Dawes Point is a suburb of the
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney is the Local government in Australia, local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament ...
, in the state of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Dawes Point is located on the north-western edge 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 ...
, at the southern end of
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
, adjacent to
The Rocks. Historically, Dawes Point (including Walsh Bay) has been considered to be part of the suburb of Millers Point and the name change is controversial (https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/millers_point).
History
The suburb of Dawes Point is on Gadigal Country. The point was originally known by the Aboriginal names of Tar-ra and Tullagalla. This was later changed by Governor Hunter at William Dawes' request to Point Maskelyne in honour of his patron
Reverend Dr Nevil Maskelyne, British
Astronomer Royal
Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the astronomer royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the astronomer royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The Astro ...
. He sent out the first astronomical instruments which were established at the point in the country's first observatory, by
Lieutenant William Dawes (1762–1836),
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
with the
First Fleet
The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...
. The point was renamed in honour of Dawes. Dawes Point is one of the places around Sydney Harbour that has been officially gazetted as a dual named site by the NSW Geographical Names Board. It was officially gazetted Dawes Point / Tar-Ra in 2002.
It was also the site of the first guns mounted in Sydney by Dawes in 1788, contained Sydney's first cemetery and later
Dawes Point Battery
The Dawes Point Battery remains is a heritage-listed former artillery fortification and now visitor attraction located adjacent to the southern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Hickson Road in inner city Sydney, on the boundary between Daw ...
.
Walsh Bay was the site of Sydney's port facilities. The wharves were converted to apartments, theatres, restaurants, cafes and a hotel.

By the 1840s, the people of Dawes Point and Millers Point were a maritime community in which rich and poor mixed more than elsewhere in Sydney. Wharf owners and traders lived and worked beside those who worked on the wharves and bond stores, as well as those who arrived and left on ships. Only two of the merchant houses, built by and for the early wharf owners, survive. One is Walker's 50-foot wide villa built around 1825 and now part of Milton Terrace at 7-9 Lower Fort Street; the other is the home and offices of Edwards and Hunter, built in 1833 above their wharves which is where the Wharf Theatre now stands.
Mostly prosperous in its early years, the area was less desirable by the 1890s. At the beginning of the 20th century, the government compulsorily acquired all private wharves, homes and commercial properties in the Rocks, Dawes Point and Millers Point. Modern and efficient wharves with dual level access were built, as well as new accommodation for workers, such as the Workers Flats of Lower Fort Street designed by Government Architect Vernon. During 2014–18, the majority of the area's social housing was sold and its tenants left the Millers Point area.
Heritage listings
Dawes Point has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* 37 Lower Fort Street:
Dawesleigh
* Bradfield Highway and North Shore railway:
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...
* 8–12 Trinity Avenue:
Darling House c. 1833–1842
*1–19 Lower Fort Street:
Milton Terrace
*
21–23 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point: Nicholson's Cottages
*25–33 Lower Fort Street: Linsley Terrace
*35 Lower Fort Street: Major House
*39–41 Lower Fort Street: John Verge Townhouses
*43 Lower Fort Street: Bligh House (Clydebank)
*47–53 Lower Fort Street: Palermo Terrace
*57–61 Lower Fort Street: Flavelle Terrace
*63–65 Lower Fort Street
*69–73 Lower Fort Street
*75–77 Lower Fort Street
*79 Lower Fort Street
*81 Lower Fort Street, The Hero of Waterloo Hotel
Population
At the
2021 census, the population of Dawes Point had increased to 385. 56.9% of people were born in Australia and 76.4% of people only spoke English at home. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 45.7%.
Median mortgage payments were $3,467 a month.
[
In the 2016 census, there were 357 people in Dawes Point. 63.8% of people were born in Australia and 76.2% of people only spoke English at home. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 39.9%.]
Median mortgage repayments were $5,200 a month or $62,400 a year, the highest median mortgage repayment in the greater Sydney area.
Culture
The Sydney Theatre and The Wharf Theatre, which are part of the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...
, are located in Dawes Point.
Gallery
Image:TheWharf.jpg, The Sydney Theatre and The Wharf Theatre, which are part of the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...
, are located in Dawes Point
File:Walsh Bay pier 1a.JPG, Pier One on Walsh Bay
File:Walsh Bay ferry wharf2.JPG, Walsh Bay ferry wharf
File:Cahill expressway from bridge.jpg, Southern approach of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Dawes Point to the right.
File:Terraces, 2-34 Pottinger Street, Dawes Point, New South Wales (2011-11-01) 01.jpg, Terraces, Pottinger Street (c. 2007)
File:Terraces, 2-34 Pottinger Street, Dawes Point, New South Wales (2011-11-01) 03.jpg, Terraces, Pottinger Street (c. 2007)
File:The Sydney Opera House from Dawes Point.jpg, The Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
seen from Dawes Point
File:Harbour Bridge looking South (14039660121).jpg, Aerial view of Dawes point in the 1930s
References
External links
* {{cite web , url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/place/dawes_point , title=Dawes Point , access-date=26 September 2015 , author=Fitzgerald, Shirley , date=2008 , work= Dictionary of Sydney Creative Commons license">CC:Suburbs of Sydney