Facts Hurstville Local Jobs 9,044 Local Businesses 3,161 (2018) Population 26,299 (2018)

In 1876 a visiting school inspector suggested the name `Hurstville’ for a new public school on Forest Road. The area had been previously known as Gannon’s Forest, the Lord’s Bush and the Lord’s Forest. The arrival of the Illawarra Railway Line eight years later contributed to significant residential development, accompanied by commercial growth in the Hurstville City Centre from the early 1900s.

Commercial growth declined during the late 1980s due to high interest rates, a slowdown in world economic activity and the completion of the first stage of Westfield Hurstville. The opening of Westfield impacted the viability of many longstanding family businesses in Forest Road who were faced with the dilemma of either going in to Westfield or staying put.

By the early 1990s retail and commercial premises in Forest Road experienced high vacancy rates, however the situation was alleviated by new migrants from Hong Kong and southern China who moved to Hurstville to live and establish local businesses. In the decades that followed the Chinese community has revived Hurstville’s fortunes  through demand for residential, retail and commercial property and a host of other services and products.

At the 2016 Census, around 4,699 people or 68.7% of the population living in the Hurstville City Centre had Chinese ancestry compared with 10.1% for Greater Sydney.

The Hurstville City Centre now features a vibrant mix of retail and commercial activity with Forest Road now a focus for Asian shopping and dining, and is classified as a District Centre in the South District Plan.

One Hurstville Plaza

Hurstville is transforming into one of Sydney’s inspired cultural and corporate hubs, bringing new opportunities, changing the landscape and challenging perceptions. 

Construction has begun on One Hurstville Plaza which promises to be an A grade landmark opportunity in the heart of Hurstville. 

Hurstville Plaza

Georges River Council officially opened the new Hurstville Plaza at its Eat/Art Night Markets on 12 April 2019. The Plaza was developed as an inviting and relaxed space for the community with trees and a water feature helping to create a peaceful environment. It incorporates shaded public seating, outdoor dining areas, and an amenities unit and has been designed with smart features including two 8-seat 'smart stations' with USB ports. 

Hurstville Plaza was designed by Council to liveability of Hurstville by creating a central public space where the community can gather and create an evolving city which promotes a sustainable and safe community that connects people and places, and celebrates diversity.

The multi-use square has improved the street-level connectivity between the various shopping precincts and the transport interchange, and has been activated to improve the commercial activity in the area by encouraging longer stays and return visits. It provides an excellent location for community celebrations and events.

LED trip lights and tile lights define pedestrian paths and add to the evening atmosphere of the Plaza, and 15Amp Power outlets have also been installed on light poles and on concrete steps to support events.
 

Club Central’s $45 million hotel project

Club Central Hurstville’s $45 million refurbishment and expansion is underway. The project will include a 124-room hotel and a function centre, which are set to position Hurstville as an entertainment and event destination.

The three-and-a-half star standard hotel will be Hurstville’s first premium accommodation and the new function centre will have seating for 600 people banquet-style, along with two stages and its own dedicated kitchens.

Hurstville Place Strategy 

The Hurstville Place Strategy has been developed to provide a vision, priority projects and key actions to achieve the goal of Hurstville becoming the 'heart of the city'. The strategy outlines key projects that will transform Hurstville through innovative, economic, cultural and infrastructure improvement projects. 

The Strategy has identified twelve key priority projects for the Hurstville CBD area:

• Planning for a healthy community
• A bustling night time economy 
• A connected walkable centre
• Create a green and open Hurstville
• A transformed civic precinct
• Expressions of culture 
• Creation of a brand and marketing strategy for the Hurstville CBD
• A centre ahead of the curve - delivering key projects
• Find more effective ways of engaging with our community and business 
• Enabling place making and activation to create a vibrant and safe Hurstville

Read the Hurstville Place Strategy here.