Kingsford

History

Until 1936 the suburb of Kingsford was known as South Kensington. It was opened up for development in 1914 but it wasn’t until after 1920 that development started to take off. The search for a new name began in 1935 due partly to postal confusion between South Kensington and Kensington. The chamber of commerce launched an essay competition and four finalists were chosen, Kingsford, Wembley, Chelsea & St Kilda. The chamber finally chose Kingsford in recognition of Charles Kingsford Smith the famous aviator. Kingsford was officially proclaimed on June 25th, 1936.

Today Kingsford is home to the largest population of Castellorizians in Australia. They hail from the small Greek Island of Casterllorizio, who arrived in the 1920s. By the 1950’s the community settled in Kingsford. In 1973 the Castellorizian Club was opened on the site of the old Odeon picture theatre in Anzac Parade, Kingsford.

Shopping

There are a number of local grocery stores including George’s Mixed Business, IGA, Randwick Oriental Supermarket, Sturt Street Mixed Business and Thai Kufar. Neighbourhood stores also include newsagency, chemist, florists, video stores, fruit and vegetables and chemist. Nearby is the Eastgardens Shopping Centre, which has a vast array of department stores, supermarkets and specialty stores. Sports, Fitness & Recreation Kingsford is just minutes from the magnificent Eastern Suburbs beaches including Coogee and Maroubra, which are popular with swimmers and surfers alike. It is also just a short distance to the renowned 6km Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, which is well used by fitness fanatics and people who just enjoy a great walk with beautiful views. Nearby are five golf courses – St. Michael’s, The Coast, The New South Wales, The Australian and Randwick. Also nearby is Randwick Racecourse and Centennial Park, which features jogging/walking/cycling/roller blade tracks, horseriding, playing fields and many picnic spots. The suburb also has a number of parks such as Paine Reserve and Snape Park.

For movie buffs, Hoyts Cinemas are located at the Eastgardens Shopping Centre in Pagewood, or there is the Ritz at Randwick. And there are two theatres in adjoining Kensington – the NIDA Theatre and Parade Theatre.

Distance From CBD & Transportation

Kingsford is around 3.5km from Sydney CBD and is well serviced by buses, including those numbered X92 and 391. There are also buses to Bondi Junction Railway Station.

Real Estate & Design

Kingsford has a large range of properties to suit many budgets – from the older style apartments, new architecturally designed resort-style complexes, charming semis, sprawling Federation homes, Californian bungalows through to some incredible mansions.

Restaurants & Cafes

The cultural diversity of Kingsford means there is an exciting range of eateries to choose from, including Meeks Café, Lakeview Café, 391 Restaurant, Acapulco Mexican, Betawi Indonesian, Imperial Peking at the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club, Kingsford Chinese, Swordfish Ristorante Italiano and King Gourmet Woodfire Pizza.

Schools, Education & Institutions

Preschools include Greengables Childrens’ Day Care Centre, Mount Sinai Preschool, Wind in the Willows and Widget’s Preschool Centre. There is a range of schools in the suburb and surrounding area, including St Michael’s Convent School, St Spyridon College, Brigidine College at Randwick, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Kensington), Coogee Boys’ Preparatory School, Marcellin College, Randwick Girls’ High and Randwick Boys’ High.