Canada Bay is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. it is 11 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of City of Canada Bay.
Canada Bay is also a bay on Parramatta River between Concord and Five Dock. The suburb of Canada Bay sits on the southern shore and is bordered by the suburbs of Burwood and Croydon. The City of Canada Bay takes its name from the bay but its administrative centre is located in the suburb of Drummoyne.
History
The name Canada Bay honours a link between Australia and Canada. Following the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 to 1838, two Irish and 58 French Canadian rebels were deported to Australia. At the request of the local Catholic bishop, they were brought to Sydney. Imprisoned at Longbottom Stockade (which was located at what is now Concord Oval), the convicts broke stone for the construction of Parramatta Road and collected oyster shells for making lime. In 1842, the French Canadians were allowed to work outside the prison. Between 1843 and 1844, all received pardons and, except for two people who died and one (Joseph Marceau) who settled in Dapto all returned to Canada.
After the rebellions, the Australian Governor General and Lord High Commissioner to Canada recommended that Britain grant responsible self-government to the Union of Upper and Lower Canada. In the 1850s, the Australian colonies achieved responsible government and parliamentary democracy. Many parts of Canada Bay are a reminder of this history: Exile Bay, France Bay, Durham Street, Marceau Drive, Polding Street and Gipps Street. Bayview Park has a plaque that honours the exiles and marks the point of disembarkation.
The City of Canada Bay was formed in December 2000, by the merger of Concord and Drummoyne councils.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, there were 1,296 residents in Canada Bay. 63.7% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were Italy 7.1%, China 3.7%, England 2.8%, New Zealand 1.5% and Hong Kong 1.2%. In Canada Bay 57.2% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 13.1%, Cantonese 4.1%, Greek 3.6%, Mandarin 3.2% and Spanish 2.2%. The most common responses for religion in Canada Bay were Catholic 46.6%, No Religion 13.8%, Anglican 12.7%, Eastern Orthodox 7.0% and Buddhism 3.4%.