Chester Hill
Chester Hill, a suburb of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown local government area, is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is part of Western Sydney, Chester Hill shares the postcode of 2162 with the neighbouring suburb of Sefton. History An early market garden and orchard area north-west of Bankstown, it developed into a residential and light industrial area after the Regents Park railway line came through in 1924. The construction site of the station was known as Boroya, an aboriginal word of unknown meaning, but when the station opened on 8 October 1924, it carried the name Chester Hill. A local resident, Miss H. A. McMillan first suggested that the new railway station should be called Hillcrest (after an estate near Regent's Park), but many objections were raised and the name was discarded. Miss McMillan then suggested Hillchester, after a quaint town in England, but this also was not well received by the community (it was later learnt that McMillian created the story of an English town to gain support for the name, as no such locality with the name Hillchester exists). Suggesting yet another name, McMillian recommended Chester Hill which was received far better than her previous suggestions. The area that became Chester Hill was originally the southern part of John Thomas Campbell's Campbell Hill estate, which covered in 1815 between Parramatta, Liverpool and Woodville Roads. Much of this land remained undeveloped until the first subdivision was made in the 1920s when the first shops were also built. The post office opened in July 1934, and the first public school in January 1945. A significant tract of land between Priam and Hector Streets had been occupied by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from the 1960s. This area was used for accommodation and mess facilities for the nearby 2 Stores Depot (Regents Park) and the Ground Equipment Maintenance Squadron (Villawood). These properties were disposed of and subsequently acquired first by the Southern Cross Bible College and then by Salamah (Muslim) College. In March 2021, the suburb was impacted by a tornado causing minor damage. Commercial area Chester Square in Chester Hill is the main shopping centre, catering for the catchment of Chester Hill, Sefton, Birrong and Bass Hill, and directly situated behind the main road of Waldron Road. Amenities in the suburb include the Chester Hill branch of the Bankstown City Library, Chester Hill Fire Station and a community centre. Transport Chester Hill railway station is on the Bankstown Line of the Sydney Trains network. Bus links to Parramatta and Bankstown Schools There are five schools in Chester Hill: Chester Hill Public School and Chester Hill North Public School, which cater for Years K-6, Chester Hill High School catering for Years 7–12, Sefton High School which is a partially selective high school also catering for Years 7-12 and Salamah College (sister school of Al Amanah College) established in 2012. Parks and recreation Parks in Chester Hill include