Handle every removable part as irreplaceable, because St George hobs from the 1980s and 1990s largely predate current parts catalogues. Lift rather than lever, photograph the layout, and soak the enamelled parts flat in a non-caustic degreaser.
St George hobs of the same vintage as its wall ovens are still in service in older Sydney homes, and the constraint on cleaning one is availability rather than technique.
Work out which era you are looking at
A St George hob has frequently lost its badge entirely, and the era matters more than the name, because these span from simple 1980s gas through to later units built after the brand changed hands.
The older ones are identifiable from the fittings rather than the label: simple mechanical gas taps with no electronic ignition module, heavy enamelled steel rather than stainless, and burner crowns seated in a shallow recess rather than on a raised mount. A St George of that description predates most parts catalogues, so every removable piece should be treated as one you will not be able to replace.
Later units are more conventional and more serviceable. If your St George has electronic ignition and a stainless surface, the usual rules apply and you can be less precious about it.
The method is standard, the handling is not
Lift the trivets, caps and crowns off cold, soak the enamelled parts flat for an hour in hot water with a non-caustic degreaser, work them with a stiff nylon brush rather than wire, clear ports with a wooden toothpick rather than metal, and dry cast iron by hand immediately. Our cooktop cleaning guide covers the detail.
What changes is the tolerance for error, not the sequence.
Surviving units are usually gas
Most St George hobs still working are gas with enamelled trivets, from the period before ceramic became standard in Australian kitchens. If yours is an early ceramic surface it is worth knowing that the glass on those is not the toughened material used today and is worth treating gently.
Identifying a St George that has lost its badge
On a hob this age the brand badge has frequently worn away entirely, and owners genuinely do not know what they have. It matters, because the advice on this page differs sharply from the advice for a current appliance.
The rating plate is the answer where it survives, usually on the underside of the hob. Where it does not, the era is identifiable from the fittings: simple mechanical gas taps with no electronic ignition module, heavy enamelled steel rather than stainless, and burner crowns that sit in a shallow recess rather than on a raised mount.
If that describes your St George, treat every part as irreplaceable regardless of what the badge says or does not say.
Photograph before, not after
Whichever era it is, photograph the hob from directly above before a single piece comes off. On a St George the caps and crowns are frequently sized per burner with very little visual difference between them, and there is no diagram anywhere to consult afterwards.
A St George reassembled from memory is how a burner that worked perfectly for thirty years stops holding a simmer.
What actually goes wrong
A cracked cap or trivet, with nothing to replace it.
Parts forced back wrong, because nothing was photographed.
Rusted cast iron, dried by air.
A bent ignition electrode, knocked with a cloth, which on this brand may not be replaceable either.
Should you do it yourself?
Do it yourself, carefully, stopping rather than forcing.
Get someone in if the hob base has decades on it, or alongside the St George oven, which is usually the same age and in the same state.