Rockdale is located 13 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area.

The name for the district gained more credence when the local railway station on the new Illawarra rail line, opened on 15 October 1884, was also given the name Rockdale.

[2] A council chambers for the West Botany Municipality was built in 1872 on Rocky Point Road, Arncliffe and was used until 1888 when a new building was erected on the site of the present Rockdale Town Hall,[2] which was then demolished and rebuilt in 1940.

The Geeves family, including eldest son Frederick lived on the corner of today's Princes Highway and Tramway Arcade.

The main shopping strip runs along the Princes Highway, on the eastern side of Rockdale railway station.

Rockdale Plaza is shopping centre located on Princes Highway in the southern part of the suburb.

[9] Rockdale Town Hall and the St George Tavern are examples of some of the Art Deco architecture in the area.

The most common responses for religious affiliation were No Religion (21.0%), Hinduism (18.2%), Catholic (16.4%), Islam (10.6%) and Eastern Orthodox (9.9%).

The line connected with the trains at Rockdale station, then passed down Bay Street to Brighton-Le-Sands.