Ever heard of a clockmaker who lent his name to an entire suburb? That’s the story of Oatley. This southern Sydney suburb bears the name of James Oatley Snr. His story is quite remarkable.
Oatley is located 18 kilometers south of Sydney’s central business district. It is part of the St George area. Oatley lies on the northern side of the Georges River tidal estuary. Its foreshore includes Oatley Bay, Lime Kiln Bay, Neverfail Bay, Gungah Bay and Jewfish Bay. But before the suburb was named Oatley, it was home to Aboriginal people.
Evidence of their occupation exists in shell middens and rock shelters near the Georges River. Lime Kiln Bay had extensive shell middens. They were made over centuries by local people. In fact, Lime Kiln Bay gets its name from early settlers. They burned shells from these middens to create lime in kilns. The kilns were located in what is now Oatley Park.
Fast forward to 1833. James Oatley Snr, the convict clockmaker, received a land grant. He never lived there. He named his land Needwood Forest. His land extended from Gungah Bay to Hurstville and Boundary Roads.
Now, let’s talk about the railway. The railway line through Oatley opened in 1885. It ran as far as Sutherland. It included a major bridge crossing of the Georges River. The bridge connected Oatley to Como. The first Oatley railway station opened in 1886. Its construction was a condition of land transfer from Charles Griffiths. He was buying up land along the new railway line.
The railway’s arrival led to residential subdivisions. Many streets were laid out in these subdivisions. Streets east of the railway line bear Victorian-era first names. They correspond to members of the Griffiths family. There is also a Griffiths Street west of the railway line.
Before these subdivisions, a small hamlet existed near Neverfail Bay. It was inhabited by oyster farmers. It was informally known as Thompsonville. That was the name of one of the oyster-growing families. Oyster farming thrived in Oatley for over a century. The suburb was once a major producer of Sydney Rock Oysters. The industry reached its peak in the 1970s. But sadly, oyster farming declined. It eventually ended in the mid-1990s due to diseases and pollution.
Interestingly, Oatley was the terminus of Sydney’s first railway electrification project. The first electric train service left Oatley station on October 3, 1926.
Today, Oatley is a residential suburb with parks and reserves. Oatley Park is a tree-covered promontory surrounded by the Georges River. It became a public recreation area in 1887.
So next time you’re in Oatley, remember James Oatley, the clockmaker. He may have never lived here. Yet his name lives on in this leafy suburb by the Georges River. Also remember the Aboriginal people and the oyster farmers. Their stories add depth to Oatley’s history. They have all left their mark on this place.