Welcome to Marrickville
Information for new citizens
Skip to the following section:
The Marrickville area is a great place to live and visit and represents the best of multicultural inner-city living. Marrickville has a vibrant, ethnically diverse population of approximately 81,000 residents with people from more than 100 different cultures, speaking more than 70 different languages. The community acknowledges and is proud of its original people - the Cadigal-Wangal - and of each new generation of immigrants that have settled here.
The area is less than 10 kilometres from the city centre, and comprises some of Sydney's oldest suburbs - Camperdown, Dulwich Hill, Enmore, Lewisham, Marrickville, Newtown, Petersham, St Peters, Stanmore, Sydenham and Tempe. People are attracted to the Marrickville area because of its convenience and inner city character, its vibrant street culture, multicultural influences, eating and shopping experiences, and its friendly community feel.
New citizen checklist
Once you've moved to Marrickville, you should:
- Enrol to vote in Council elections with the NSW Electoral Commission.
-
If you own a pet you must complete a NSW Companion Animals Register change of address form and submit it to Council. This must be done within 14 days of moving to your new address.
- If you own a car, you don't have off-street parking and you're located in a residential parking scheme area, you will need to apply for a residential parking permit to be exempt from sign-posted time limits.
Council's role
Marrickville Council is responsible for a wide range of services and activities, such as town planning and approving development applications, managing waste services, maintaining parks and reserves, providing childcare services, engineering, library services, holding festivals and events, arts and culture, and providing sustainable environmental services.
Council contributes to the health and well being of the community by providing information and services in areas such as youth, aged disability and cultural diversity.
Citizens' Service Centre
The Citizens' Service Centre is the central contact point for most services provided by Marrickville Council.
At the Citizens' Service Centre you can request a service, find information, ask a question, obtain an approval, make a payment, provide feedback or book a community facility. We are open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
You can find us at the Ground Floor, Administrative Centre, 2-14 Fisher Street, Petersham or you can contact us by phone on 9335 2222.
Council meetings
Council's Committee and Ordinary Council Meetings are held on the first three Tuesdays of each month. All meetings are held in the Council Chambers on the third floor of Council's Administrative Centre, 2 Fisher Street, Petersham.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend and may speak on subjects included in the agenda if notification is made in writing to the General Manager before midday on the day of the meeting. Please call 9335 2222 for details.
Recycling and waste
Marrickville Council provides a weekly waste collection service to all households in the local government area.
Two different bins are provided to all households - a red-lidded bin for garbage and a yellow-lidded bin for recycling. A green-lidded bin for green waste may also be provided free of charge on request.
Garbage is collected weekly, and recycling and green waste are collected fortnightly. Please visit our Recycling and Waste section to find out collection days in your street, and for more information on what can be disposed into each bin.
A FREE booked waste collection service for garden waste, household goods and white goods is also offered 52 weeks of the year. To check if a collection is available for your requested week you can contact us on 9335 2137, or make a booking online.
Libraries
Marrickville Council operates four libraries in the area. There is no charge for joining and using the library and borrowing materials. You will need to show ID with your name and current address when you join.
The libraries have books, newspapers, magazines, CD's, videos and DVD's in English, Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. Most resources are available for loan. If you are looking for material in another language, library staff can arrange for suitable items to be provided.
The Library also provides a home library service, story time readings for kids, study assistance for students, and free introductory Internet classes in various languages.
Marrickville Central Library
Cnr Marrickville and Petersham Roads, Marrickville. Ph: 9335 2173 or 9335 2174
- Dulwich Hill Branch Library
12-14 Seaview St, Dulwich Hill. Ph: 9335 2182
- St Peters/Sydenham Branch Library
39 Unwins Bridge Road, Sydenham. Ph: 9335 2184
- Stanmore Branch Library
Douglas Street, Stanmore. Ph: 9335 2183
Click here for a map and opening hours of the library branches.
Children and Family Services
Marrickville Council offers a range of services for children and families. For children aged birth to six years Council provides long day care and preschool services, family day care services, and a mobile playgroup service (the Magic Yellow Bus). For primary school children, Council coordinates out-of-school-hours care at five schools in the Marrickville area, as well as school holiday care.
Please visit the Children and Family Services section of this website for information on enrolments, centre locations and services.
Tom Foster Community Care
Tom Foster Community Care provides services to older people, people with a disability and carers who live in their own homes in the Marrickville Local Government Area. These services assist people to continue to live independently in the community.
Some of the key services offered include:
- food services (Meals on Wheels) - home delivered meals seven days a week for the frail, aged, and people with disabilities;
- community bus hire, with or without a driver;
- activity programs and classes such as seniors' exercise;
- social groups including Tom Foster Seniors, Chinese Seniors and Sydenham Tempe and St Peters Seniors; and
- information, assessment and referral.
These services are based at the Tom Foster Community Centre, located at 11-13 Darley Street, Newtown. For further information, please visit the Tom Foster Community Care page, or phone 9335 2153.
Halls and room hire
Marrickville and Petersham Town Halls and a number of meeting rooms are available for hire. Call 9335 2222 to make a booking, and visit our hall and facilities hire page for details and photos.
Annual events
Marrickville Council holds and sponsors several regular events each year that celebrate the diversity of culture in the local government area.
Australia Day at Enmore Park (January)
A major event held in Enmore Park on Australia Day, 26 January. This event features a citizenship ceremony, international food, entertainment, children's activities and fireworks.
Bairro Português: Petersham Food & Wine Fair (March)
Each year in March, Petersham's Audley Street is transformed into Bairro Português. The streets come alive with a party atmosphere, featuring contemporary and traditional Portuguese and Brazilian dancing and music, wine tasting, stalls serving delicious Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine, and activities for the kids.
International Women's Day (March)
Marrickville Council commemorates International Women's Day annually with a local event celebrating the role of women in public life.
Marrickville Festival (October)
One of the largest annual festivals in the Marrickville area, the festival draws crowds of up to 50,000 people each year to celebrate Marrickville's cultural diversity. Offers ive entertainment, activities for kids, a marketplace of delicious international food, displays and more.
Newtown Festival (November)
Marrickville Council is a major sponsor of the Newtown Festival, a fundraiser for the services of the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. Held annually in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, it attracts large crowds with live bands, market stalls and workshops. For more information please visit the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre's website.
Dulwich Hill Community Fair (December)
This street fair promotes local diversity and community spirit, and features food and craft stalls and entertainment.
Council also runs various events, workshops and activities throughout the year. Please check our events calendar for events coming up in the area.
Shopping areas
-
Newtown and Enmore: King Street and Enmore Road. One of the best-known shopping, dining and entertainment areas in Sydney - with cafés, pubs, theatres, affordable restaurants, emerging designers, vintage clothing and specialty stores including independent book and music outlets.
-
Marrickville: Marrickville's cosmopolitan shopping and business strip stretches along Marrickville and Illawarra Roads. Marrickville is well known for its Vietnamese restaurants and grocery stores, continental delicatessens and haberdashery shops. The Marrickville Metro shopping mall is located on Victoria Road.
-
Petersham: New Canterbury Road and Audley Street. Petersham is known as 'Little Portugal', and is renowned for its traditional Portuguese delis, its famous charcoal chicken, and its custard tarts!
-
Stanmore: A village shopping area located north of Stanmore Railway Station on Percival Road. A smaller business area and supermarket is also located south of the station.
-
Dulwich Hill: Marrickville Road and New Canterbury Road. Like Marrickville, Dulwich Hill is an ethnically diverse, harmonious and vibrant centre - but on a smaller and more intimate scale. With widened footpaths to accomodate seating, it features many delicious foods from around the world, as well as general and specialist shopping. A smaller business area is also centred around Dulwich Hill Railway Station on Wardell Road.
- Parramatta Road: Numerous specialty, furniture and food shops are located on Parramatta Road, the northern boundary of the Marrickville area.
Parks and reserves
Parks and green spaces are particularly important in the Marrickville area, given its dense settlement and proximity to the city centre. Marrickville Council is proud of its parks and invests efforts and resources in their upkeep and improvement.
These include the beautiful heritage parks of Petersham, Camperdown and Enmore, the green corridor along the Cooks River, the historic sports ground Henson Park, the multimillion dollar recreation reserve at Tempe, and various children's playgrounds, sports fields and pocket parks.
For more information please visit our Parks and Reserves page, or visit our interactive map showing local parks and their facilities.
Sports and aquatic facilities
Council encourages participation in the various recreational activities available in Marrickville, and provides a number of recreational programs and facilities.
-
Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre, Enmore Park
Open all seasons. A state-of-the-art aquatic centre, opened in 2010 after a major refurbishment. With a 50 metre pool, learn-to-swim and leisure pools, a cafe, multi-purpose room/crèche, and a wellness centre with fitness and gym facilities. Ph: 9565 1906
-
Fanny Durack Pool, Petersham Park
Open October-March. A 33-metre outdoor swimming pool with a kiosk and outdoor recreation areas. Ph 9550 9145
-
Waterplay Park at Steel Park
Open October-March. An exciting recreational and environmental facility at Steel Park in Marrickville South, providing a fun playground for children in summer months with water fountains and sprinklers, as well as demonstrating the water cycle in action.
-
The Debbie and Abbey Borgia Centre
Multi-purpose recreational complex located at Steel Park, Marrickville South. Ph: 9559 7722
-
Robyn Webster Sports Centre
Two multi-purpose indoor courts with eleven outdoor netball courts and extensive parking. Ph: 9559 8600
Please visit our Recreation page for more information on other activities and programs available in the area.
Transport in Marrickville
Rail
The Marrickville Council area is well serviced by CityRail with stations on the Bankstown Line, Inner West Line and Illawarra Line. Visit the CityRail website for a network map and timetables, and visit the 131 500 site for a trip planner tool.
-
Bankstown Line - Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Sydenham, St Peters
Services to the City or to Liverpool/Lidcombe via Bankstown
-
Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line - Sydenham, Tempe
Services to Bondi Junction via the City, or to Hurstville/Waterfall/Cronulla
-
Inner West Line - Newtown, Stanmore, Petersham, Lewisham
All-stations services to the City or to Liverpool/Bankstown via Strathfield
-
East Hills Line (weekday peak only) - Sydenham
Express services to the City (morning peak) and to Campbelltown (afternoon peak)
Buses
All suburbs in the Marrickville Council area are serviced by State Transit Authority buses.
- To view bus routes, maps and times for the local area visit Sydney Buses website.
- To plan a trip between two locations use the Trip Planner.
Cycleways
There are several bicycle routes throughout the Marrickville local government area. These include both dedicated cycleways, and shared vehicle routes with designated cycle markings and signage.
Visit our Cycling in Marrickville page for information and maps.
Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved with your local community. Attending local events and workshops is a great way to get involved and to meet like-minded members of the community.
Volunteering is another way to become involved in your local area, learn new skills and make new friends. Council has a range of volunteering opportunities available including the volunteer program at the The Watershed Sustainability Resource Centre, Tom Foster Community Care and Marrickville Community Nursery.
Council also encourages citizens to have your say and participate in Council's decision making processes. Council facilitates this in a number of ways:
-
Community Consultations
Throughout the year, Council conducts community consultation on new projects, plans and issues in the local area. We would like to hear from as many citizens as possible.
-
Council Committees
Council operates a number of advisory and consulative committees, which provide specialist advice to Council. These include the Access Committee, the Marrickville Aboriginal Consultative Committee and the (GLL@M)
-
Council's Citizens' Panel
As a member of the Citizens' Panel you have the chance to represent your community in regular focus groups and surveys. Other functions and events will be organised throughout the year including bus tours and BBQs.
-
Feedback
Council welcomes feedback from citizens and invites you to have your say on Council services via our website or by phoning the Citizens' Service Centre on 9335 2222.