Strathfield rail underbridges (flyover)

Item details

Name of item: Strathfield rail underbridges (flyover)
Other name/s: Strathfield Triangle, Strathfield Flyover, Strathfield Underbridges
Type of item: Built
Group/Collection: Transport - Rail
Category: Railway Bridge/ Viaduct
Location: Lat: -33.8699038699 Long: 151.0920284120
Primary address: Great Southern and Western Railway, Strathfield, NSW 2135
Local govt. area: Strathfield
Local Aboriginal Land Council: Metropolitan
Property description
Lot/Volume CodeLot/Volume NumberSection NumberPlan/Folio CodePlan/Folio Number
LOT1 DP1015899
All addresses
Street AddressSuburb/townLGAParishCountyType
Great Southern and Western RailwayStrathfieldStrathfield  Primary Address
Main Northern Railway; Wentworth RoadStrathfieldStrathfield  Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation NameOwner CategoryDate Ownership Updated
TAHE - Country Rail Network - formr John Holland Australian Rail Track CorporationState Government 

Statement of significance:

The flyover is a rare item in NSW, built of brick to take the northern line suburban electric trains over the other tracks to avoid conflicts of traffic movement. The underbridge is a major structure at a busy intersection and is a good example of this type of structure.
Date significance updated: 23 Jun 16
Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description

Construction years: 1926-1927
Physical description: Flyover to northern suburban line
Current use: rail underbridges
Former use: Aboriginal land, timber-getting, farmland

History

Historical notes: ABORIGINAL LAND
Prior to European settlement the Cooks River Valley was the home of a number of clans of the Aboriginal people. The Gameygal lived on the northern side of Botany Bay, between present day La Perouse and the mouth of the Cooks River. To the north of the Cooks River between South Head and present day Darling Harbour lived the Cadigal people and the Wangal people lived in an area between the Parramatta River and the Cooks River from Darling Harbour to Rose Bay. To the south of Botany Bay in the coastal area including Kurnell and Cronulla and the south coastal strip to Nowra lived the Gweagal people. While there is some argument about the location of land of the Bidiagal clan, there is some evidence that this clan lived in the area between the southern bank of the Cooks River and the northern bank of the Georges River. It is also thought the Cooks River formed the boundary between two dialect groups, the Bidiagal and the Gweagal. Previous reports on the Aboriginal past of the area have suggested that it was occupied by the Bidiagal. (Tranby Aboriginal Co-operative College, 1986; King, 1999; McDonald, 2005). The potential association of the Bidiagal people should not be discounted as a result of this lack of historical detail as after the collapse of the clan structure due to the smallpox epidemic of 1788 and general impact of European invasion, individuals travelled beyond the pre-1788 traditional boundaries. It is thought that the warmer months were spent nearer the coast and the cold months of winter were spent further inland. (Muir L 2007 Cooks River Valley Thematic History).

Due to the impact of the arrival of European colonists from 1788 and the almost immediate impact that this had on established patterns of subsistence, our knowledge of the Aboriginal people of the Sydney district is limited. Some eight individual groups or clans within the vicinity of the Parramatta area have been identified and two, the Cadigal and Wangal, most likely lived in the area that now makes up the Ashfield municipality (Attenbrow, V. & Pratten, C., quoted in SWC, 2005, 5).

Aboriginal people lived along the Cooks River for thousands of years prior to European arrival...The Cadigal and Wangal peoples made use of the land and seasons to hunt, trap, fish and forage for fruit and plants. As firestick farmers, they burned off scrub near rivers leaving only large trees spaced several meters apart, creating an open, park-like appearance (Marrickville Council website, quoted in ibid, 2005, 5).

The British colonisation of Australia commenced just 15km to the east of Strathfield at Sydney Cove in 1788. By 1793 land grants were being made to Europeans in the Strathfield area. Land clearing removed the habitats of native animals and thus would have eliminated food sources for the Wangal people as well as desecrating sacred sites. There is historical evidence of hostility between the early settlers and the Aboriginal people here although by 1804, Governor King was reporting to the British Government that 'the natives in the settlements (between Parramatta and Sydney) had been very quiet and in a great measure domesticated'. Although Wangal people were separated from their traditional relationship with the land, many Aboriginal people continue to live in the Strathfield locality. There are few known remnants of traditional occupation such as campsites, axe grinding grooves and scarred trees in the Strathfield district (Jones, 2014).

Perhaps the most famous Wangal man was Bennelong, who became friendly with Governor Phillip. (Jones, 2014) Phillip built a brick hut for him on the present site of the Sydney Opera House and that peninsular is named after him (Bennelong Point). Bennelong became one of the first Aboriginal people to visit Europe when he travelled to England with Phillip in 1792.

While land closer to the town of Sydney was relatively quickly carved up as land grants to settlers in the first years of the European colony, the land on the southern side of the Cooks River was not subject to land granting until 1904. It was not until 1808 when a number of very large land grants were made over land which traditionally provided Aboriginal people access to the resource rich area of the Georges River, Kurnell Bay and Salt Pan Creek that land became the reason for conflict between the Bidiagal and European settlers. In 1809, an attack was made on two farms at Punchbowl led by a Bidiagal man named Tedbury. Tedbury was the son of Pemulway who had led perhaps the best-known campaign of resistance in the Sydney Basin including a spear attack on Governor Phillip's game keeper, a man renowned for his hostility to the Aboriginal people of the Sydney area. Pemulway and Tedbury spoke the Bidiagal dialect, and are known to have come from around Botany Bay (King, 1999)

The attack at Punchbowl was the last reported act of Aboriginal resistance to European settlement in the Cooks River Valley. In the following years due to alienation from their land and its resources and being subject to the devastation of European infectious diseases, the Aboriginal population in the area dramatically reduced. In 1845 it was reported to the NSW Legislative Select Committee that there were only 3 people of the Botany Bay clan and only fifty Aboriginal people were living in the area between the Cooks and Georges River. (Muir, L., 2007, Cooks River Valley Thematic History).

During the 19th Century European settlers transformed the land along both banks of the Cooks river as farms were established for grazing, family food needs and for other industries such as tanning, production of sugar, harvesting of timber and production of lime from many middens left by the Aboriginal people of the area for thousands of years. Lime was a scarce and necessary commodity for European settlement in the early years of the colony. (Renwick, C., Pastorelli, C., Muir, L., Sheppard, H., Denby, J., Chalcroft, G., 2008, Cooks River Interpretation Strategy).

Post-contact, the stretch of land between Iron Cove and the Cook's River was known as the Kangaroo Ground, the natural woodland would have provided a suitable habitat for possums, fern rhizomes and tubers, all of which would have been identified as valuable food sources for the Wangal (Pratten, C., quoted in SWC, 2005, 5).

The traditional Indigenous custodians of the (Strathfield) area are the Wangal people of the Darug people. There is evidence that the Darug have lived in the Sydney area for over 10,000 years. (Jones, 2014).

COLONIAL HISTORY: Homebush and Strathfield:
Eleven days after the first British flag was raised in Sydney Cove, in 1788, Captain John Hunter, Captain John Hunter and Lietenant William Bradley, First Fleet officers from HMS Sirius, explored the Parramatta River as far as the present Homebush Bay. It was a shallow, swampy area, flooded at high tide, at the junction of what are now Powell's and Haslam's Creeks. Hunter did not fully explore the bay, but he added it to his charts (Pollen & Healy, 1988, 124).

The first grants in the present day Strathfield Municipality were made in 1793 under the hand of Lieutenant-Governor Grose (Weir Phillips, 2015). The colony's first free settlers received small grants of 60 to 80 acres, but because it was a poor area for agriculture, grants were later increased and also changed hands over the following years. The area was chosen for occupation in order to provide a settlement between Sydney for teams travelling from the west (ibid, 1988, 124).

The first grants in the present day Strathfield Municipality were made in 1793 under the hand of Lieutenant-Governor Grose. The Mount St Mary ACU campus lies on part of a 450 acre grant made to the Chaplain of St. James Church in 1823, however that grant soon reverted to the Crown. In 1841, the campus was part of a 256 acre grant made to Joseph Hyde Potts (1793-1865), then the Secretary of the Bank of New South Wales. The grant remained in the hands of his descendants it was subdivided in the early 1880s. (Weir & Phillips, 2015).

Before the 1860s, settlement in the Strathfield area was clustered around inns and other service industries scattered along the Parramatta and Liverpool Roads and near the Homebush Racecourse. The 1866 subdivision of James Wilshire's (570 acre, granted in 1808, between the present streets The Boulevarde, Chalmers St. & Liverpool Road: Pollen & Healy, 1990) estate in Strathfield known as Redmire was marketed towards well-to-do families seeking a suburban 'villa' lifestyle and attracted many prominent families in Sydney society including members of parliament, senior public servants, surgeons, solicitors and businessmen (ibid, 2015).

To the west of this were Church Lands, declared in 1823 to support clergy in the colony, which extended into present day Flemington. In 1841 this was sold and the part south of Barker Rd. was acquired by Joseph Newton. The grant was sold to Samuel Terry in 1824 and he renamed it Redmyre Estate. The name Redmire (changed c1865 to Redmyre) honoured a village in North Yorkshire, England, which was near the birthplace of the Terry family (Pollen & Healy, 1990, 246).

After 1877 when Redmyre Railway Station opened (it was renamed Strathfield Station in 1900), the distance between Strathfield and the city was reduced to an easy 28 minutes journey although the relative expense of the service at this time helped maintain the social exclusiveness of the area. Albert Road was first listed in John Sands' Sydney and Suburban Directories in 1886. The road was one of most fashionable streets in Strathfield and the address of numerous grand villa estates including Mount Royal, which now forms part of the Edmund Rice Building on the Mount St Mary ACU campus (ibid, 2015).

In 1885 the area was incorporated as Strathfield. This new title came from the name of a mansion built in the district by John Hardie, a wealthy early settler, who chose the name to honour the English estate given in 1817 by a grateful nation to the Duke of Wellington. (Pollen & Healy, 1988, 247).

Railway Station:
The first section of public railway line built in NSW was from Redfern Station (Sydney) to Parramatta on the 26th September 1855. This line passed through the area now known as Strathfield. No station was provided at Strathfield, the closest stations were Burwood and Flemington.

The first station at Strathfield was named 'Redmyre' and opened as a 'halt' on the 9th September 1876. (Moonie, 2001, 6).

Before the 1860s, settlement in the Strathfield area was clustered around inns and other service industries scattered along the Parramatta and Liverpool Roads and near the Homebush Racecourse. The 1866 subdivision of James Wilshire's estate in Strathfield known as 'Redmire' was marketed towards well-to-do families seeking a suburban 'villa' lifestyle and attracted many prominent families in Sydney society including members of parliament, senior public servants, surgeons, solicitors and businessmen. After 1877 when Redmyre Railway Station opened (it was renamed Strathfield Station in 1900), the distance between Strathfield and the city was reduced to an easy 28 minutes journey although the relative expense of the service at this time helped maintain the social exclusiveness of the area. Albert Road was first listed in John Sands' Sydney and Suburban Directories in 1886. The road was one of most fashionable streets in Strathfield and the address of numerous grand villa estates including Mount Royal, which now forms part of the Edmund Rice Building on the Mount St Mary ACU campus. (ibid, 2015).

The first use of the present name 'Strathfield' was adopted on 8th March 1886 and was named after the mansion Strathfield House, owned by James Hardy. Strathfield (station) came into prominence with the construction of the Main Northern line, which had its junction off the Western line at Strathfield. The first section to Hornsby opened on the 17th September 1886. Four platforms were provided, two for the Western line and two for the Northern line. A new mechanical signal box was built on the Down side behind the Down western platform, this was the first signal box at Strathfield (Moonie, 2001, 6).

A station was built on a new site in 1900, and yet again in 1922 (Pollen, 1988, 247, 248).

The line was quadruplicated between 1891 and 1892, causing track alterations and requiring the construction of a pedestrian subway at the western end of the station to connect all platforms.

The 1900 platforms, overhead station building and road bridge were demolished and the present 4 island platforms were built, giving a total of 8 platforms. Access to these was now via a centrally located pedestrian subway and ramps. A short Parcels Platform was also built on the down side of the Down Local Line at the Sydney end. The land required for the extra platforms was reclaimed from The Boulevard and Clarendon Street (Albert Road).

As part of reconstruction of the station area and for the future electrification of the western and northern rail lines a new Power Signal Box was built at Strathfield. This (the 3rd signal box) was located on the Down side parallel to the Down Local at the country end of the station. It was built on a resumed, triangular block of land bounded by the Main Western Line to its north and Clarendon Street (Albert Road) to its south. The power signal box was the 3rd signal box erected at Strathfield, the previous two signal boxes becoming 'mechanical signal boxes'. Strathfield power signal box controlled all train movements from the Sydney side of Wentworth Road overbridge (east), through Strathfield platforms and the tracks to the north and west of the flyover at the country end (Moonie, 2001, 8).

When the line from Strathfield to Hornsby was completed in the 1920s, Strathfield became the junction of all trains going north and west - an important rail junction. (Pollen, 1988, 248).

Strathfield Flyover was built in conjunction with reconstruction of Strathfield Railway Station, sextuplication of the Western Line and electrification of the Northern Line in 1927 for the prupose of crossing Down northern line trains over the main western line tracks without conflicing movements.

In 1982, as part of the upgrading and modernising of the suburban signalling system the Strathfield power signal box was close to being replaced by the new Strathfield Signal Box complex located at Homebush incorporating a Relay Based Route Locking Signalling System. The new complex also replaced signal boxes at Ashfield, North Strathfield, Concord West, Homebush, Flemington Car Sidings, Flemington Goods Junction and Lidcombe.

Strathfield continues to be a busy and important junction station with the signalling complex at Homebush being the second largest signal box in the Sydney Metropolitan area (Moonie, 2001, 8).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)New South Wales themeLocal theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Modification of terrain-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures. Changing the environment-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes and parklands of distinctive styles-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes of institutions - productive and ornamental-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings Landscapes of urban amenity-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences Developing local landmarks-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Forestry-Activities associated with identifying and managing land covered in trees for commercial purposes. Timber getting-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Building the railway network-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Rail transport-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Development in response to railway lines-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Engineering the public railway system-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Administering the public railway system-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Building and maintaining the public railway system-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements Building and maintaining the public railway system-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities. A Picturesque Residential Suburb-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal 1820s-1850s land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Townships-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Suburban Centres-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Early farming (Cattle grazing)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Granting Crown lands for private farming-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Resuming private lands for public purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Changing land uses - from suburban to urban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Early farming (cropping)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages 19th century suburban developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages 20th century Suburban Developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis Suburban Consolidation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis Building Bridges-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis Public Transport - suburban railway lines-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis Railways to inland settlements-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis Railways connecting industry and ports-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis Railways connecting coastal settlements-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. State government-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. State government-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - administration of land-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - building and administering rail networks-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - building and operating public infrastructure-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities. Developing roles for government - providing public transport-

Assessment of significance

SHR Criteria f)
[Rarity] 		This item is assessed as historically rare. This item is assessed as arch. rare. This item is assessed as socially rare.
Assessment criteria: Items are assessed against the PDF State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management CategoryDescriptionDate Updated
Recommended ManagementProduce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) 
Recommended ManagementPrepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines 
Recommended ManagementCarry out interpretation, promotion and/or education 

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of actDescriptionTitleCommentsAction date
57(2)Exemption to allow workStandard Exemptions HERITAGE ACT 1977

ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL

I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977:

revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and

grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A.

This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette.

Dated this 29th day of October 2025
The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC
Minister for Heritage

For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below. 		Nov 7 2025

PDF Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage ListingListing TitleListing NumberGazette DateGazette NumberGazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register 0105502 Apr 99 271546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register     

References, internet links & images

TypeAuthorYearTitleInternet Links
WrittenPollen, Frances (ed.) and Healy, Gerald1988'Strathfield'
WrittenWeir Phillips2015Heritage Data form - Mount St Mary Campus of the Australian Catholic University

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.
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Data source

The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name: Heritage NSW
Database number: 5012225

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