Redfern
Redfern is a suburb a short drive south of the city centre. It is where many Aboriginal people choose to live. Many murals document Aboriginal activity and issues. The political centre is "The Block", a former railway factory area.
Some history of Redfern
In August 1859, Redfern was proclaimed a municipality of Sydney. Part of the suburb was then a market garden with open-air markets selling produce direct to its citizens. "Heaps of Kooris worked in the markets, the railways, in meatworks and in factories, such as the chocolate factory," remembers historian Heidi Norman [1]. "There was a real acceptance of Aboriginal people in the workforce."`
There was a mixture of races, with Chinese, English, Aboriginal, Portugese and other people sharing the suburb, and some of the older buildings are still part of the cityscape today.
Redfern celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2009.
In 1993 then-Prime Minister Paul Keating held his now-famous Redfern Park speech.
In the 1980s the manufacturing sector became increasingly automated, and Refern changed.
Redfern railway station. There was, and still is, constant migration of Aboriginal people from remote areas to the city and vice-versa.
Getting there
From Sydney's CBD take any south-bound train. Redfern is the first stop after Central.
[1] 'Redfern celebrates', Koori Mail 458 p.38