Sprawling beside the largest cemetery in the Southern Hemisphere, Lidcombe is a vibrant suburb in western Sydney. It was originally known as Haslam’s Creek and was renamed in 1913 in honour of two mayors - Henry John Larcombe and Frederick Lidbury. Lidcombe was settled by a large number of Ukrainians in the post-World War II years and remains a cultural hub for the Ukrainian community today.

Things to do

Spend an afternoon strolling through the Rookwood Cemetery, which is the world’s largest cemetery from the Victorian era that’s still in operation. It encompasses the Sydney War Cemetery where Australian service personnel were buried during World War II, together with British servicemen who died as prisoners of war in Japanese-run camps.

Admire the picturesque St Michael the Archangel Catholic Chapel and the Anglican "All Souls" Chapel, then photograph the whitewashed St Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church. Also within the Rockwood Cemetery are shrines established by Sydney’s Armenian, Ukrainian and Russian communities, together with a poignant Jewish memorial.

In addition to the Rookwood Cemetery, Lidcombe is home to several other heritage-listed sites that include the cottages, dormitories and dining hall of the 19th-century Lidcombe Hospital Precinct. Photograph the Art Deco architecture of the Railway Hotel and the former Lidcombe Post Office, a red-brick building in a Federation Free-style. Also heritage-listed is The Gables, a historically significant residence that is a rare example in the region of a Victorian Gothic mansion.

Getting there

Lidcombe is a 30-minute drive from Sydney’s CBD and the same distance from Sydney Airport. Lidcombe railway station is served by four different train lines while buses connect to the surrounding suburbs. The centre of Lidcombe is compact enough to explore on foot.