Eveleigh. It echoes with the ghosts of industry and innovation. Eveleigh began as Lieutenant J. R. Holden’s estate. He named it after his English birthplace. Redfern was largely known as Eveleigh back then. Redfern railway station was even called Eveleigh railway station.
Now, imagine the scene in the 1880s. Construction booms as failed private railways are nationalized. Eveleigh transforms into a massive workshops complex. It sprawls over 60 acres. This area includes North Newtown, Darlington, and Erskineville. Redfern, Alexandria, and Chippendale border it.
Initially, Eveleigh serviced and repaired NSW’s growing rail fleet. But get this: in 1908, Eveleigh started manufacturing steam locomotives. Over 3,000 people worked here. Many lived nearby. Others commuted to Macdonaldtown Station. It was purpose-built in the complex’s heart.
There was also a running shed that opened in 1884. It serviced steam locomotives. They hauled trains daily. Originally, it had three bays. The first was demolished around 1925. The remaining two disappeared in the early 1960s.
Here’s a surprising twist. In 1989, part of Eveleigh housed Paddy’s Markets. The original Haymarket site was being redeveloped. Eveleigh became a temporary marketplace.
The Eveleigh Railway Workshops hold immense significance. They mark Australia’s industrial, military, and social evolution. The workshops manufactured Australia’s first steam locomotives. Eveleigh housed the most complete collection. It featured late 19th and early 20th-century engineering technologies. Much is preserved in the Locomotive Workshop’s museum.
Also, during World War I and II, Eveleigh produced munitions.
Eveleigh also played a crucial role in Australian unionism. In 1892, unions secured a six-day working week. The 1917 General Strike began here. Three thousand Eveleigh workers sparked it. It spread nationwide. Almost 100,000 workers joined.
The locomotive workshop closed in 1988. Main rail workshops moved to Enfield. From 1986 to 2017, 3801 Limited occupied the Large Erecting Shop.
Today, Eveleigh includes social housing. There are estates such as the townhouses around South Sydney Rotary Park. These were developed in the early 1990s. Other estates exist on Golden Grove Street and Newton Street.
In 1991, a consortium transformed part of the site. The University of Sydney, UTS, and UNSW created the Australian Technology Park. Another section became a large theatre space.
Australian Technology Park now stands on the former Eveleigh railway yards. It fosters a community of researchers and entrepreneurs. Incubator businesses and tech companies thrive here.
The ATP buildings also serve as filming locations. You might recognize them from MasterChef Australia. Or So You Think You Can Dance. Even Australian Idol auditions took place here. The ATP site will soon feature extensive film facilities. Kennedy Miller Mitchell is building a digital film studio.
So, as we stand here in Eveleigh, remember its layers of history. From railway workshops to cultural hubs, Eveleigh remains a place of constant evolution.