Leichhardt
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Leichhardt began its existence as a number of land grants. In particular two brothers Hugh and John Piper had a number of large grants between them. Hugh Piper established "Piperston". This estate was bought in 1846 by Walter Beames who was a friend of Ludwig Leichhardt. Beames assisted Leichhardt with provisions for his explorations and he also changed the name of "Piperston" to Leichhardt after his friend.
One of the largest estates in Leichhardt was the Elswick estate which was owned by James Norton, solicitor and MLC. This was eventually subdivided into hundreds of blocks of land. There were also dairies in Leichhardt but these too eventually fell victim to residential development.
Leichhardt was incorporated as a municipality in 1871. The 1880s was a time of development for Leichhardt as large public buildings such as the Post Office and the Town Hall were built.
Transport was improved with the extensive development of the tram system and also the nearby rail network. Throughout the period 1900 - 1920 large areas of Leichhardt were subdivided and the population grew substantially in this time.
Leichhardt Population Statistics, 1848 - 1936:
Year - 1900; Population - 16,560
Year - 1905; Population - 19,585
Year - 1910; Population - 25,000
Year - 1915; Population - 27,870
Year - 1920; Population - 30,544
Year - 1925; Population - 31,000(estimate)
Year - 1932; Population - 32,000 (estimate)
Number of Houses in Leichhardt, 1900 - 1932
Year - 1900; 3,312
Year - 1910; 4,650
Year - 1915; 5,556
Year - 1925; 6,354
Year - 1932; 6,628
In 1949 Balmain and Annandale Councils were amalgamated with Leichhardt (and from 1968 - 2002 Glebe was also incorporated into the Leichhardt Municipal Council area). Italian migration, which had begun in the 1920s, increased rapidly after WWII and Leichhardt became largely influenced by Italian culture, particularly the cafes, but also with the production of the newspaper "La Fiamma". Although the Italian population is decreasing in Leichhardt there is still a strong Italian influence on the suburb, reinforced with the opening in 2000 of the Italian Forum shopping and residential complex and the opening of Casa D'Italia, headquarters of the Italian cultural and social support agency CoAsIt in Norton Street.
The 2001 Census revealed the changing demographics of Leichhardt, in particular a decrease in the number of people from non-English speaking backgrounds, and a rise in the median annual income.
Leichhardt Map 1880s
Finding out about: Leichhardt a brief selection of resources
Benedetti, Livio, 1999. Leichhardt :dipping into the past
Connolly, Bob and Robin Anderson, 1996. Rats in the Ranks (video, DVD)
Groom, Barry, 1982. Leichhardt : an era in pictures: the photography of JG Park
Italians in Leichhardt - a history
Johnston, Robert. Leichhardt : a political experiment in local government^
Lawrence, Joan, 1995. A Pictorial History of Balmain to Glebe
Leicchardt Bicycle users group (LBUG)
Leichhardt Historical Journal
Leichhardt Municipal Council, 2001.The History & Heritage of Italian- Australians in the
Leichhardt
Municipality
Leichhardt Rowing Club
Leichhardt Street Piece Archive
Solling, Max and Peter Reynolds, 1997. Leichhardt: On the Margins of the City. A Social History Of Leichhardt and the
Former
Municipalities
of
Annandale
, Balmain and Glebe
Stop the Rot !: save Leichhardt Oval
Thorp, Wendy for Leichhardt Municipal Council, 1990.
Leichhardt
Municipality
Heritage Study
Vialoux, A. and CM Reeves, 1921,rep.1992. Leichhardt : its history and progress, 1871-1921
Sydney Secondary College, Leichhardt Campus
Sydney Light Rail