Balmain East is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

in the

Inner West The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Balmain East is located three kilometres west of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

, in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

of the

Inner West Council Inner West Council is a local government area located in the inner western region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council makes up the eastern part of this wider region, and was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger o ...

. Situated on the eastern end of the Balmain peninsula in

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

, Balmain East shares a boundary with the suburb of Balmain to the west. The postcode 2041 covers the suburbs of Balmain, Balmain East and Birchgrove.

History and culture

The area now known as Balmain East was part of a 550-acre (2.2 km²) grant to colonial

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

Dr.

William Balmain William Balmain (2 February 1762 – 17 November 1803) was a Scottish-born naval surgeon and civil administrator who sailed as an assistant surgeon with the First Fleet to establish the first European settlement in Australia, and later to take up ...

(1762–1803) made in 1800 by Governor John Hunter. Balmain was first settled in 1836 and by 1861 had been divided into the well populated eastern areas of Balmain and the sparsely populated western area, extending to the gates of Callan Park. The small peninsula that jutted out from the main Balmain Peninsula, along which the main artery road

Darling Street Darling Street is a 3.1 kilometre street in Sydney, Australia running from Victoria Road to Balmain East ferry wharf. It is the main thoroughfare and high street of the suburbs of Rozelle Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, ...

ran, was known to locals for decades as either "East Balmain" or "The East End" and generally encompassed the area east of Hart St and Balmain Bowling Club. This dividing boundary was originally a natural swamp that was reclaimed early the early 19th century. Whilst the area was almost always referred to as East Balmain by locals, it was still generally regarded as just a name for the eastern peninsula of the suburb, in a similar way in that Birchgrove was the name given to the area of Balmain that encompassed Snails Bay (refer to the history of Birchgrove for more details on its name). The Balmain markets showcases elements of the suburbs past, with antiques and second hand books, whilst also highlighting the area as a cultural hub in the region. Held weekly on Darling Street, the markets operate between 8:30am and 4pm.

Heritage listings

Balmain East has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 2-8 Weston Street:

Fenwick & Co Boat Store Fenwick & Co Boat Store is a heritage-listed former shipwright's yard at 2-8 Weston Street, Balmain East, New South Wales, Balmain East, Inner West Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1875 to 1885. It is also known as ...

* 10-20 Weston Street: Iloura Reserve

Transport

Balmain East ferry wharf Balmain East ferry wharf (also known as Darling Street ferry wharf) is located on Sydney Harbour serving the Sydney suburb of Balmain East. History The Balmain East ferry wharf has been operating since the 1840s as Balmain's main wharf. Origi ...

, upgraded in 2015, provides access to the

Cross Harbour ferry services The Cross Harbour ferry service, officially known as F4 Cross Harbour, was a commuter ferry service in Sydney, New South Wales. Part of the Sydney Ferries network, it was operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries and serviced the Darling Harbour, ...

, with

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

services to

Barangaroo Barangaroo was the second wife of Bennelong, who was interlocutor between the Aboriginal people and the early British colonists in New South Wales. Barangaroo was a member of the Cammeraygal clan. While Bennelong spent considerable time in th ...

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...

, and

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. Origin ...

. There are two bus services that leave from Balmain East, the 442, which is a service from Balmain East to the Queen Victoria Building and the 445, which is a service that terminates at Campsie, and runs through the suburbs of Balmain, Rozelle, Leichhardt, Petersham and Campsie via Leichhardt Marketplace.

Schools

* Nicholson Street Public School

Demographics

According to the 2016 census, there were 1,932 residents in Balmain East. 63.5% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 8.9%. 79.8% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religious affiliation were No Religion 40.7%,

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

22.5% and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

13.2%. Balmain East's population is typically wealthier than the average, with a median weekly household income of $2,485, compared with $1,438 in Australia. The most common types of occupation for employed persons were Professionals (44.2%), Managers (24.3%), and Clerical and Administrative Workers (10.0%). 65.2% of the suburb's occupied private dwellings were family households and 31.1% were lone person households.

References

External links

Local Images at InnerWest ImageBank

Local History Collection, Leichhardt Council
{{Authority control Suburbs of Sydney Inner West Council