Elizabeth Bay is a harbourside

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 separ ...

in eastern

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 Mounta ...

, 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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Elizabeth Bay is located three kilometres east of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main 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 city centre is often referr ...

and is part of 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

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

. The suburb of Elizabeth Bay takes its name from the

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane Cove and Parramatta River, Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or harbor, natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. T ...

. Macleay Point separates Elizabeth Bay from Rushcutters Bay. The suburb of Elizabeth Bay is surrounded by the suburbs of

Rushcutters Bay Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. The suburb of Rushcutters Bay ...

and

Potts Point Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Pott ...

. Kings Cross is a locality on the south-western border and Garden Island is a locality, to the north.

History

Elizabeth Bay was named in honour of Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife, Elizabeth. The suburb of Elizabeth Bay is on the unceded Country of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Elizabeth Bay is one of the places around Sydney Harbour that has been officially gazetted as a dual named site by the Geographical Names Board (GNB). The official dual name for this place is 'Elizabeth Bay / Gurrajin'. Nearby officially assigned dual names are 'Elizabeth Point / Jerrowan' and 'Macleay Point / Yurrandubbee'. The GNB dual naming policy applies to already named geographical features or cultural sites. Dual naming means that the original Aboriginal place name has been officially reassigned by the Geographical Names Board, and is recognised along with its more recent European place name. An earlier source claims this area was originally known by the Aboriginal name 'Yarrandabby' and what is now Macleay Point was 'Jerrewon'.

Alexander Macleay Alexander Macleay (also spelt McLeay) MLC FLS FRS (24 June 1767 – 18 July 1848) was a leading member of the Linnean Society, a fellow of the Royal Society and member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Life Macleay was born on Ros ...

(1767–1848), the Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, was granted here in 1828. He commissioned architect

John Verge John Verge (1782–1861) was an English architect, builder, pioneer settler in the Colony of New South Wales, who migrated to Australia and pursued his career there. Verge was one of the earliest and the most important architect of the Greek R ...

(1788–1861) to build

Elizabeth Bay House Elizabeth Bay House is a heritage-listed Colonial Regency style house and now a museum and grotto, located at 7 Onslow Avenue in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Elizabeth Bay in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales ...

, a Regency style home that was completed in 1837.

Early Subdivision Plans

File:Macleay Estate - Elizabeth Bay - Elizabeth Bay, Macley St, Ithaca Rd, Onslow Lane.jpg, Macleay Estate - Elizabeth Bay - Elizabeth Bay, Macley St, Ithaca Rd, Onslow Lane File:Macleay's Estate - Elizabeth Bay - Onslow Ln, Billyard Ln, Ithaca Rd, Macleay St, Elizabeth Bay Rd, 1882.jpg, Macleay's Estate - Elizabeth Bay - Onslow Ln, Billyard Ln, Ithaca Rd, Macleay St, Elizabeth Bay Rd, 1882 File:Elizabeth Bay - Elizabeth Bay Rd, Rushcutters Bay Rd, 1886.jpg, Elizabeth Bay - Elizabeth Bay Rd, Rushcutters Bay Rd, 1886 File:Elizabeth Bay - Birtley Estate - Elizabeth Bay Rd, Birtley Pl, 1927.jpg, Elizabeth Bay - Birtley Estate - Elizabeth Bay Rd, Birtley Pl, 1927 File:Water Frontages- Elizabeth Bay - Rockley House & Grounds - Elizabeth Bay Rd, 1927.jpg, Water Frontages- Elizabeth Bay - Rockley House & Grounds - Elizabeth Bay Rd, 1927 File:Elizabeth Bay House Estate - Billyard Ave, Wylde St, Onslow Ave, Victoria St, Woolcott St, Darlinghurst Rd, 1934.jpg, Elizabeth Bay House Estate - Billyard Ave, Wylde St, Onslow Ave, Victoria St, Woolcott St, Darlinghurst Rd, 1934

Heritage listings

Elizabeth Bay has many heritage-listed sites, including the following listed on the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

: * 18-18a Billyard Avenue: '' Edgerley'' * 42 Billyard Avenue: ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

'' * 97 Elizabeth Bay Road: '' Tresco'' * 102 Elizabeth Bay Road: '' Ashton'' * 7 Onslow Avenue and 14-16 (the northern boundary of) Onslow Avenue:

Ashton

''Ashton'', located at the bottom of Elizabeth Bay Road, was designed by Thomas Rowe in the Victorian Italianate style and built . It was originally part of a group of villas built for well-off clients who included Thomas Rowe, John Grafton Ross, Charles Henry Hoskins and Sir Cecil Harold Hoskins. In more recent years, the character of the area was changed radically by the building of blocks of flats, but ''Ashton'' survived as one of the few original buildings in the area.

Boomerang

''Boomerang'' is perhaps the best surviving suburban estate of its period on the harbour foreshores. It was designed by Neville Hampson in 1926 for Frank Albert, a music publisher. This Hollywood Spanish Mission style dwelling and flats are of stuccoed brick with vaguely classical windows and decoration, under a terracotta hipped roof. The exterior colour is dull brown. The interior maintains the theatrical air with rooms decorated in different styles from various historical eras. The gardens, which have significantly matured, are an amalgamation of palm trees, shrubs and fountains with tennis court and boathouse. A private residence, it sold for A$20.7 million in 2005 to Lindsay Fox. It has been used as a backdrop for Hollywood films, including '' Mission: Impossible 2'', and is heritage-listed.

Elizabeth Bay House

Elizabeth Bay House is a historic house managed by the Historic Houses Trust, located in Onslow Avenue with views across Sydney Harbour. It was designed by

in the

Regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

style and is listed on the (now defunct)

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Herita ...

. The adjacent

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high t ...

is also listed on New South Wales Heritage Register.

Tresco

Across the road from ''Ashton'' is '' Tresco'', a two-storey home designed by Thomas Rowe and built in 1868. It was constructed by Italian stonemasons who were brought to Australia by the Joubert brothers, who were prominent in the early settlement of Hunters Hill. In 1913 it became the official residence of the Flag Officer in Charge, Royal Australian Navy, Eastern Australia.The Heritage of Australia, p.2/81. .

Population

According to the 2021 census, there were 4,878 living in Elizabeth Bay. At the , there were 5,215 residents in Elizabeth Bay. 51.9% of people were born in Australia, with the top other countries of birth being England (6.1%), New Zealand (4.0%), United States of America (2.0%), Italy (1.6%), and France (1.6%). 69.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included French (2.5%) and Spanish (2.4%). The most common responses for religion were No Religion (43.9%) and Catholic (18.0%). The majority of dwellings in Elizabeth Bay were units or apartments (98.6%) and there were only 12 separate houses in the suburb. 60.3% of residents were renting their home and only 19.9% owned their home outright. The median weekly household income was $1,989 compared to the national median of $1,438. In 2011, 31.5% of residents travelled to work by public transport, 25.3% walked to work, and 22.5% travelled by car.

References

External links

Guide to Elizabeth Bay House including biography of Verge
* {{Sydney City of Sydney suburbs Suburbs of Sydney Bays of New South Wales