Best 25 Real Estate Agents In Matraville [2025]

Matraville Suburb Overview

Matraville is an older established area of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Matraville is located approximately 9 km by road south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick.

Matraville is a suburb that fairly reeks of history. It was just a couple of kilometres down the road, near Botany Bay

Matraville is named in honour of James Matra , sailor and diplomat, who was a midshipman on the voyage by Captain James Cook to Botany Bay in 1770. Matra was born in New York, but later settled in England. Cook wrote his name as Magra, as this was the spelling Matra used early in his life. Magra entered the Royal Navy as ‘Captain’s Servant’ in May 1761 and served in European waters until the end of the Seven Years War. In July 1764, having returned to New York, he became a midshipman in the Hawke. This and other ships in which he later served undertook peacetime patrols on the eastern coast of North America and around the British Isles. On 25 July 1768 Magra joined the Endeavour and sailed on James Cook’s first great voyage of Pacific exploration. During this voyage, Magra became acquainted with Joseph Banks, and their friendship lasted until his death. The Endeavour returned to England in July 1771. Circumstantial evidence has identified Magra as the anonymous author of A Journal of a Voyage Round the World, which appeared two months later, and which offered some details of Cook’s voyage not found in other accounts. Matra had walked over the area with Cook and his close friend, botanist Joseph Banks. Matra had also proposed to the British government that it establish a colony at Botany Bay in 1783, which he envisaged could be a place that American loyalists could also settle. Matra died on 29 March 1806 at Tangier.

Matraville was originally reserved for the Church and Schools Corporation with income generated intended to support clergy and teachers. The school was established in 1904, thanks to the efforts of John Rowland Dacey, the state member for Botany, who had nearby suburb of Daceyville named after him. The school was originally known as Cross Roads but Dacey suggested that the name Matra would be more appropriate in honour of James Matra. Dacey’s suggestion was accepted by the Department of Education and the school and suburb became Matraville. The land at Matraville reverted to the crown in 1917 and 72.5 acres were allocated for a settlement for soldiers returning from World War I. This parcel became one of the first large residential developments in the area – between 1918 and 1925. The Voluntary Workers Association was formed to build homes for soldiers and their families at the intersection of Anzac Parade and Beauchamp Road. The first cottage at the settlement was completed in 1919 and the residential area became known as Matraville Soldiers Garden Village. A total of ninety-three cottages were built between 1918 and 1925. They were eventually taken over as State Government public housing. In 1977, all the cottages except one were demolished in spite of public protest;the one remaining cottage can still be seen in Somme Way. All that is left of the other cottages is a park with sections of sandstone walls and foundation stones laid by a number of people, including then Prime Minister William Morris Hughes. Matraville was gazetted as a postal area in 1911.

Matraville is a suburb steeped in Anzac history. Matraville Soldiers’ Settlement Public School is surrounded by roads commemorating the battlefields of World War I. These include Amiens, Ypres, Pozieres, Beauchamp, Menin, Flanders, Amiens, Bullecourt, Bapaume, Hamel, Armentieres inter alia. One street is Lone Pine Pde, referring to the bloody battle at Gallipoli where more than 2000 Australians died. Pozieres Ave, commemorates the battle during World War I, where Australia lost as many men in six weeks as they did in the whole of the Gallipoli campaign. Other streets in the area are named after rivers, Torrens, Franklin, Namoi, Hunter, Clarence and also early Australian explorers, Cunningham, Blaxland, Lawson and Oxley. HMAS Oxley was an Oberon class submarine in the Royal Australian Navy.

Matraville was split between Randwick and Botany Councils. When problems arose from the division in 1961, Botany Council decided to rename its portion Gilmore, to honour Australian poet Dame Mary Gilmore . After the post masters general office pointed out that there already was a Gilmore, New South Wales , the council chose Hillsdale to honour Patrick Darcy Hills, who was the New South Wales minister for local government. It was a controversial choice since most residents believed that a name should have been chosen that reflected Australia’s history.

Matraville was one of the last bastions of traditional Chinese market gardens which is listed on the State Heritage Register. Until 1859 market gardens in the district were owned and tended by Europeans. After the main wave of gold rushes in the 1850s Chinese workers moved into the district. By the 1920s Chinese market gardens across NSW were being squeezed out by larger scale, more modern agriculture. The gardens at Matraville continued into the 1970s when leases were rescinded by the Crown. Despite opposition from Randwick Council and local residents the gardens were bulldozed to make way for housing development.

Matraville was once home to a coal-fired power plant, which was demolished in the 1980s to make way for further Port Botany expansion and a State Transit Authority bus depot, which provides services from the peninsula to the city. The only remaining part of the Bunnerong power station is called ‘the Sucko’, due to the ‘sucking’ inlet valve for water to cool the power plant. It is a popular swimming spot. In 1934 the fourth section of the La Perouse tramline was built to the power station which helped to encourage residential and industrial growth in the area.

Matraville is primarily a residential area. The area has predominately low-rise housing but there is also a diverse range of retail, commercial and recreational uses. Approximately 52 per cent of all private dwellings in Matraville are separate houses, significantly higher than the Randwick City average .

The Matraville shopping centre is located in Bunnerong Road, between Beauchamp Road and Franklin Street. It offers shopping and a variety of dining experiences. The range and variety of shops is extensive. Arts and crafts are wonderfully supported with flower stores and gift shops. Services are well provided with three medical centres, an optometrist, dentist, physiotherapist, pharmacies, a bank, a supermarket, a scuba diving equipment shop, and a bait and tackle shop. Dining facilities in Matraville cater to just about every taste preference. There are Italian, Chinese, Turkish and even authentic Indian restaurants at Matraville. If you are looking for a night out there is a newly renovated Matraville Hotel and the Matraville RSL both offering excellent contemporary Australian cuisine as well as live entertainment.

The suburb experience increased gentrification largely due to its proximity to the CBD, the city’s famous beaches and the University of NSW which caused an increase in demand for homes in the area and in turn significant price growth. In keeping with the style of the suburb, older homes are being bought and renovated to their former glory.

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