Established 14 December 1871 Municipality of Petersham Newtown | Abolished 31 December 1948 Founded 1871 | |
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The Municipality of Petersham was a local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The small municipality was proclaimed as a borough in 1871 and was centred on the suburbs of Lewisham, Petersham and Stanmore. It was bounded by Parramatta Road in the north, Cardigan and Liberty Streets in the east, Stanmore and New Canterbury Roads in the south, and Old Canterbury Road in the west. The municipality was divided into three wards: South Kingston, Annadale and Sydenham, all the names of early farms. The boundaries remained fairly stable, with only minor changes on the east and western sides. The borough became a municipality in 1907. In 1949 under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948, Petersham Council was merged with the larger neighbouring Marrickville Council which was located immediately to the south.
Petersham Town Hall
The original Petersham Town Hall was erected in 1882 and demolished in 1937, replaced by the existing Art Deco structure on the corner of Crystal and Frederick Streets in Petersham. Opened in 1938, the present Town Hall features a prominent hexagonal clock tower and was used by Marrickville Council from 1949 (after the two councils merged). After the construction of Marrickville Council's present administration building in 1974, the Council relocated most of its indoor operations to the new building, leaving the town hall to be used for functions and community services. Some of the dancing scenes from the 1992 film Strictly Ballroom were filmed in its main auditorium.
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