Oakhurst Profile

Oakhurst is a suburb of Sydney, located 46 kilometres west of the CBD in the City of Blacktown. Oakhurst is approximately 2 km2 and consists of 6 parks covering nearly 10.3% of the area. In 2016 the population of Oakhurst was 6,962 showing a population growth of 0.1% since 2011. The predominant age group in Oakhurst is 10-19 years and households in Oakhurst are primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying $1800 - $2399 per month on mortgage repayments.

The transport for this area is a bus service to Mt Druitt railway station or Blacktown which are located on the North Shore, Northern & Western Line and the Cumberland Line of the Sydney Train network. A major bus interchange is located next to the station and an underground bus station is situated at the entrance of Westpoint shopping centre.

History

The land currently occupied by the present-day suburb of Oakhurst was originally zoned as rural, with poultry and vegetable farms existing well in the mid-20th century. In 1981, the land was zoned as residential by the NSW State Government. Shortly after, the Land Commission of NSW (Landcom) began developing land bounded by Jersey Rd to the south, Daniels Rd to the west, Cook Rd to the north and Rooty Hill Rd North to the east. Landcom named the development, at this point still officially recognised as Plumpton, "The Oaks Estate", in honour of a historical residence retained by Landcom on Hyatts Road. Landcom constructed an Exhibition Village at Bancroft Street and Darkon Place, where prospective buyers could view a selection of homes prior to purchase and construction. An Information Centre was located at the entrance of the Village, and both were featured in an official Landcom television advertisement starring Australian television personalities Julie McGregor and Dave Gibson.

The majority of "The Oaks Estate" had been completed by 1985, and The NSW Geographical Name Board moved quickly to officially name the suburb "Hassall", in honour of Reverend Thomas Hassall who established Western Sydney's first Sunday School. However, the name was a source of contention amongst local residents, who cited ridicule and irrelevance to the area as justification for a name change. It was assumed the official suburb name would be reflective of Landcom's estate name, "The Oaks", and in their first act as a community, residents successfully lobbied the Board to have the name changed to "Oakhurst". Residents to the west of Daniels Rd who were also part of Landcom's Oaks Estate, were left disappointed when their section of the development was incorporated into Hebersham, a neighbouring public housing community, rather than Oakhurst.

By 1991, construction of a new estate to the north of Oakhurst, known as Hassall Grove, had commenced. However, developers and the community alike agreed that Cook Rd was insufficient to handle the increased traffic volume another suburb would bring. As such, Luxford Road was extended in a south-easterly direction and joined with an upgraded portion of Cook Road to become the area's new thoroughfare. Developers agreed the new road would form a more suitable boundary between Oakhurst and the new development. Consequently, the small portion of houses that had already been constructed, or were in the process of construction, along Southee Circuit, Bancroft Street, Westcott Place, Ophelia Place, Rotuma Street, Appletree Grove and Dimascio Place, were officially severed from Hassall Grove and absorbed into Oakhurst. Major portions of Cook Rd that were not utilised in the Luxford Rd extension, were either closed to traffic or rejuvenated with lawns and children's play equipment.

Oakhurst's local shopping centre is Plumpton Marketplace, home to major retailers and corporations including Woolworths, BigW, the Commonwealth Bank and Flight Centre. Hassall Grove Plaza, on the other hand, provides residents with a local greengrocer, bakery, hair salons and takeaway shops.

Richard Johnson Anglican School is Oakhurst's flagship school, serving students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Oakhurst shares a local soccer team with Plumpton, the Plumpton/Oakhurst Soccer Club inc., whose home ground is located at Hanna Reserve, Hyatts Road. The team is a part of the Blacktown & Districts Soccer Football Association incorporated, which hosts annual competitions that involve teams from surrounding suburbs and districts, with players of varying age groups.