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Auburn, New South Wales
Found in: Turkish communities outside Turkey
Auburn is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Auburn is located 19 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Auburn Council.
History
The suburb was named after Oliver Goldsmith's poem The Desserted Village, which describes 'Auburn' in England as the loveliest village of the plain. The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 11
Commercial Area
Auburn has a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial areas. A commercial area is located close to Auburn railway station. 'Auburn Central' is a small shopping centre below residential apartments, between South Parade and the Queen Street mall. Auburn Central features a Woolworths supermarket, Big W discount department store, specialty shops and cafes.
South of the railway station, the commercial area stretches for approximately 1km and features many Middle Eastern shops, restaurants and supermarkets. This has made Auburn a focal point for various immigrant groups in Sydney, especially for significant events such as football matches or political developments in the Middle East.
North of the railway station, commercial and industrial developments are also located along the length of Parramatta Road and surrounding streets. Major developments here include:
Harvey Norman's biggest store in Australia.
Reading Cinemas is on Parramatta Road.
Tooheys Brewery.
Revolution Racegear - Australasia's largest race equipment stockist
Transport
Auburn railway station is on the Southern line and Western line of the CityRail network.
Landmarks
Auburn Hospital with basic 24-hour emergency facilities is on Norval and Hargrave Streets.
Schools
Auburn Girls High School
Auburn North Public School
Auburn West Public School
Auburn Public School
St John of God Primary school
St Joseph The Worker Primary School
Trinity Catholic College
Sydney Adventist College, Auburn Campus
Mosques
The Auburn Gallipoli Mosque took thirteen years to construct and was largely funded by the Turkish community in the area. The name of the mosque reflects the legacy of Gallipolli in Turkey and the shared bond between Australian society and the Australian Turkish Muslim Community who constructed the mosque.
Architect Omer Kirazoglu designed it in the Classical Ottoman Style of Architecture characterised by a central dome and minarets. The builder was Ahmet Asim who donated much of his time. It is a source of pride for the local community and whilst considered a Turkish mosque it is frequented by all sections of the Islamic community and is one of Sydney's busiest mosques. The mosque prides itself on being open to all members of the Australian community with both organised and impromptu open days.
There are several smaller mosques situated at the south of the suburb, albeit far smaller than the main Auburn Gallipoli mosque.
Population
Demographics
Auburn prides itself as having one of the largest refugee communities in Australia. The traditionally Anglo-celtic and southern European population has slowly been replaced by a high percentage of immigrants from Turkish, Lebanese and Vietnamese backgrounds. Auburn also has fast growing Iraqi, Iranian, Afghan, Sudanese and Chinese communities. The five most prominent religions in Auburn are Islam (40.9%), Catholicism (15.3%), No religion (10.3%), Buddhism (6.8%) and finally Anglican (3.6%).
Notable Residents
Jack Lang had a long and close association with Auburn, setting up a successful real estate business there. He went on to serve on the local council, eventually becoming Mayor. He died in Auburn in 1975.
Warren Mundine is the first Aboriginal president of the Australian Labor Party. Born in Grafton in 1956, Warren and his family lived in Auburn in the mid-1960s.
Channel Seven newsreader Chris Bath.
Pop Culture
SBS television drama East West 101 was filmed in Auburn.
Several Sydney rappers/hip-hop artists have begun coining the phrase "Representing Southside Auburn to the fullest" in underground records and onstage to indicate their solidarity with the suburb.
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Auburn, New South Wales