Penshurst, New South Wales

Penshurst is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 km south of the Sydney central business district. It is part of the St George area. Penshurst lies across the local government areas of the City of Hurstville and Municipality of Kogarah.

Penshurst features low to medium density housing. It has a predominantly older population however it is increasingly being populated by a new generation of migrant families who are attracted by its proximity to Hurstville.

History
Penshurst was named after Penshurst, Kent, England. Originally part of the land grant to Robert Townson (1763-1827), the land was acquired in 1830 by John Connell, who left it to his grandsons J.C. and E.P. Laycock. Connell's Bush was subdivided by the Laycocks and the western part sold to Thomas Mort. The railway station opened 17 May 1890. A large portion of Penshurst located south of the railway line is referred to as the MacRae's Estate, as it was once owned by the MacRae family. This particular area is now between Laycock Road and Grove Avenue, and Hillcrest and Railway Parade. The original homestead is still present on Laycock Road, along with a caretakers house for the stables. McRaes Reserve used to have a river running through it and the path of that river is now replaced with an underground rainwater system.

Commercial area
The main shopping centre is located around Penshurst railway station on Penshurst Street, Bridge Street and The Strand. Commercial developments are also found along Forest Road and King Georges Road. The Penshurst RSL Club is a centre of social activity.

Transport
Penshurst railway station is on the Illawarra line of the City Rail network. It is approximately 27 minutes from Sydney Central via train. The main roads through Penshurst are King Georges Road and Forest Road. Punchbowl Bus Company also operates bus services 941 and 943 in Penshurst.

Places of worship

 * St Declan's Roman Catholic Church
 * St John Anglican Church
 * St Andrew Presbyterian
 * Penshurst Uniting Church
 * Penshurst Mosque
 * Penshurst Jehovahs Witnesses Temple
 * Penshurst Assemblies of God Church
 * Revival Life Centre
 * Penshurst General Church of New Jerusalem

Schools

 * Penshurst Girls High School, Penshurst Marist High School,
 * Penshurst Public School, Penshurst West Primary School, Hurstville Grove Infants School

Parks and recreation
Penshurst local attractions include an Aquatic centre, a park and tennis courts. Penshurst Park and Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre are located on King Georges Road.

Parks List:
 * Penshurst Park
 * McRaes Park
 * Gifford Park

Population
According to the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population, there were 11,692 residents in Penshurst. 18% of the population is of Chinese ancestry, with the next largest ancestry groups being Australian (15.3%), English (14.3%) and Irish (6.2%). 47.0% stated they were born overseas with the top countries of birth being China 11.9%, Nepal 2.7%, Hong Kong 2.5% and India 2.2%. English was stated as the only language spoken at home by 48.1% of residents and the most common other languages spoken were Cantonese 9.8%, Mandarin 9.0% and Greek 4.3%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were Catholic 26.8%, No Religion 20.2%, Anglican 11.2% and Orthodox 8.5%.