Call me ‘Little Portugal’: Petersham officially renamed

Forevermore, the centre of Petersham will be named ‘Little Portugal’, marked by a celebration at Petersham Town Hall.

Celebration at Petersham Town Hall for the official renaming of central Petersham to ‘Little Portugal’.

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The descendants of Portuguese migrants will now call central Petersham Little Portugal after it was officially renamed.

The Geographic Names Board signed off on renaming the precinct covering Audley St (about 650m), New Canterbury Rd between Audley St and Hunter St (about 350m), and the junction at Audley St and Trafalgar St, to highlight its migrant heritage.

All that’s left is for the Inner West council to erect a standard street sign to mark the area.

To celebrate, the council held a reception last night for Petersham residents, businesses and representatives of the Portuguese community at Petersham Town Hall.

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne spent last night at Petersham Town Hall with local representatives and businesses to celebrate the official name change.

On twitter Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne posted a picture with locals holding a Portuguese flag and wrote: “Thank you to the generations of Portuguese migrants who have made this place so special and shown that multiculturalism works”.

“Portugal has deep roots in the inner west. We’re proud to be officially recognising that with the naming of the Little Portugal precinct in Petersham,” he said.

Little Portugal encompasses the main Portuguese foodie hub in Petersham with eateries like Gloria’s Cafe and Restaurant, Silvas, Frangos chicken and Sweet Belem Cake Boutique all covered by this region.

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