Киррауи: История и современность пригорода Сиднея

Kirrawee is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kirrawee is located 25 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire. Kirrawee lies between Sutherland, to the west, and Gymea and Grays Point, to the east. Kirrawee's southern border is formed by The Royal National Park, while Kareela and Jannali form the northern border. Kirrawee is split between commercial and residential areas. Approximately 50% of the area to the north of the train line is occupied by commercial and industrial properties, while almost all of the area south of the train line is residential. South Kirrawee, which extends from the train line in the north to the Royal National Park in the south, has many houses on quiet roads with beautiful bush outlooks. North Kirrawee is predominantly a commercial/industrial zone containing small to medium sized factories housing local businesses. It is also home to a number of petrol stations, car dealerships and a fast food chain outlet. However, the most northerly and western sections of this part of Kirrawee are residential, with some parts also with bush outlooks.

The Sutherland Shire Council website suggests two possible origins for the name Kirrawee. The first possibility is that it derives from an Aboriginal word meaning 'lengthy'; the second is that it derives from a Dharawal word, "gi(a)rrawee(i)" (alternative spelling "garrawi"), which means 'place of white cockatoos' or 'sulphur crested cockatoos'. The current signage erected by the Council uses 'place of white cockatoos' as the accepted meaning for the suburb name. The name was adopted in 1939 with the opening of the Sutherland Cronulla railway line. Kirrawee is part of the southern Sydney region inhabited by the Dharawal people at least 8,500 years prior to European settlement. Before being subdivided as Kirrawee, the area was part of Thomas Holt's Sutherland Estate and was accessed from Sutherland train station. In 1911 a tramway was opened, giving access to the area. At around the same time, the brickworks opened. In 1946, several blocks of land in Kirrawee went for several times their asking value valued at £30, £60 and £64, they sold for £140, £195 and £160. As of 1949, the Department of Education had accepted a tender for a primary school to be built in Kirrawee. Some street names in Kirrawee commemorate colonial figures connected with the Rum Rebellion: Bligh Street and Putland Close were named after Governor William Bligh, and his daughter, Mary Putland, respectively; In that same year, the Housing Commission built low cost fibro homes in Kirrawee. In October 1968, bushfires went close to Kirrawee and residents prepared to evacuate, but the fire was brought under control. There are three houses that are heritage listed in Kirrawee, as well as the brick pit site.

Kirrawee contains several important remnants of Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest (STIF), a critically endangered ecological community. STIF is distinctly different from the surrounding plant communities that grow on sandstone soils, as it typically grows on clay soils derived from Wianamatta Shale. Kirrawee's small patches of STIF vegetation are representative of the original forest between Sutherland and Wooloware, before residential development. Although this type of forest remains, for the most part, only as heavily fragmented patches or even isolated trees surviving amongst suburban dwellings, small remnants yet survive and can be seen growing around Kirrawee in protected sites such as Flora Street Reserve, and Pollard Park on Kirrawee main street; and in long undeveloped sites such as the old Kirrawee Brickpit and the Telstra depot (also a former brickpit). These latter sites are now subject to urban development plans. It is estimated that only 0.5% of the original area of STIF remains in the Sydney region, with these small remnants now protected under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The main threat to the ecological community is clearing for urban development, and the subsequent impacts from fragmentation. Kirrawee's protected areas of STIF are used to collect seeds that can be planted as street trees or on private property to assist in sustaining the biodiversity of the area and protecting the unique flora that provides habitat for native fauna. Kirrawee's STIF reserves are largely maintained by the local council and Bushcare volunteers from the community. The Sutherland Shire Council and Bushcare volunteers maintain a Plant Nursery that sells native plants sourced from local species, and its website includes a native plant selector that encourages locals to purchase and protect species suited to the local ecosystem.

St. Mary, St. Bakhomious and St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church, located in Bath Road, was consecrated in 1996. The Soul Revival (Anglican) church meets in Flora Street, Kirrawee. The President Avenue Community Church meets in Kirrawee. There is a Latter Day Saint Ward in Bath Road, an outpost of the larger LDS church at Mortdale.

Helena Street has an off leash dog park. Nearby, the Kirrawee Oval provides a floodlighted sporting facility. Kirrawee Oval is used by the St. Patrick's Sutherland Football Club. Bowie Park, Betham Place Reserve, Nyrang Place Reserve, Flora Street Reserve, Tea Tree Street Reserve, and Biddy Giles Park provide playgrounds. A lawn bowls club operates in Oak Road, named Club Kirrawee. There is an indoor climbing centre in Waratah Street, Kirrawee.

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 9,278 people in Kirrawee. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.2% of the population. 77.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 3.7%, New Zealand 1.8% and China 1.5%. 84.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 1.3% and Cantonese 1.3%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 28.0%, No Religion 25.2% and Anglican 21.7%. At state level, some of Kirrawee is located within the seat of Miranda, some of Kirrawee is located within the seat of Cronulla, and some of Kirrawee is located within the seat of Heathcote. In Federal parliament, Kirrawee is in the electorate for the Division of Hughes as of the redistribution of February 2016. Prior to this, some of Kirrawee was within the Division of Cook.