriginal word meaning 'now' or today'. [http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/History-Suburb-Names/default.aspx History Suburb Names]

The area now known as Yagoona, Bass Hill, and north Bankstown was called Irish Town, due to the high concentration of Irish rebels transported here from Ireland in the late 1700s. Land grants were issued to Irish families and finally the suburb of Yagoona was created in 1927. [ cite book
last =Maltby
first =Kathy
authorlink =www.bankstowncity.nsw.gov.au
coauthors =Rosen, Sue – Bankstown: Sense of Identity
title =From Settlement to City
publisher =Bankstown City Council
date =
location =Civic Tower 66-72 Rickard Road Bankstown
pages = Page 4
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = ] St Matthew's Anglican Church was built on Liverpool Road (now Hume Highway) in 1861 to cater for the Protestants of the district as well as to function as a school. [ cite book
last =Maltby
first =Kathy
authorlink =www.bankstowncity.nsw.gov.au
coauthors =Rosen, Sue – Bankstown: Sense of Identity
title =From Settlement to City
publisher =Bankstown City Council
date =
location =Civic Tower 66-72 Rickard Road Bankstown
pages = Page 6
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = ]

In 1963, the Westfield Group opened a small shopping centre in the suburb. [http://westfield.com/corporate/about/history.html Westfield Group History] Yagoona was home to the first McDonalds restaurant in Australia, opened on 30 December 1971 [http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/prnews_9dec96.html FASCINATING MCFACTS ABOUT MCDONALD'S INTERNATIONAL] , however it closed in the late 1990s. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:RZKVIORS7QQJ:thecia.com.au/reviews/f/images/footy-legends-production-notes.rtf+mcdonalds+yagoona+1996&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&client=firefox-a Footy Legends Production Notes]

Commercial Area

The main commercial area is located on the Hume Highway (Liverpool Road), near Yagoona railway station.Over recent years this shopping strip has been in economic decline as a consequence of major banks (Commonwealth, National Australia, State) and retailers leaving. Residents now find it more convenient to shop at nearby Bass Hill Plaza or further away at Chester Hill, Bankstown (Centro Bankstown, formerly Bankstown Square) or Parramatta (Westfields). There have been some plans to rejuvenate the town centre in Yagoona in recent years by Bankstown City Council. "Initial suggestions, already supported by residents and visitors, include a larger supermarket, a new community centre, improved shopping environment, and a variation in housing." [ [http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/planb/onExhibition/index.cfm Yagoona rejuvenation plans] ]

Retailers here include an IGA Supermarket, a KFC fast food outlet, [ [http://www.hotfrog.com.au/Companies/KFC-Yagoona KFC Yagoona ] ] Australia Post, [ [http://www.nowwhere.com.au/austpost/postofficelocator/info.aspx?RECORD=1077 Location Information] ] , a number of discount stores, mixed businesses, three pharmacies, a fruit shop, bakery, a newsagent, a real estate agent, several cafés, furniture stores and medical centres. Another Australia Post is on Dargan Street, Yagoona West.

In 2006 a Salvation Army store opened in the town centre (where the Blockbuster videos store was once located and previously a Pizza Hut). The fancy dress store next to the medical centre/pharmacy was originally occupied by the post office. Previous businesses in and around the main commercial area include Top Video (burnt down in 1995), Video Ezy, State Bank (which closed in the 90s and is now a medical centre and pharmacy), a fruit and vegetable market and a liquor store next to the supermarket (now both furniture stores), Franklins supermarket (now IGA), a newsagency next to the railway station (later a cafe until an explosion closed it), a photo shop (now a discount store).

The head office of RSPCA NSW is located in this suburb along Rookwood Road. [ [http://www.rspcansw.org.au/contact_us Contact Us ] ]

Transport

Yagoona Railway Station is on the Bankstown line of the CityRail network. A number of bus services link Yagoona to Bankstown and Parramatta. Yagoona is located some 5-10 minutes from Bankstown Central Business District and about 10-15 minutes from Parramatta CBD.

The Hume Highway cuts through Yagoona and is the main road access for Yagoona to Liverpool and Sydney City; and Rookwood Road connects south to Stacey Street/Fairford Road (Entrance to the M5), and north to Silverwater Road (Access to the M4). A 30 metre pedestrian bridge costing A$2.3 million [cite web
last = Harbour
first = David
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Road closed
work =
publisher = Torch Publishing
date = 2006-07-24
url = http://www.torchpublishing.com.au/news_detail.php?ID=36933
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-02-11] linking the side footpaths of Hume Highway was built in 2006, primarily to ensure easy and safe access travel in this area for the students of Yagoona Primary School. Lifts are located at each end to ensure easy access for those with disabilities. The construction of the bridge was funded by the Government of New South Wales. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

---

] The bridge will also help streamline Hume Highway traffic by removing the previous set of traffic lights. [http://www.tonystewartmp.net/new_news/Stewart%20News%202-07.pdf Stewart News 0-07]

chools

There are three Primary Schools in Yagoona - Yagoona Public School [http://www.yagoona-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/] , Christ the King Catholic School and Al Sadiq College. There are no high schools in the suburb. Most students attend high schools in adjoining suburbs, normally Birrong, Bass Hill, Bankstown, Condell Park or Sefton.

An Alawite Muslim School, Al Sadiq College (Kindergarten and Years 1 to 6) [ [http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ebos/static/AccredSchoolsA.htm Registered schools - A - Board of Studies NSW ] ] , was recently built at 178 Cooper Road close to Yagoona's Town Centre to cater for the growing Alawite population.

Parks

Yagoona is home to Gazzard Park, George Green Oval, Gillman Reserve, Middleton Park, Graf Park and O'Neill Park, all containing various sporting facilities and play equipment.

Churches

Yagoona has seven places of worship including: [ cite book
last =
first =
authorlink =www.bankstowncity.nsw.gov.au
coauthors =Bankstown City Library and Information Service – Bankstown: Sense of Identity
title =From Settlement to City
publisher =Bankstown City Council
date =
location =Civic Tower 66-72 Rickard Road Bankstown
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = ]
* St Mark's Anglican Church
* Yagoona Baptist Church
* Yagoona - Christ the King Catholic Church
* Yagoona Christadelphian Ecclesia
* Prayer on Wheels Yagoona
* Lutheran Church of Australia
* Christian Mission Fellowship

Demographics

PopulationYagoona is a well established residential area with a population of approximately 15,000 according to the 2001 National Census, including an indigenous Australian population of 118. [ [http://www.id.com.au/bankstown/commprofile/default.asp?id=101&gid=250&pg=1&bhcp=1 Bankstown City Council: Community Profile ] ] Of those born overseas in Yagoona, the largest group is from Vietnam, followed by Lebanon, Macedonia, China, UK, New Zealand, Italy, Greece, Philippines and Germany. Trends from 1996 to 2001 have seen a dramatic increase in the Vietnamese, Lebanese, Chinese, New Zealand and Filipino population, while the other groups have tended to decrease in number. [ [http://www.id.com.au/bankstown/commprofile/default.asp?id=101&gid=250&pg=3 Bankstown City Council: Community Profile ] ] As of 1996 to 2001, Yagoona has undergone a solid population increase despite numbers of Australian-born and the Indigenous decreasing.Traditionally Yagoona has had a reputation of a retirement suburb, however this is slowly changing with younger residents calling the suburb home. [ [http://www.id.com.au/bankstown/commprofile/default.asp?id=101&gid=250&pg=2 Bankstown City Council: Community Profile ] ] Language and ReligionOther than English, the most common languages spoken in homes include Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, Greek and Macedonian. [ [http://www.id.com.au/bankstown/commprofile/default.asp?id=101&gid=250&pg=5 Bankstown City Council: Community Profile ] ] Most residents in Yagoona are Catholic (4,875 people, 32.5%), followed by Anglican (1,926 people, 12.8%), Islamic (1,789 people, 11.9%), Orthodox (1,617 people, 10.8%), Buddhist (1,202 people, 8.0%) followed by Uniting Church, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal and other religions with smaller numbers. [ [http://www.id.com.au/bankstown/commprofile/default.asp?id=101&gid=250&pg=6 Bankstown City Council: Community Profile ] ]

Notable residents
Anh Do, a Vietnamese Australian actor and stand-up comedian grew up in Yagoona when he was 12, along with his brother Khoa Do, an actor, writer and director who received the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2005. [http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1697247.htm Footy Legends Interview]

Culture

Yagoona Autumn Fair

Each year an Autumn Fair is hosted in Yagoona's Gazzard Park, designed to allow the community to express their aims and objectives, as well as to raise funds for community projects and work. [http://www.yagoonalions.org/fairs.htm] Events include a ticket raffle, Yagoona Scouts $1 sausage sizzle, free rides, a non-stop stage show, face painting and more. 2007's fair was held on Saturday 21 April, 2007. [cite web
last = Kirkland
first = Mark
authorlink = www.torchpublishing.com.au
coauthors =
title = Youth Week ending with music and fair
work =
publisher = Torch Publishing
date = 2007-04-19
url = http://www.torchpublishing.com.au/news_detail.php?ID=40696
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-02-10]

2007 Autumn Fair Pictures

Pop Culture

Footy Legends is a movie set in Yagoona.

port

The local sports team is the Yagoona Lions football team whose home-ground is at O'Neill Park. [ [http://www.bankstownsoccer.com.au/Clubs/Yagoona%20Lions.htm BDASA Yagoona Lions ] ]

A (now defunct) Indoor Cricket Sports Club is situated on the Hume Highway.

References

External links

* [http://www.id.com.au/bankstown/commprofile/default.asp?id=101&gid=250&pg=1 Yagoona Profile]
* [http://www.yagoona-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/ Yagoona Public School]