Aboriginal people from the Cabragal clan, a sub-group of the Darug nation, have lived in the Fairfield area for over 30,000 years.

Canley Vale was once a woodland area and was originally part of the Male Orphan School Estate.

In the 1800s, Sir Henry Parkes (1815–96) settled in the district in a mansion which he built near the railway line between Fairfield and Cabramatta.

The most common countries of birth were Vietnam 31.3%, Cambodia 6.0%, China (excludes the special administrative regions (SARs) and Taiwan) 4.5%, Iraq 3.7% and Philippines 1.4%.

The Cabravale Leisure Centre is located close to the railway station in Broomfield Street, but is technically in the adjacent suburb of Cabramatta.