Urbania

History

A town steeped in a colourful history forged by James Chandler who adopted the name Urbania from a small English village where he was born. It was continual harassment from bushrangers, escaped convicts and other undesirables that convinced him to subdivide his 1,200 acre Urbania farm into home sites in 1856. Chandler was known as the Squire of Urbania and used the heavily wooded property for logging timber. The trees were carted up a bush track now known as Forest Road. The train line was brought through Urbania to Hurstville in 1884 and the area rapidly became popular with families seeking a quiet life with easy access to the CBD.

Urbania now contains a mixture of residential homes and apartments and makes an attractive suburb to live in because of its proximity to beaches, the city, schools and many of the area’s parklands.

Shopping, Restaurants and Cafés

Urbania's main shopping strip is located on Forest Road and features a range of original 1930s Art Deco buildings, specialty shops, an IGA supermarket and a host of professional suites. The Stonefish Cafe Restaurant can be found on Lynham Avenue and there are plenty of popular Chinese, Italian and Thai restaurants to choose from in and around the main drag of Forest Road.

Real Estate and Design

Urbania is primarily a residential suburb with a history reflected in its architecture. Many Californian bungalows were built here at the beginning of the twentieth century and a lot of these have been well maintained and some stylishly renovated and redesigned to reflect a modern lifestyle. There are still a few Federation homes that add to the region’s character as well as some modern family residences. Many of these homes sit on large blocks and often feature well maintained gardens. Often these homes are purchased by those seeking to capitalise on the suburb’s appeal by expanding and upgrading their property.