Fairfield Heights, New South Wales facts for kids

Fairfield Heights is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Fairfield Heights is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Fairfield. Fairfield Heights is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.

Fairfield Heights shares the postcode of 2165 with the separate suburbs of Fairfield, Fairfield East and Fairfield West. The majority of residents speak a language other than English at home, with the most common one being Assyrian Neo-Aramaic. Fairfield Heights, like Fairfield, is also an ethnic enclave of Assyrians. There are also high levels of Iraqi, Chinese and Vietnamese ancestry.

The elevation of this suburb is approximately between 20 and 40 metres (66 and 131 ft) above mean sea level, owing to its name. It has the colloquial nickname in the area of "The Heights".

History

Aboriginal people from the Cabrogal tribe, a sub-group of the Gandangara tribe, have lived in the Fairfield area for over 30 000 years. White settlement came to the area in the early 19th century. An application for a post office at Fairfield Heights was made by Mrs Beard in 1950. In 1955, when the population had increased sufficiently a post office was opened.

Culture

Assyrian Sports and Cultural Club is the prominent club in the suburb, which features a casino, reception, restaurants (which contains an all-you-can-eat buffet) and it has an entertainment quarter which hosts music concerts.

The Club was originally opened in 1990, in The Boulevarde, where it held liquor and gaming licenses. In 1997 the Club bought the premises at 52-54 Stanbrook Street. The project of turning the gymnasium, squash courts and fruit shop into a club began in January 2000. The new club site was eventually opened by former Mayor Anwar Khoshaba in a ceremony that was visited by politicians, Councillors and many Assyrians. In 2003, the reception hall was built and the club grounds were expanded to fit weddings and other social events.

Today, Hammurabi Restaurant is located on Cultural Club's old premises in The Boulevarde. It is an ethnic restaurant, serving Assyrian cuisine and Iraqi cuisine, and it features a reception hall for joyous events, namely for Assyrians.

Recreational and sports

Prospect View Park is a floodlit sports ground that is home to the historic Smithfield Hotspurs Football Club, which is now Fairfield Hotspurs following a 1999 merger between Smithfield and the Fairfield Heights club. This was the junior club of Australian national team player Harry Kewell. In summer the ground is used as a grade cricket field while in winter two full-size and one junior football fields are used. Fairfield Heights Park is a park that contains natural bushland, children's playgrounds and footpaths for walking or jogging. Although not situated in the suburb, Brenan Park is a very large park with multiple cricket, football and tennis courts that borders the western outskirts of Fairfield Heights.

Places of worship

St Therese's Catholic Church is located in this suburb.

Population

At the 2011 census, there were 6,649 residents in Fairfield Heights. 35.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were Iraq 22.3%, Vietnam 8.7%, Cambodia 2.7%, Italy 2.3% and China 2.2%. The majority of people (79.1%) spoke a language other than English at home, with the top languages being Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 15.3%, Arabic 12.6%, Vietnamese 12.2%, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic 4.5% and Spanish 4.3%.

The unemployment rate (11.5%) in Fairfield Heights was just over twice the national average. For employed people, the main occupations were Labourers (16.9%) and Technicians and Trades Workers (15.5%). The median weekly household income was $912 and this was lower than the national median of $1,234.

Notable residents

Fairfield Heights was once the home of tennis player Jelena Dokić and her family.

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 7,517 residents in Fairfield Heights. 33.7%% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were Iraq 25.1%, Vietnam 9.0%, Cambodia 3.1%, Syria 2.9% and China 1.9%. The top languages were Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 17.0%, Arabic 13.5%, Vietnamese 12.4%, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic 7.9% and Khmer 3.2%. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.5% of the population.

The most common ancestries were Assyrian 14.2%, Vietnamese 10.7%, Iraqi 9.4%, Chinese 8.2% and Australian 6.8%.

The most common responses for religion were Catholic 34.7%, Buddhism 12.2%, No Religion 9.3%, Assyrian Church of the East 8.2% and Islam 7.8%. Christianity was the largest religious group reported overall (66.0%).

Notable residents

Fairfield Heights was once the home of tennis player Jelena Dokić and her family.

Education

There is one local primary school, Fairfield Heights Public School, established in 1952. Some residents may attend the Fairvale, Fairfield, Fairfield West, Smithfield Public Schools or the private St Gertrude's Catholic Primary School. There are no high schools within the Fairfield Heights locality. High School students will, depending on their exact location in the suburb and family history, attend Fairfield High School, Fairvale High School or Westfields Sports High School which despite being a speciality Sports school, may be available to a limited number of Fairfield Heights local residents. Fairfield library and the community library at Smithfield, a suburb two kilometres to the northwest, are the nearest libraries for residents of Fairfield Heights. These educational facilities are used as polling locations for Local Council, State and Federal Elections.

Images for kids

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  Al Basha, a Middle Eastern restaurant