History

New Brightonwas the original name used by tramway pioneer Thomas Saywell, after the famous seaside resort Brighton in England. Land acquisitions began in the 1840s butuntil 1884 there was no significant development in the area until the railway opened to Hurstville.

The following year in 1885, Saywell constructed a tramway from Rockdale to Lady Robinson Beach, along Bay Street, he also financed and built the public swimming baths, a substantial picnic area, a race course and the Brighton Hotel, on the current Novotel site. It was a huge success and in order to avoid confusion with the English Brighton, it became known as Brighton-Le-Sands.

Real Estate & Design

Brighton-Le-Sands located in the historical Botany Bay is one of the younger Sydney suburbs and the main attraction and the cause for its popularity as a premier residential location is the beach.

The design of the suburb stems from the Grand Parade and along the foreshore intersecting with Bay Street and features a mixture of low density houses, medium density flats, high rise apartments, retail, cafés and restaurants.

Shopping

The main shopping precinct is located along Bay Street extending to the foreshore on The Grand Parade and down a short length of Moate Avenue. It features a supermarket, banks, post office, a selection of clothing and jewellery stores, hair dressers, and doctors.

The landmark Novotel Hotel Brighton Beach, located on north-western corner of the intersection of Bay Street and The Grand Parade, also contains a significant amount of commercial and retail space.

Sports, Fitness & Recreation

Brighton-Le-Sands attract many young and single residents to the suburb with its beach culture and entertainment/recreational lifestyle. Development of the foreshore has seen numerous walking and jogging tracks and the beach is ideal for families due to its gentle swimming waters.

It is also known for its large Greek-Australian community which is reflected in  many of the businesses and was the centre of celebrations after Greece won the Euro 2004 Soccer Cup and during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics.

Distance from CBD & Transportation

Located in southern Sydney, Brighton-Le-Sands is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, on the western shore of Botany Bay.

The area is serviced by Sydney Buses on Routes 303 and X03 and runs from Sans Souci to the Sydney CBD via Brighton-Le Sands and Mascot. Route 478 runs from Miranda to Rockdale railway station via Ramsgate and Brighton-Le-Sands Route 479 runs from Rockdale Plaza via Rockdale railway station to Kyeemagh and Brighton-Le-Sands.

 Restaurants & Cafes

A popular location for multicultural cuisine and night-time entertainment, there are many cafés and restaurants located along The Grand Parade and Bay Street, covering many types of cuisine including Australian, Greek, French, European, Italian, Thai and Japanese. Take-away food shops are also abundant, particularly for seafood, chicken, cakes, gelato and Greek food.

 Dubbed 'Little Greece by the Bay’ for its many Greek cafés, restaurants and businesses, it is well on its way to achieving the recognition of other Sydney beachside tourist destinations such as Bondi, Cronulla and Manly.

Schools, Education & Institutions

There are a mixture of private and public schools in the area including Brighton-Le-Sands Public, Rockdale Public, Kyeemagh Infants School, St Thomas Moore, St Dominic Savio and St Joseph’s Primary School.