Lilyfield locals talk, August 2004

LOCALS TALK LILYFIELD – August 2004

Sandwiched between Rozelle and Leichhardt, this old workers’ suburb used to be seen as the poor cousin of Balmain and Rozelle.
With a smattering of Housing Commission houses, factories and plenty of weatherboard workers cottages, the inner west suburb has been slowly gentrifying for the last two decades.
RE/MAX agent Gerard McCarthy says prices in Lilyfield skyrocketed during the property boom as young professional families clamoured to buy houses close to the city and the lifestyle of the Balmain peninsula.
Local residents Sarah and Joseph Griffin bought in Lilyfield in 2001 because they couldn’t afford Balmain – but they are now selling their townhouse to upgrade to a bigger house in Balmain.
“We’ve always lived in the inner west and we could see that Lilyfield was going to be a good investment as it was priced better than Balmain a few years ago,” Sarah says.
McCarthy says Lilyfield is rarely seen as the “poor cousin” any more, with many families choosing the area over other suburbs.
“Now you get a lot of buyers who live in Balmain coming to Lilyfield because they want the space and more land,” he says.
Lilyfield has the Light Rail into the city, large parks like Easton Park and easy access to Rozelle’s Callan Park and freeway access to the city.
Unlike Balmain and Rozelle, Lilyfield has land sizes between 160 square metres and 280 square metres.
“It’s not cheap to buy in Lilyfield, but you will get more for your money here than in Balmain or Rozelle,” McCarthy says.
A rundown double-fronted cottage will start in the $700,000s with most renovated houses selling for $900,000 or more.
Lilyfield has the City West Link running through the middle, with the pocket close to Rozelle being the most sought after.
“That whole strip of Darling St on the Rozelle side virtually reaches Lilyfield now,” says McCarthy. “It’s become its own suburb with its own identity and people who buy there certainly love it.”

SILVIA AND RALPH CAMPISI
When Silvia and Ralph Campisi opened their mixed business 25 years ago on Cecily St, they had no idea of the transformation they would witness in Lilyfield.
“It’s changed so much in 25 years. The biggest change is the house prices – it used to be lots of working class who worked around here in the factories,” Silvia says.
“Now there’s lots of lawyers and higher earners so it’s very different. There’s no way we could afford to buy a house here now.”
Silvia, who grew up in country Mildura, says it was “pot luck” that her husband bought the store with a three-bedroom house behind it in Lilyfield.
“I think he just bought it because we could afford it,” she says.
“I’m very glad he did. We’ve been very happy here and I’ve been able to run the shop and be here for my kids after school.”
Silvia and Ralph have raised three daughters – Antonella, 23, Rosie, 19, and Vanessa, 9 – in the house behind the store, which has since been rebuilt and now includes large living areas, a lock-up garage and a courtyard.
The Campisis used to open the shop from 6am to 10pm seven days a week, but now only work until 1.30pm on Sundays and stay open until 7.30pm most nights.
“It’s very hard work running the shop and I get tired, but I am happy to see the people who come here,” she says.
“A lot of the original people have passed away or gone into homes, so that’s sad.”
Ralph loves the tranquillity of Lilyfield and its proximity to the city.
“It’s a nice place close to the city without being in the city - it’s like being in the bush with the birds whistling and waking you up at four in the morning,” he says.
“That’s true,” chips in Silvia. “When my relatives from the country come here they think it is quieter than Mildura.”

ALMA GRANT
Seventy-eight-year-old Alma Grant has lived in Lilyfield all her life – “but I always called it Leichhardt”.
Alma lives on the eastern side of the City West Link in Paling St, which abuts Leichhardt.
“I know the new boundary says Lilyfield, but I keep writing Leichhardt,” she says. “Lilyfield was always on the other side of the highway.”
Alma lived in White St “until they pulled our house down to build the Housing Commission and then we moved two streets away and put the deposit on this house”.
Alma lives in a four-bedroom timber house which is more than 100 years old and has views of the city.
“We’ve made some improvements – we’ve bricked it in and we’ve painted it and had new floorcoverings,” she says.
“I’d like a nice modern home but this is comfortable.”
Alma raised three children and six grandchildren in Lilyfield, and says “it’s a lovely place for families”.
“When my son was chosen to represent NSW for sport, we didn’t have any money for the uniforms so the social club held a benefit and paid for everything – that sort of thing always happened around here,” she says.
“No-one had a lot of money, but they always helped out families.”
Alma says the big difference between the families that used to live in Lilyfield and the families that have moved in to the area is their wealth.
“Now you don’t see many mothers in the street because all the women have to go out to work to pay off the houses,” she says.

ELLEN AND PETER TONKIN
Architects Ellen and Peter Tonkin live in an award-winning house they designed in Lilyfield and moved in to three years ago.
“I am considered a newcomer because this is a really tight community,” Ellen says.
“To be honest, I keep toying with the idea of leaving Lilyfield so we can do another house but the proximity to good food means we can’t really leave,” she jokes.
The Tonkins regularly buy their food at AC Butchery in Leichhardt and specialty stores at nearby Haberfield, as well as The Barn and Herbies in Rozelle.
“Lilyfield is also really close to the fish markets, and there are organic fruit markets on Saturday morning at Orange Grove Primary School,” she says.
“The Orange Grove markets are a good socialising opportunity for mothers as well as a chance to buy the best fruit and veg in Sydney.”
The Tonkins, who have two dogs and a four-month-old son Felix, love the area’s proximity to the city, public transport and large parks.
“The light rail is a very civilised form of transport and if you have to drive, it’s only two minutes down Lilyfield Rd before you are in the CBD,” Ellen says.
The Tonkins love the workers’ heritage of the area and the diversity of the housing.
“There are lots of cottages but a lot of those industrial sites are going to be transformed into medium density,” she says.
Ellen loves the community centre in Cecily St – which has an abundance of free activities for locals – and the familiarity of the locals.
“This is the kind of place where you know your neighbours,” she says.
“The people in Lamb St do Christmas lights every year, you talk to people in the street and everyone pats each other’s dogs.”


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LOCALS TALK LILYFIELD – August 2004 Sandwiched between Rozelle and Leichhardt, this old workers’ suburb used to be seen as the poor cousin of Balmain and Rozelle. With a smattering of Housing Commission houses, factories and plenty of weatherboard workers cottages, the inner west suburb has been slowly gentrifying for the last two decades. RE/MAX agent Gerard McCarthy says prices in Lilyfield skyrocketed during the property boom as young professional families clamoured to buy houses close to the city and the lifestyle of the Balmain peninsula. Local residents Sarah and Joseph Griffin bought in Lilyfield in 2001 because they couldn’t afford Balmain – but they are now selling their townhouse to upgrade to a bigger house in Balmain. “We’ve always lived in the inner west and we could see that Lilyfield was going to be a good investment as it was priced better than Balmain a few years ago,” Sarah says. McCarthy says Lilyfield is rarely seen as the “poor cousin” any more, with many families choosing the area over other suburbs. “Now you get a lot of buyers who live in Balmain coming to Lilyfield because they want the space and more land,” he says. Lilyfield has the Light Rail into the city, large parks like Easton Park and easy access to Rozelle’s Callan Park and freeway access to the city. Unlike Balmain and Rozelle, Lilyfield has land sizes between 160 square metres and 280 square metres. “It’s not cheap to buy in Lilyfield, but you will get more for your money here than in Balmain or Rozelle,” McCarthy says. A rundown double-fronted cottage will start in the $700,000s with most renovated houses selling for $900,000 or more. Lilyfield has the City West Link running through the middle, with the pocket close to Rozelle being the most sought after. “That whole strip of Darling St on the Rozelle side virtually reaches Lilyfield now,” says McCarthy. “It’s become its own suburb with its own identity and people who buy there certainly love it.” SILVIA AND RALPH CAMPISI When Silvia and Ralph Campisi opened their mixed business 25 years ago on Cecily St, they had no idea of the transformation they would witness in Lilyfield. “It’s changed so much in 25 years. The biggest change is the house prices – it used to be lots of working class who worked around here in the factories,” Silvia says. “Now there’s lots of lawyers and higher earners so it’s very different. There’s no way we could afford to buy a house here now.” Silvia, who grew up in country Mildura, says it was “pot luck” that her husband bought the store with a three-bedroom house behind it in Lilyfield. “I think he just bought it because we could afford it,” she says. “I’m very glad he did. We’ve been very happy here and I’ve been able to run the shop and be here for my kids after school.” Silvia and Ralph have raised three daughters – Antonella, 23, Rosie, 19, and Vanessa, 9 – in the house behind the store, which has since been rebuilt and now includes large living areas, a lock-up garage and a courtyard. The Campisis used to open the shop from 6am to 10pm seven days a week, but now only work until 1.30pm on Sundays and stay open until 7.30pm most nights. “It’s very hard work running the shop and I get tired, but I am happy to see the people who come here,” she says. “A lot of the original people have passed away or gone into homes, so that’s sad.” Ralph loves the tranquillity of Lilyfield and its proximity to the city. “It’s a nice place close to the city without being in the city - it’s like being in the bush with the birds whistling and waking you up at four in the morning,” he says. “That’s true,” chips in Silvia. “When my relatives from the country come here they think it is quieter than Mildura.” ALMA GRANT Seventy-eight-year-old Alma Grant has lived in Lilyfield all her life – “but I always called it Leichhardt”. Alma lives on the eastern side of the City West Link in Paling St, which abuts Leichhardt. “I know the new boundary says Lilyfield, but I keep writing Leichhardt,” she says. “Lilyfield was always on the other side of the highway.” Alma lived in White St “until they pulled our house down to build the Housing Commission and then we moved two streets away and put the deposit on this house”. Alma lives in a four-bedroom timber house which is more than 100 years old and has views of the city. “We’ve made some improvements – we’ve bricked it in and we’ve painted it and had new floorcoverings,” she says. “I’d like a nice modern home but this is comfortable.” Alma raised three children and six grandchildren in Lilyfield, and says “it’s a lovely place for families”. “When my son was chosen to represent NSW for sport, we didn’t have any money for the uniforms so the social club held a benefit and paid for everything – that sort of thing always happened around here,” she says. “No-one had a lot of money, but they always helped out families.” Alma says the big difference between the families that used to live in Lilyfield and the families that have moved in to the area is their wealth. “Now you don’t see many mothers in the street because all the women have to go out to work to pay off the houses,” she says. ELLEN AND PETER TONKIN Architects Ellen and Peter Tonkin live in an award-winning house they designed in Lilyfield and moved in to three years ago. “I am considered a newcomer because this is a really tight community,” Ellen says. “To be honest, I keep toying with the idea of leaving Lilyfield so we can do another house but the proximity to good food means we can’t really leave,” she jokes. The Tonkins regularly buy their food at AC Butchery in Leichhardt and specialty stores at nearby Haberfield, as well as The Barn and Herbies in Rozelle. “Lilyfield is also really close to the fish markets, and there are organic fruit markets on Saturday morning at Orange Grove Primary School,” she says. “The Orange Grove markets are a good socialising opportunity for mothers as well as a chance to buy the best fruit and veg in Sydney.” The Tonkins, who have two dogs and a four-month-old son Felix, love the area’s proximity to the city, public transport and large parks. “The light rail is a very civilised form of transport and if you have to drive, it’s only two minutes down Lilyfield Rd before you are in the CBD,” Ellen says. The Tonkins love the workers’ heritage of the area and the diversity of the housing. “There are lots of cottages but a lot of those industrial sites are going to be transformed into medium density,” she says. Ellen loves the community centre in Cecily St – which has an abundance of free activities for locals – and the familiarity of the locals. “This is the kind of place where you know your neighbours,” she says. “The people in Lamb St do Christmas lights every year, you talk to people in the street and everyone pats each other’s dogs.”