Imagine a time when Sylvania was dense forest land. Sylvania’s story began long before the shops and houses that you see today. This suburb in southern Sydney has a rich history rooted in its natural landscape.
Sylvania gets its name from the Latin word “sylvan”. It means forest land. The area was once covered in thick native bushland. Sadly much of that vegetation has disappeared due to development.
The original inhabitants of Sylvania were the Dharawal people. They left their mark on the land. Archaeologists have found middens burial sites and art in rock shelters along the Georges River.
After European settlement John Connell Laycock acquired Sylvania as a Crown grant. Later Thomas Holt a prominent landowner bought the land. His Holt-Sutherland Estate covered 13000 acres. Holt Road is named after him.
Holt built Sutherland House on Gwawley Bay in 1818. It became home to his son Frederick. Sutherland House no longer exists. Only its gate posts remain.
In 1881 Holt established the Sutherland Estate Company. A village began to grow. A post office opened in 1883. The first school opened in 1884. It closed in 1891 but reopened in 1925. Sylvania Heights Public School opened later in 1955.
Sylvania has several heritage-listed buildings. St Mark’s timber church is now a classroom at Sylvania Public School. There is also a timber residence in Evelyn Street associated with the Holt Estate. “Glenn Robin” was built in 1954. “Green Gables” was built between 1946 and 1952.
In 1913 an area was known as the Swastika Estate. It was bounded by Florida Street Harrow Street Mowbray Street and Illawarra Road now Princes Highway.
Much of Sylvania Waters was reclaimed from Gwawley Bay. This destroyed the mangrove ecosystem. L.J. Hooker developed Sylvania Waters Estate in the 1960s. Streets were named after Australian rivers.
Sylvania has become known for waterfront properties. Sylvania Waters was the location for a reality TV show in 1992. It followed the lives of the Donaher family. One of the houses was used in the movie Superman Returns.
Today Sylvania is a mix of residential areas commercial centers and native bushland. Southgate Shopping Centre is a major shopping hub. Other shops are located on Princes Highway.
The Princes Highway crosses the Georges River via the Tom Uglys Bridge. Buses operated by U-Go Mobility serve the suburb.
Sylvania has several schools including Sylvania Heights Public School Sylvania High School and Sylvania Public School. Several churches also call Sylvania home.
Sylvania has grown from forest land to a thriving suburb. It has retained historical elements. They blend with modern development. As you explore Sylvania remember its past. It is a place shaped by nature people and time.