The Region

The 11 councils that make up the SSROC Region are responsible for 1.7 million people, of whom, more than 25% are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Our member councils employ over 8000 staff who provide services such as maintenance and construction of roads, footpaths and drains, libraries, community development, planning, waste management, resource recovery and environmental services.

SSROC region Community Profile

The People

1.7 million people live in the 604 sq km that make up the SSROC region. The region includes the three most densely populated areas in Australia (Australia Year Book 2008). The population of the region is around a third of the population of Sydney and 6% of the population of Australia.
The SSROC Community Profile provides detailed information about who the SSROC community is, how we live, where we live and where we come from, and what we do. The data on which the studies are based is taken from the ABS Census 2016, and shows trends over time with some tables going back as far as 1991.
The SSROC Profile provides information about the region as a whole and individual councils within the region.

The Land

The land covered by the SSROC region extends from the southern shores of Sydney Harbour to the edge of the Royal National Park in the South, and from the Tasman Sea in the east halfway to Parramatta in the west.
The region is rich with waterways, coastal zones, natural features, and heritage items that are protected and enhanced, including:
  • Botany Bay
  • Royal National Park
  • Significant wetlands
  • Cooks, Georges, Hacking and Woronora Rivers, and the Sydney Harbour foreshore areas

The Infrastructure

The region is host to major employers and contains two of Australia’s most important economic gateways: Sydney Airport and Port Botany. It is also the site of other infrastructure, which plays a major role on a metropolitan, state and country-wide scale, such as:
  • The Sydney central business district
  • Major regional centres including Sutherland, Bondi Junction and Hurstville
  • Vital transport corridors providing links to the Port and Airport
  • Major petrochemical industries
  • The nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights
  • The Universities of Sydney, New South Wales and the University of Technology, Sydney
  • Major hospitals including the Prince of Wales, Royal Prince Alfred and St Vincents.
The SSROC region contains much of the land used by the CityRail train and light rail network and is impacted on by buses and ferries.
Iconic infrastructure in the region includes the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Anzac Bridge.