The area experienced the process of gentrification[2] and is subject to extensive redevelopment plans by the state government, to increase the population and reduce the concentration of poverty in the suburb and neighbouring Waterloo (see Redfern-Eveleigh-Darlington).

The suburb is named after surgeon William Redfern, who was granted 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land in this area in 1817 by Lachlan Macquarie.

In the 1960s and 70s, Liquidambar styraciflua trees were planted in Baptist Street in attempts to green and improve the physical environment.

It became the scene of many industrial disputes when the automatic mail-sorting machinery, which was supposed to sort mail more efficiently, destroyed many letters and became known as the Redfern Mangler.

The police closed the Eveleigh Street entrance to the railway station, but youths in the crowd became violent, throwing bricks and bottles; this escalated into a riot.

The riots sparked fresh debate into the welfare of Indigenous Australians and the response of the police to those living in the Redfern area.

Redfern has many examples of Victorian terraced housing similar to other inner suburbs, such as Surry Hills and Paddington.

Also, like some other inner-city suburbs, some parts of Redfern have been gentrified, whilst still retaining a large public housing estate shared with Waterloo, consisting of flats, terrace houses and high rise apartment blocks, developing a similar reputation to the former block on the other side of the suburb.

The most common countries of birth were England 4.8%, China 4.3%, New Zealand 3.0%, United States of America 1.4% and India 1.4%.

65.0% of the population only spoke English at home, with the most important other languages being Mandarin (3.6%), Spanish (2.9%), Cantonese (2.1%), Greek (1.5%) and Russian (1.4%).

[citation needed] In the late 19th century, local businessmen George Dan in 1890, Stanton and Aziz Melick in 1888 and Shafiqah Shasha and Anthony and Simon Coorey in the 1890s were from Lebanon.

'The Block' is an area in the immediate vicinity of Redfern station bounded by Eveleigh, Caroline, Louis and Vine Streets.

The picture has local sports stars such as Richard Bell, Bruce Swanson, Rossie Symmans, Nicholas Murray, Nathan Denzil, Jamie Sharpe, Lisa Mundine and Margaret Sutherland.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL club was formed at the Redfern Town Hall on 17 January 1908.

[citation needed] Nikita Ridgeway established Australia's first indigenous hip-hop record label with her brother Stephen.

[32] On 25 January 1930, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the City Commissioners and the Main Roads Board agreed to progressively widen Cleveland Street between the Princes Highway and St Paul's Place, and between St Paul's Place and Chalmers Street.

City of Sydney archive photos depict the road before [35] and after,[36] however it is unclear whether the metadata specifies a date of 1939 or 1933.

Towards the south-east a Shell Service Station and the Camden Vale Milk Co Ltd building is visible in these photos and described in the captions.

"[40] Between 1993 and 1995, Archibald prize winning artist Nicholas Harding created the painting titled "St Paul's Place, Redfern".

[47] The Redfern Estate Heritage Conservation Area page on the Department of Planning and Environment website in 2021 stated that recommended management included "Interpret original subdivision of Redfern Estate, and St Pauls Place" under "Protection of Significance", and "Interpret St. Pauls Place" under "Enhance Significance of Area".