page_title: City of Rockdale
section_title: West Botany
hierarchical_section_title: City of Rockdale / History / West Botany
caption_attribution_description: English: The first Rockdale Town Hall on the corner of Rocky Point Road and Bryant Street, c. 1890. Was demolished in 1939-1940 to make way for a new Town Hall.
context_page_description: The City of Rockdale was a local government area in southern and St George regions of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The city centre was located 12 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the western shores of Botany Bay. First proclaimed on 13 January 1871, Rockdale was formerly known as the Municipality of West Botany until 1887 and the Municipality of Rockdale before being proclaimed as a City in 1995. Rockdale was amalgamated with the neighbouring City of Botany Bay on 9 September 2016 to form the new municipality of Bayside Council.
  The last Mayor of the City of Rockdale at amalgamation was Cr. Bill Saravinovski, a member of the Labor Party.
context_section_description: The City of Rockdale was originally proclaimed as the "Municipal District of West Botany" on 13 January 1871 and covered 23 square kilometres (9 sq mi) with two Wards, West Botany Ward and Arncliffe Ward. The proclamation followed a petition signed by 85 residents calling for incorporation that was published in the Government Gazette on 22 August 1870. The first election was held on 8 February 1871 at the Tempe Family Hotel on Rocky Point Road. The Mayor of Marrickville, Charles St Julian, was appointed Returning Officer for the first election of six aldermen and two auditors, which was declared on 14 February 1871: 
    
  On 28 February 1871, Frederick Keene was appointed the first Clerk. Thomas Willmot was appointed Clerk on 13 August 1872. Thomas Leeder was appointed Clerk on 7 August 1877. Percival Somerville was appointed Clerk on 23 March 1905. On 17 December 1886, West Botany Ward was split in two, adding Rockdale Ward and Scarborough Ward and bringing the number of Aldermen from six to nine. Among the main developers during this period was Frederick Jamison Gibbes, a member of parliament whose name is perpetuated by Gibbes Street in Banksia. From 1872, Council met in the first Council Chambers, a small purpose-built stone building on the western side of Rocky Point Road, Arncliffe built by Christopher Bush of St Peters. It continued in use until 11 December 1888, when a new Town Hall was opened by the Mayor, William George Judd, on the corner of Rocky Point Road and Bryant Street, Rockdale. The old Council Chambers building was eventually sold in 1904.
caption: The first Rockdale Town Hall (1888) on the corner of Rocky Point Road and Bryant Street, Rockdale, c. 1890, was demolished in 1940 to make way for the new Town Hall.
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