Green Valley, New South Wales

History

Green Valley was originally home to the Cabrogal people who spoke the Darug language. It was covered in eucalypt forests and home to native animals such as wallabies and possums that were hunted by the Cabrogal for meat, hides and bones. When Governor Lachlan Macquarie established a town at nearby Liverpool in 1810, the surrounding areas were soon granted to British settlers who began clearing the forests for farmlands.

A large area to the northwest of Liverpool was dubbed Green Valley. As well as the present-day suburb of Green Valley, it included what is now known as Ashcroft, Busby, Cartwright, Heckenberg, Miller, Sadleir and parts of Hinchinbrook and Mount Pritchard.

Thus, Green Valley Post Office was open from 1964 until 1973 when it was renamed Miller.

One of the first settlers in the area was Peter Miller who gave his name to the nearby suburb of Miller. Another was Charles Scrivener who served as mayor of Liverpool and who oversaw the establishment of Green Valley School in 1882. When the first children began their classes, the school was nothing more than a large tent although a wooden building with an iron roof was constructed not long after.

By the 1960s, Sydney's suburban sprawl had reached Liverpool and building began on the Green Valley Housing Estate. The suburb of Green Valley shrank to an area a bit larger than its modern boundaries and it began to develop a new character as a residential area in contrast to its former farming life. The last change to Green Valley's boundaries occurred in 1986 when an undeveloped area at the southern edge of the suburb became part of the new suburb of Hinchinbrook.

Education

Population

According to the 2011 census, Green Valley had 12,380 people living within its perimeters. The median household income of $1,391 per week was on par with the national median ($1,234). Most houses in the suburb were standalone (78.8%) with 19.9% semi-detached or townhouses and 1.4% flats or units. A higher than average number of homes were being purchased (47.2%). Slightly more than half of people were born outside of Australia, with the most common countries of birth being Vietnam (7.8%), Fiji (5.5%), Iraq (5.1%), Laos (2.6%) and Cambodia (2.4%).

Languages

About three quarters of people spoke a language other than English at home. The most common other languages spoken at home included Vietnamese 11.8%, Hindi 6.7%, Arabic 6.2%, Spanish 5.1% and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 4.0%.

Religion

The top responses for religious affiliation in Green Valley were Catholic 32.5%, Buddhism 18.0%, Islam 10.7%, Eastern Orthodox 8.3% and No Religion 6.3%.

Age

The median age of the Green Valley population was 31 years of age, with 23.6% of people being age 14 years and under.

Marriage

52.8% of people were married, 33.4% were never married and 10.1% were separated or divorced. There were 352 widowed people living in Green Valley.

Employment status

61.8% of the people living in Green Valley were employed full-time, while 23.3% were employed on a part-time basis. Green Valley had an above average unemployment rate of 8.0%.

Income

The median individual income was $467 per week and the median household income was $1,391 per week.

The median rent in Green Valley was $360 per week and the median mortgage repayment was $2,000 per month. 26.2% of homes were fully owned, and 47.2% were in the process of being purchased by home loan mortgage. 23.4% of homes were rented.

Notable residents

Former Liverpool Mayor and local businessman, Frank Oliveri, who settled in Green Valley in the early 1950s with his family after migrating from southern Italy. Frank Oliveri and family owned the Liverpool City Raceway, local bus company (with green white and red color livery) and was a Liverpool City Councilor for over 40 years, with two terms as mayor and three as deputy mayor. A tribute is displayed to Oliveri at the front of the Green Valley library/community centre with a photo of a young Frank at the gates of the Liverpool City Speedway (now the Valley Plaza/Library/Community Hall). Eric Hall sold the main part of his land to Frank Oliveri which became the pit area of the Liverpool City Raceway. Eric Hall also conducted a pre-recorded weekly radio show called "Happy Harmonies" on radio 2KA for 17 years during the 1960s and 1970s.