4.24 Tempe

Tempe is located on the lands of the Gadigal. Gadigal lands extend south of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson) stretching from South Head to Petersham with part of the southern boundary lying on the Cooks River. Country in Tempe consists of a combination of Hawkesbury Sandstone along the Cooks River and Ashfield Shale towards the north-east of the suburb creating a diverse, high-biodiversity landscape. Shale provides nutrient-rich clay soils, while sandstone offers rugged, quartz-rich, nutrient-poor, and well-drained terrain.

Country here acts as a significant aquifer, storing water that can seep into lower shale areas, while the impermeable shale acts as a barrier, causing waterlogging and creating perched wetlands on top of the sandstone. Country here is saltwater and freshwater, with the Cooks River running through the suburb, and the tributary Alexandra Canal and Wolli Creek at the suburb boundary. The topography in Tempe is hanging valleys 100-1,000 metres wide with gently to moderately inclined (5–15%) slopes. Local relief is up to 80 metres. Occasional wide sandstone benches are found on sideslopes with associated rock outcrops and low scarps. Seepage areas and hillside swamps are common. The gently inclined (0–5% slopes) concave valley floors and drainage lines are often swampy. The original ecological communities present in Tempe are Estuarine Reedland, Grey Mangrove-River Mangrove Forest, Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest and Sydney Coastal Sandstone Foreshores Forest.

This Country has been used for travelling the waterways in nawi (bark canoes), collecting marine life, fishing, resource gathering and Aboriginal management of land and water for thousands of generations of people. This Country remains important to First Nations Peoples, home to the significant waterway, the Cooks River, an important cultural place. In the 2021 Census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics published that 2.1% of the population of Tempe identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Tempe is a dynamic inner-south suburb with significant transport infrastructure, including the Princes Highway and proximity to Sydney Airport. The area features a mix of housing styles, local businesses, green spaces like Tempe Reserve, and the ecologically significant Tempe Wetlands, which provide important habitat and recreational opportunities. Due to its proximity to Sydney Airport, parts of Tempe are subject to the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS), which imposes height restrictions on developments to ensure safe aircraft operations.

The desired future character for the Tempe Neighbourhood focuses on maintaining its identity as a suburb that balances significant transport and industrial roles with a protected, low-scale residential core. Development will be guided by the topography and proximity to Sydney Airport, ensuring that new built forms respect strict height constraints while preserving the ecologically sensitive wetlands and foreshore areas that provide vital community amenity.

Objectives

Controls

This section applies to the Tempe Neighbourhood as shown on the map (Figure 4.24.1). The controls for:

• Collins Street HCA apply to the land listed as C104
• Stanley Street Heritage Conservation Area apply to the land listed as C105
• Wells Avenue Heritage Conservation Area apply to the land listed as C106

The Collins Street Heritage Conservation Area is significant for its rare use of sandstone as a primary building material and its strong association with local industry and residential development between 1870 and 1930. The area reflects a direct link between employment and housing, as stonemasons occupied the area during this period.

Key Features:

• Demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship in sandstone detailing, with modest dwellings forming a cohesive streetscape of high aesthetic quality as they step down the hillside. Variation in architectural styles between the northern and southern sides of Collins Street reflects sequential development within Sydenham Farms.
• Contains a range of building types, including:
  • Late Victorian sandstone cottages at 1–3 and 11–13 Collins Street, complemented by iron palisade fences with sandstone pillars and capping
  • 9 Collins Street contains brickwork and brick types that are aesthetically rare within Tempe
  • Rare 1930s freestanding shop featuring ceramic and glass tile detailing, one of the last examples of its type in Tempe
• Built forms are rare for their extensive use of sandstone in the second half of the 19th century, illustrating the enduring quality and detailing of construction.

Objectives

Controls

The Stanley Street Heritage Conservation Area is significant as a cohesive and aesthetically distinctive residential precinct that demonstrates the primary aesthetic principles of modest bungalow and semi-detached cottage design during the Inter-War period. The area reflects the mature form of suburban development in the Inner West, with strong streetscape patterns and original fabric that collectively convey its heritage value.

Key Features:

• The area contains two distinct groups of houses of consistent scale, form, style, and detailing, each built by different speculative builders:
• Detached Inter-War double-fronted bungalows with side entry doors and no central hallway.
• Semi-detached cottages with Art Deco detailing and enclosed front porches.
• These dwellings share regular setbacks and garden spaces, creating a unified rhythm enhanced by the oblique street alignment. Architectural interest is provided by rare single-fronted variations, uncommon half-gabled roof forms, and original low brick fences with distinctive water-pipe and mesh gates. Together, these elements illustrate the adaptation of the Californian bungalow for working and middle-class housing and reflect the growing importance of the car in early 20th-century suburban design.

Objectives

Controls

The Wells Avenue Heritage Conservation Area is significant as a cohesive Inter-War residential precinct developed from the 1924 Moulden's Estate subdivision. It demonstrates the adaptation of fashionable housing styles to suit the budgets of working and lower middle classes prior to the Depression. The area reflects the mature form of suburban development in the Inner West, with strong streetscape patterns following the fall of the land and retaining much original detailing.

Key Features:

• Detached Inter-War double-fronted bungalows with side entry doors and no central hallway, illustrating the adaptation of the Californian bungalow into a smaller, simpler form
• Consistent scale, form, and setbacks across dwellings, creating a unified rhythm enhanced by the split-level streetscape responding to steep topography
• Original low brick fences and water-pipe and woven mesh gates with unevenly opening panels
• Distinctive bullnose brick kerbing along Wells Avenue and Collins Street
• Face brick footpath paving laid during the Depression as an unemployment relief scheme
• A pair of single-storey local shops, one retaining its original shopfront form and detailing (although painted over)

Objectives

Controls