Published on 11 May 2026
Image right: The first subdivision of the Hunter Estate auctioned on 22 May 1926. Courtesy State Library of NSW
The first subdivision of the Hunter Estate was offered at auction on 22 May 1926. These lots fronted Glenarvon and Augusta Streets with another two lots on Yarmouth Road (now Wallis Avenue), Strathfield. Most of the lots on the south side of Glenarvon Street were owned by Mrs Mary Hunter of Vaucluse and this is probably where the name of the estate originated. All the lots offered on the north side of Glenarvon Street were purchased by Miss Enid Harris, (later Mrs Enid Cohen) of Bellevue Hill. These lots had previously belonged to the Strathfield Land Co. Ltd. Some lots had already been offered for sale in 1923 as the Stratholme Estate.
Second subdivision of the Hunter Estate for private sale in 1927. Courtesy State Library of NSW
Further subdivision of the Hunter Estate in 1927 offered lots on the south side of Augusta Street, Palmer Avenue and Yarmouth Road for private sale by Whitfield Murphy & Co. Ltd. The ‘reserve for park’ marked on the south side of Augusta Street is the land currently occupied by the Dutton Centre, formerly the South Strathfield Bowling Club and Thew Reserve. A small watercourse made this land unsuitable for housing and it was acquired by Strathfield Council. This second subdivision advertised the estate as being ‘ideally situated… at the gateway to the new Chullora & Enfield Railway Workshops.’ It also promoted its proximity to buses, trains, parks and shopping centres as well as offering ‘electric light, water, gas & every convenience for the home seeker or investor.’
Sparsely settled Glenarvon and Augusta Streets and Wallis Avenue (formerly Yarmouth Road), 1943. Six Maps https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au
Valuation records show that most lots from the Hunter Estate were not built upon until some years after World War II. This aerial photo from Six Maps shows the sparsely settled estate in 1943. Strathfield Park and Wallis Reserve are visible as is the Cooks River. Yarmouth Road was officially renamed Wallis Avenue by Strathfield Council in 1927. However the Council had first proposed the name, after Alderman Frederick Wallis, in about 1925 while Council records and newspaper references show that both names for the street were still in common use until about 1932.
Local Studies Advisor