Turrella is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Turrella is located 10km south of the Sydney central business district on the southern bank of Wolli Creek. Turrella is in the local government area of the City of Rockdale and is part of the St George area.

Turrella is a mostly residential area. Some light industrial developments are located around Turrella railway station and north along the railway line. A footbridge over Wolli Creek links Henderson Street to Undercliffe.

History

Turrella is an aboriginal word for reedy place or water weeds. Wolli Creek which runs through the area was originally known as Woolly Creek, quite likely because the reeds in the water gave it a thick, woolly appearance.

In 1842 William Favell and his wife Eleanor were farming a property named Hillside on this site. Their neighbours were the families of Thomas Curtis and Henry Blackwell, who were orchardists and gardeners. The farms and orchards were subdivided when the railway came through. The railway station opened on the 21st September 1931. The light industrial buildings were built close to the railway line and one of the biggest factories in the area was the Streets Ice Cream factory, which has since closed.

The post office was originally known as West Arncliffe when it opened on the 26th April 1933 but in January 1948 became known as Arncliffe West. It became Turrella in August 1952 but closed on the 21st December 1970.

Wolli Creek and Bardwell Valley

Arncliffe borders an extremely important piece of remnant bushland, the Wolli Creek Valley, beside Wolli Creek. There have been very active movements fighting for its preservation in the face of demands for land. The most successful of these prevented the building of the M5 South Western Motorway through the valley, resulting in the road being built as a tunnel under the valley. Nevertheless, community concern remains over what is seen as the release of unfiltered particle pollution from exhaust emissions into the atmosphere in the Bardwell Valley.

Schools

Arncliffe West Public School is located in Loftus Street and Cairnsfoot Special School is located opposite. The original Cairnsfoot building is heritage listed.

Transport

Turrella railway station is on the East Hills line of the City Rail network. Turrella is also serviced by the 471 government bus route which runs from from Rockdale, Bexley, Arncliffe, Turrella, Earlwood, Canterbury, Ashfield, and on to Five Dock.

The M5 South Western Motorway runs beneath parts of Turrella, in a 4km tunnel. The nearest entrances to travel south-west towards Beverly Hills and Liverpool are located at Arncliffe and Bexley North. The nearest entrances to travel north-east towards Botany and the city are located at Kingsgrove and Arncliffe.

References

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