Waterloo, New South Wales

Waterloo is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Waterloo is located 4 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.

History
Waterloo took its name from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when Allied and Prussian forces under the Duke of Wellington and Blücher defeated the French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte.

In the 1820s Waterloo began supporting industrial operations including the Fisher and Duncan Paper Mill and the Waterloo Flour Mills owned by William Hutchinson and Daniel Cooper. William Hutchinson, superindendent of convicts and public works, had been granted 1400 acre of land in 1823. He sold Waterloo Farm to Daniel Cooper (1785-1853) and Solomon Levey (1794-1833). Cooper later bought out Levey's share and on his death the Waterloo Estate passed onto his son, also named Daniel Cooper, who was the first speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Location
Waterloo has been a relatively poor area, until recent times. It is still dominated by public housing estates for those on low-incomes, which were built in the second half of the 20th century by the New South Wales Department of Housing. Today, despite some social problems in some parts of the suburb, Waterloo is undergoing gentrification with a rising business district focusing on technology-oriented firms and the development of more green space such as parks. By 2006, median individual income in Waterloo was slightly higher than the Australian average.

Green Square is a district in the south of the suburb that is being redeveloped. It involves an urban renewal program with a planned town square in Waterloo (Green Square area) which the developers claim will make it the most modern area of Sydney. This is attracting considerable amounts of investment in modern housing and retail developments.

The Waterloo Urban Conservation Area is a residential area of predominantly 19th century terrace and cottage housing. New development and redevelopment in this area is encouraged to be sympathetic to the existing heritage style.

Transport
Waterloo is serviced by State Transit Authority Sydney Buses routes to the Sydney CBD. Green Square underground railway station, on the Airport line of the City Rail network, is located in the south-west corner of the suburb. Redfern railway station is located close to the north-west corner of the suburb.

Churches
Waterloo hosts the city campus of Hillsong Church (affiliated with the Assemblies of God). Other churches include Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Waterloo Uniting Church, Waterloo Salvation Army, Waterloo Congressional Fellowship

Population
According to the 2006 census, Waterloo has a population of 11,122 people, with indigenous people making up 3.4% of the population (higher than the national average). 43.3% of the population was born overseas. English was primarily spoken at home by 48.8% of the population, with the most important other languages being Chinese languages (10.0%), Russian (5.9%) and Indonesian (2.8%). The largest religions were Catholicism (22.4% of the population), Anglicanism (10.0%), Buddhism (5.7%) and Eastern Orthodoxy (3.7%). Furthermore, 19.7% of the population identified with no religion/atheism, slightly above the national average. 47.0% of the population lived in public housing, and the unemployment rate was 16.6%, significantly higher than the national average.

Recreation
The Waterloo Skate Park, is a modern skate park and the first of its kind to copy the urban streetscape layout of popular skate spots like Martin Place and Cathedral Square, in Sydney.

The skate park includes upgraded lighting, a smaller half-pipe as well as a large plaza area featuring a pedestrian streetscape with benches, steps and ramps catering for beginners through to experienced skateboarders.

The park is located next to Waterloo Oval and the South Sydney Youth Services building on Elizabeth St.