Panania

Panania, a suburb of local government area City of Canterbury-Bankstown, is located 23 kilometres inner south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region. The postcode is 2213, which it shares with adjacent suburbs East Hills and Picnic Point.

Panania
Sydney, New South Wales
Shops and post office in Panania
Population11,489 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2213
Location23 km (14 mi) south-west of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)City of Canterbury-Bankstown
State electorate(s)East Hills
Federal Division(s)Banks
Suburbs around Panania:
Milperra Milperra Revesby
Voyager Point Panania Revesby
East Hills Picnic Point Revesby Heights

Panania is bounded on the north by the M5 South Western Motorway and the suburb of Milperra. Picnic Point, to the south, features parklands along the Georges River. East Hills is the suburb to the west and Revesby is located to the east.

History
War memorial

The name Panania was on the original list of stations proposed for the Tempe-East Hills railway line in 1929.[2] Prior to this, Panania was part of what was generally known as the East Hills district. Panania is an Aboriginal word meaning sun rising in the east and shining on the hills.[3] An alternative theory is that the name may be a derivation of "Pannonia", which was an ancient province of the Roman Empire southeast of the Danube River. During the construction of the railway line the name Nioka was used for the station which is an Aboriginal word meaning the green hill. Other names suggested for suburb were Linden Park and Elmswood.[4]

The arrival of the railway in 1931 stimulated the development of the East Hills district. Prior to this, the district was rural. There was a soldiers' settlement at Milperra which consisted mostly of poultry and horticultural enterprises.[5] The only public transportation was a bus service to Bankstown railway station on the Bankstown line from various locations throughout the district, which posed a great inconvenience to people who needed to visit the Sydney CBD for work.[6]

Development began apace after World War II. The Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women sponsored the mass production of housing at Panania beginning from 1946 with the construction of 34 houses.[7]

St Christopher's Catholic Church on Tower Street was originally the Panania Star cinema. Panania North Public School, a short two block walk on the northern side of the railway line, became a demonstration school in the late 1970s so that trainee teachers from the newly-established Milperra College of Advanced Education could observe teachers at work.

Commercial area

Panania has a shopping area adjacent to Panania railway station. It runs along Weston Street, Anderson Avenue and Tower Street. Anderson Avenue features several local government facilities including a senior citizens centre and a public library. Panania Hotel is located on the northern side of Panania railway station.

The active Business Chamber is a significant strength of Panania.[8]

Transport
View north from the railway station, Panania Hotel at top right

Panania railway station is on the Airport & South Line of the Sydney Trains network. Parts of Panania are serviced by buses operated by Transdev NSW, generally following the routes established by McVicar's Bus Services.

The East Hills railway line, which originally terminated one stop away at East Hills divided the suburb into two distinct precincts. During the 1980s, the railway line was extended with a rail bridge over the Georges River to Campbelltown.

Demographics

Panania had a population of 11,489 people at the 2011 census.[1] 48.6% of the population was male; 51.4% was female. 72.8% were born in Australia. 1.4% of the population were indigenous Australians.

Employment

At the 2006 census, 45.6% of Panania's population were employed.

Religious affiliation

At the 2011 census, the most common religious affiliations were: Catholic (32.2%), Anglican (20.7%), No Religion (11.0%), Eastern Orthodox (8.0%), and Islam (5.1%).[1]

Churches
St Christopher's Catholic Church in 2008

Panania features notable buildings such as Holy Trinity Anglican Church[9] and St Christopher's Catholic Church. St Christopher's is housed in the building formerly known as the Panania Star Cinema. The Panania Star Cinema was built in 1952 in the Art Deco style, and was the twin of the Padstow Star Cinema in nearby Padstow.[10] The building retains a number of original features, including a decorative ceiling. After a grant from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and many donations from parishioners, the building underwent renovations costing $165,000 which were completed early in 2006.

The Salvation Army also has a Corps in Panania. The old building was recently refurbished.

Panania Uniting Church,[11] was established in the early 1950s and moved to its current location at 206 Marco Ave, Panania in 1967.

Schools
  • East Hills Boys High School (est. 1955)
  • Panania Public School
  • Panania North Public School
  • Tower Street Public School
  • St Christopher's Catholic School

Houses

Panania is mostly a residential suburb, which was developed after World War II and originally contained many modest freestanding bungalows built from asbestos cement sheeting (commonly known as fibro). Today, many of these houses have been rebuilt as larger residences or two-storey duplex houses.

Notable residents

Politics

Panania is in the Banks electorate for federal politics the local member is David Coleman (LP). For state politics Wendy Lindsay (LP) is the member for East Hills.

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Panania (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  2. "Tempe-East Hills line. Railway stations named". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 1929.
  3. Davies, Jacqueline; Mulholland, Dorothy; Pipe, Nora (1979). West of the River Road. Picnic Point, New South Wales: Towrang Publications. p. 20. ISBN 0-9594561-0-4.
  4. Pollon, Frances (1990). The Book of Sydney Suburbs. North Ryde, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson. p. 200. ISBN 0-207-14495-8.
  5. "Bankstown-East Hills railway". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 November 1920. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  6. "Tempe to East Hills. Proposed new railway". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 1924. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  7. "34 Homes for Ex-Servicemen". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August 1946. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  8. "Panania Issues Paper – Town Centre Improvement Program", Bankstown Council December 2010
  9. "Panania Anglican Church". Panania Anglican Church. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  10. Simiana, Joe. "History of the Panania Star Cinema". Joe Simiana's Technical Hints and History. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  11. "Panania Uniting Church". Panania Uniting Church. Retrieved 16 June 2013.

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