Waterloo Overview
Waterloo, a suburb of Sydney, has a rich history and a diverse community. It was originally inhabited by the Aboriginal clans Wangal and Gadigal, and the area consisted of wetlands, swamps, and low sandy hills. The suburb’s name has its roots in the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated, and a convict-turned-businessman named it, William Hutchison, who established the Waterloo flour mill.
Waterloo is one of Sydney’s smallest suburbs, covering just 1.1 square kilometres, and it is densely populated, with an average age of 32 years. It is a melting pot of cultures, with over 41% of households speaking a language other than English. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3.0% of Waterloo’s population, and there is a wide range of diversity in the community’s backgrounds and countries of birth.
The social housing estate in Waterloo has been at the centre of politics and protests over the years, with a battle by Waterloo residents in the 1970s to save the area from slum clearance and redevelopment by public housing authorities. The Builders Labourers Federation placed “Green Bans” on several sites, refusing to work on projects they felt were either environmentally or socially undesirable. These actions preserved some of the historical homes that remain in Waterloo today, and a portion of them are now protected as the Waterloo Heritage Conservation Area.
The Waterloo estate is a social housing development built to provide affordable homes for low-income and vulnerable families. The estate has had its fair share of negative publicity over the years. Some parts of the estate have become Aged however, over the last few years, there has been progress in transforming the estate, including demolishing some of the older buildings and replacing them with modern, energy-efficient apartments.
Waterloo has transformed incredibly over decades, from a wetland to an industrial centre and a vibrant residential hub with fantastic cafes, restaurants, and amenities. The suburb has an extensive redevelopment and transport projects in the works.
Waterloo is just 4km from the CBD, offering a convenient location for those seeking inner-city living in Sydney
Demographics
At the 2021 census, Waterloo had a population of 16,379,[7] compared to 14,616 at the 2016 census.[8]
In 2021, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.8% of the population and 37.2% of people were born in Australia. The other most common countries of birth were China 11.5%, England 5.6%, New Zealand 2.6%, Ireland 2.3% and Brazil 1.8%. 45.2% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 12.0% Cantonese 3.0%, Spanish 3.2%, Russian 2.7% and Portuguese 1.6%. The largest religions were Catholicism (16.5% of the population), Buddhism (4.4%) and Anglicanism (4.2%). Furthermore, 50.2% of the population marked no religion, well above the national average. 91.1% of residences were units, well above the rest of Australia (where only 14.2% of residences were units). Furthermore, 72.7% of dwellings were rented, compared to 30.6% in Australia as a whole.[7]
As Waterloo gentrifies significant differences emerge between the public housing and private communities.
The Evidence page, under the Resources tab on this website has more information on the public housing community.
Getting to know Waterloo Public Housing
The Waterloo public housing is bounded by Phillip, Morehead, McEvoy and Cope streets and comprises of 6 High Rise buildings making up half of the estate with approx. 1300 units Matavai, Turanga, James Cook, Joseph Banks, Daniel Solander and Marton. Turanga and Matavai being the tallest and most iconic towers at 29 levels. The rest of the estate is made up of 3 storey Walk-Up apartments and terrace houses, totalling 2,630 social housing dwellings.
When LAHC talk about the Waterloo Estate Redevelopment they exclude the 500+ units in the Waterloo Conservation area and have the eastern boundary at Pitt Street and only include Camellia Grove bounded by Wellington Gibson and Kellick Streets to the east of Pitt Street.
The Housing Commission produced this heritage walking tour map that primarily covers the housing in the conservation area.
Getting to know the people living on the estate
The Waterloo public housing estate identifies as a very culturally diverse community, with
a proud Aboriginal history, and fantastic community spirit. Many residents have lived on
the estate since the high rises were first opened, building community connections and sharing a piece of its rich history, the new residents that move into Waterloo only continue to add to its
diversity.
Current statistics from Family and Community Services tell us that Waterloo Public Housing is:
- Ageing Community: 39% over 60 years,
11% of those over 80 years - 10% identify as Indigenous
- 31% are from Non-English Speaking
Backgrounds mainly Chinese and Russian - 41% tenants receive an Age Pension; 30%
Disability Support; and 15% New Start
Allowance - Approx. 69% are living alone
Waterloo has been called home by many a
wonderful character over the years – each
person a piece of the great mosaic of life in
Waterloo
Below are some Demographics of the Waterloo public Housing
Waterloo High rise Names
The Waterloo High rises are named after Captain James Cook and the voyages of his boat the Endeavor. The project that constructed the high rises was the “Endeavour Project”.
In choosing the James Cook theme for the towers, the Housing Commission (as it was then known), sought not only to give variety to each floor by making it the subject of a particular time or place in Cook’s life, but to give each floor a name, not just a number. You can see the floor details in this Housing Commission Booklet on Matavai and Turanga.
In March 1977 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh opened “Matavai” and “Turanga” in their last royal engagement in Sydney while on royal tour, and unveiled the plaque which still remains between the two buildings. The rent for a single bed unit at this time was $8.80 per week and $13 for a two bed unit.
Matavai & Turanga – These names are taken from the voyages of Captain Cook. “Matavai” is the beautiful harbour of Tahiti where he first anchored in “HMS Endeavor”, to return many times. “Turanga” – the Maori word for “landing place” – commemorates where his ships first anchored in New Zealand.
James Cook – Captain James Cook FRS (November 1728 – February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. Cook joined the Royal Navy in 1755 and by 1766 was the commander of HM Bark Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously achieved. Cook was attacked and killed in 1779 during his third exploratory voyage in the Pacific while attempting to kidnap Kalani’ôpu’u, a Hawaiian chief, in order to reclaim a cutter stolen from one of his ships.
Joseph Banks – Sir Joseph Banks, (February 1743 —June 1820), was a British explorer, naturalist, and longtime president of the Royal Society, known for his promotion of science.
He took part in Captain James Cook’s first great voyage (1768–1771), visiting Brazil, Tahiti, and, after 6
months in New Zealand, Australia, returning to immediate fame. He held the position of President of the Royal Society for over 41 years. He advised King George III on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and by sending botanists around the world to collect plants, he made Kew the world’s leading botanical gardens.
Daniel Solander – Daniel Solander was a Swedish naturalist and an Apostle of Carl Linnaeus, (February 1933 – May 1782). In 1768, Solander gained leave of absence from the British Museum and with his assistant Herman Spöring accompanied Joseph Banks on James Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the Endeavour. They were the botanists who inspired the name Botanist Bay (which later became Botany Bay) for the first landing place of Cook’s expedition in Australia. Solander helped make and describe an important collection of Australian plants while the Endeavour was beached at the site of present day Cooktown for nearly seven weeks, after being damaged on the Great Barrier Reef. These collections later formed the basis of Banks’ Florilegium.
Marton –The small town of Marton was the birthplace of Captain James Cook in the North East of England. The town name of Marton was then re-used throughout Cook’s travels, the tiny community of Marton, Queensland, Australia, upstream from Cooktown on the banks of the Endeavour River, in remembrance of his 7-week stay in the region in 1770. There is also a town in New Zealand named Marton, New Zealand. The name of the Yorkshire village derives from a mixture of Old English and Old Norse (marr-tûn) which means Marsh farm/settlement.
other Facts – Coming soon
