Waterloo took its name from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when Allied and Prussian forces under the Duke of Wellington and Blücher defeated the French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte. In the 1820s Waterloo began supporting industrial operations including the Fisher and Duncan Paper Mill and the Waterloo Flour Mills owned by William Hutchinson and Daniel Cooper. William Hutchinson, superintendent of convicts and public works, had been granted of land in 1823. He sold Waterloo Farm to Daniel Cooper and Solomon Levey. Cooper later bought out Levey's share and on his death the Waterloo Estate passed onto his nephew, also named Daniel Cooper, who was the first speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. In 1974, the Builders Labourers Federation placed a green ban against the construction of demolition of low-income housing to make way for new apartments.
Location
Waterloo is historically a working class region. Since early 2000s, the region has undergone some degree of gentrification with a rising business district focusing on technology-oriented firms and the development of more green space such as parks. By 2006, median individual income in Waterloo was slightly higher than the Australian average. The suburb maintains numerous public housing apartments. Waterloo is also a popular suburb to live for Sydney's large gay and lesbian population due to its closeness to nearby suburbs of Surry Hills and Darlinghurst. The Waterloo Urban Conservation Area is a residential area of predominantly 19th century terrace and cottage housing. New development and redevelopment in this area is encouraged to be sympathetic to the existing heritage style. Green Square is a district in the south and east of the suburb including the suburbs of Waterloo and Zetland that is being redeveloped. It involves an urban renewal program which has seen many industrial buildings redeveloped or replaced by new residential and commercial developments. The area adjacent to South Dowling Street contains many high rise apartment buildings with retail space at ground level. In January 2019, the government released a redevelopment masterplan of the Waterloo social housing estate. The Government's plan outlines a 20-year vision for the area, which is about 4 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. It will include building 6800 new homes and will comprise 6 high-rise buildings of 33 to 40 storeys.
Transport
Waterloo is serviced by State Transit routes to the Sydney CBD. Green Square station, on the Airport line of the Sydney Trains network, is located in the south-west corner of the suburb. Redfern railway station is located close to the north-west corner of the suburb. The to Sydney Metro City & Southwest line is currently under construction and will include a station and major interchange at the west side of Waterloo, due to open in 2024. There will also be large commercial and residential redevelopment to service the new metro.
Churches
Waterloo hosts the city campus of Hillsong Church. Other churches include Grace City Anglican Church, Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Waterloo Congregational Church, South Sydney Uniting Church and Waterloo Salvation Army.
35.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were China 13.7%, England 4.2%, New Zealand 2.6%, South Korea 2.0% and United States of America 1.6%.
47.5% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 12.7%, Russian 3.3%, Cantonese 3.2%, Spanish 2.0% and Korean 2.0%.
The largest religions were Catholicism, Anglicanism and Buddhism. Furthermore, 41.6% of the population marked no religion, well above the national average.
89.7% of residences were units, well above the rest of Australia. Furthermore, 70.8% of dwellings were rented, compared to 30.9% in Australia as a whole.
Recreation
The Waterloo Skate Park, is a modern skate park and the first of its kind to copy the urban streetscape layout of popular skate spots like Martin Place and Cathedral Square in Sydney. The park is located next to Waterloo Oval and the Weave Youth Services building on Elizabeth Street.
