Randwick, New South Wales

Randwick is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick. Randwick is part of the Eastern Suburbs region and the postcode is 2031.

Randwick is primarily a residential area. The Randwick Racecourse takes up a large portion in the north-west corner of the suburb. The Prince of Wales Hospital, Royal Hospital for Women and Sydney Children's Hospital are all located in Randwick. Randwick DRUFC play nearby at Coogee Oval.

Commercial area
The main commercial area is centred on Belmore Road, Avoca Street and surrounding streets. Randwick has two shopping centres, both on its main street, Belmore Road. Other major streets in the area include Alison Road and High Street. Randwick's main entertainment district is The Spot, located in the suburb's south-east, which contains a cinema and numerous cafes and restaurants.

Hotels
Randwick has a number of pubs and hotels including the Avonmore on Park Boutique Hotel, the Randwick Lodge, the Royal Hotel and the Coach and Horses Hotel.

Schools
Primary schools in the area include Our Lady Of The Sacred Heart, Coogee Public School, Claremont College, Randwick Public School, Coogee Preparatory School, The Joseph Varga School and Rainbow Street Primary. Secondary schools include Brigidine College, Marcellin College, Randwick Boys' High, Randwick Girls' High, Emanuel School and the Open High School (located on the site of the former Randwick North High). The University of New South Wales is also located nearby.

Churches
The churches in the area include Randwick Uniting, St Jude's Anglican, Randwick Presbyterian and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic.

History
Randwick was named after the village of Randwick in Gloucestershire, England, birthplace of Simeon Henry Pearce, who became Mayor of Randwick no less than six times. Simeon and his brother James, who migrated to Australia in 1842, were responsible for the early development of Randwick and Coogee. Simeon lived in a house called Blenheim, which can still be seen in Blenheim Street. It was neglected for some time but was eventually acquired by Randwick Council and then restored.

Randwick developed in the 19th century and is the oldest municipality in Sydney, outside the city centre, and as such it features a number of fine, heritage buildings. Another Mayor of Randwick, George Kiss, built the house known as Ventor in the 1870s. A two-storey sandstone house, Ventnor is situated on Avoca Street, overlooking Coogee. It is now owned by the nearby Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church. Other buildings of note include the St Jude's Church group, also on Avoca Street. Originally designed by Edmund Blackett, the church was completed in 1865, but its appearance was altered by H.M. Robinson in 1889. The rectory next door was built in 1870. The Verger's Residence, designed by Thomas Rowe and completed in 1862, was the original Randwick Burough Chambers. This distinctive building, with its Gothic touches, was succeeded later by the present Randwick Town Hall, which was built in 1886. The church group and Ventnor are on the National Estate.

Further down Avoca Street is the building originally known as the Star and Garter Inn, built in the 1830s. It was the home of Captain J. Watson, who was responsible for the memorial to Captain James Cook, which still stands at front of the building. One of the dominant features of the area is the Prince of Wales Hospital, which started life as a home for destitute children. It was financed by the legacy of Dr. Cuthill, who now has a street named after him. In 1915 the home became a military hospital and continued to grow as a medical facility.

Other noteworthy buildings include private homes like Ilfracombe and Clovelly, both in Avoca Street, and Venice, in Frenchmans Road. The latter was built in the early 1890s on part of St Mark's Glebe. The land had been leased in 1880 for 99 years to S.Holmes and J.Parsons. The house features Tudor and Gothic elements and has stained glass windows.

Another notable home was Sandgate, located in Belmore Road. This sandstone house was built circa 1870 on land granted to Simeon Pierce in 1853. A number of tenants passed through the house until it was bought by the Federal Government in the 1920s; it was then used as a Red Cross facility for First World War veterans. It was saved from demolition in 1978 and restored by Randwick Council.

The last Gothic mansion left in Randwick is Nugal Hall, located in Milford Street. It was designed by Mortimer Lewis and built in 1853 for Alexander McArthur, a shipping merchant. The house features a staircase with glass dome above; the staircase was built of Mauritius mahogany and cedar. The coach house building at the front was originally a lodge for horse-drawn vehicles. Two Randwick mayors lived at Nugal Hall.

National Estate
The following items are on the Register of the National Estate:


 * Centennial Park


 * Avonmore Terrace, The Avenue


 * St Jude's Church and Rectory, Avoca Street


 * Original Randwick Borough Chambers, Avoca Street


 * Newmarket House and The Big Stable, Barker and Young Streets


 * The Park, Avoca and Cuthill Streets


 * Prince of Wales Hospital Group, Avoca and High Streets


 * Randwick Lodge, 211 Avoca Street


 * Captain James Cook Statue, Avoca Street


 * Hannan's Butcher Shop, Belmore Road


 * Goldring House and Attached Residence, Avoca Street and Meares Avenue


 * Royal Hotel, Cuthill Street


 * Essex House, 7 Cuthill Street


 * House, 11 Cuthill Street


 * Randwick Police Station, Coogee Bay Road


 * Nugal Hall, Milford Street


 * Ventnor, Avoca Street


 * Members' Stand, Randwick Racecourse


 * Busby Bore (Tunnel from Lachlan Swamp to Hyde Park, City)

Local sports teams
A number of well-known sporting teams represent the local area. The local Randwick DRUFC rugby union team, nicknamed the 'Galloping Greens', is based in Coogee. In Rugby League, the City of Randwick area is split between the Sydney Roosters Rugby League team, known locally as 'Easts' in recognition of their former name 'Eastern Suburbs', and the South Sydney Rugby League team, known as the 'Rabbitohs'. "Local derby" contests between these two neighbouring teams are always fiercely contested. Junior rugby league teams include the Coogee Dolphins and Coogee-Randwick Wombats.

The former Randwick Post Office building in the centre of Randwick Junction (corner of Alison Road and Avoca Street) is known as Easts House. The building is owned by the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Club, which has donated the building for use by the Ted Noffs Foundation, for the purpose of providing assistance to troubled youth in the district.