Wollstonecraft (, ) 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 ...

on the lower North Shore of

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 ...

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 ...

, 4 kilometres north 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 ...

, 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 ...

North Sydney Council North Sydney Council is a local government area on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, established on 29 July 1890 through the amalgamation of three boroughs. The area is bounded by Willoughby to the north and north-w ...

History

Wollstonecraft was named after

Edward Wollstonecraft Edward Wollstonecraft (, ; 1783 7 December 1832) was a successful businessman in early colonial Australia, settling in what is now Sydney. He was the nephew of the early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and cousin to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, t ...

, the first settler to receive a land grant of in the area, in 1821. Wollstonecraft left England to seek fortune for himself and his sister Elizabeth and to escape the notoriety of his aunt,

Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...

, author of the book ''

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman ''A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects'' (1792), written by British philosopher and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), is one of the earliest works of feminist philosop ...

''. Edward Wollstonecraft's business associate, Alexander Berry, was another prominent resident in the area, and namesake of Berry Island, a harbour-side location in Wollstonecraft. The suburb is rich in its architectural history with a mixture of stately Victorian and

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...

houses. The area is part of the traditional lands of the

Cammeraygal The Cammeraygal, variously spelled as Cam-mer-ray-gal, Gamaraigal, Kameraigal, Cameragal and several other variations, are one clan of the 29 Darug tribes who are united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and survived as skilled hunt ...

people of the Eora nation. As of 2019 Wollstonecraft is ranked as the 6th most liveable suburb in Sydney out of the 569 on Domain.

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 8,323 people in Wollstonecraft. 55.7% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 6.3%, China 3.9%, New Zealand 2.7%, Hong Kong 2.0% and India 1.9%. 69.3% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin 4.1%, Cantonese 3.9%, Spanish 1.7% and Japanese 1.5%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 39.2%, Catholic 21.3%, and Anglican 11.3%.

Natural Reserves and Parks

* Badangi Reserve – Badangi Reserve is a small protected reserve with one main path connecting adjacent Berry Island and Wondakiah up to Bridge End road near the trainline * Berry Island – The most well known park in the suburb which has a large open grass strip next to the harbour and a loop bush track with a lookout overlooking the inner harbour as well as Indigenous rock engravings further along the trail. * Gore Cove Reserve – Long waterside bush trail up Berry's creek from Berry Island up to Smoothey park and

Wollstonecraft railway station Wollstonecraft railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Wollstonecraft. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. History Wollstonecraft station opened on 1 May 1893 when the North S ...

. * Brennan Park – Popular park next to Waverton and the train line with a large playground and open space. * Smoothey Park * Oyster Cove Reserve * Harry Howard Reserve

Transport

is on the

North Shore & Western Line The North Shore & Western Line (numbered T1, coloured orange) is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves the North Shore, parts of the Inner West and Western Suburbs. It was previo ...

of the

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...

network. Image:Brennan Park Wollstonecraft Sydney Australia 1.jpg, Brennan Park Image:Brennan Park Wollstonecraft Sydney Australia 3.jpg, View over Brennan Park

Notable residents

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

, former

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princip ...

References

External links

{{Sydney North Sydney suburbs Wollstonecraft