Kirribilli is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

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 ...

. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north 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 ...

, 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

administered by North Sydney Council. Kirribilli is a harbourside suburb, sitting on the Lower North Shore of

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...

Kirribilli House Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the prime minister of Australia. Located in the Northern Sydney suburb of , New South Wales, the cottage and its associated grounds are located at the far eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue. ...

is one of the two official residences of the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

History

The name Kirribilli is derived from an Aboriginal word ''Kiarabilli'', which means 'good fishing spot'. Another theory suggests that Kirribilli is an adaptation of 'Carabella', the name given by early colonist

James Milson James Milson (25 November 1783 – 25 October 1872) was an early settler on the North Shore of Sydney, Australia. He was born on 25 November 1783 at Grantham, Lincolnshire, England and died at the age of 88 on 25 October 1872 at Milsons Point ...

to his first house. The suburb initially formed in the vicinity of

Jeffrey Street ''Jeffrey Street'' or ''Jeffreys Street'' is a street located in Kirribilli, famous for being one of the most popular vantage points for views of the city skyline of Sydney, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. The street is lo ...

and was subsequently part of a grant to

, after whom Milsons Point was named. The area was largely covered in native bush. As the decades passed, the land was cleared bit by bit and sub-divided, first for the construction of large family residences during the 1840s, secondly for the erection of Victorian terrace houses from the 1860s onwards, and finally for 20th-Century flats. Prominent early landowners in Kirribilli included members of the Campbell, Jeffrey and Gibbes families. Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787–1873), the Collector of

Customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

for New South Wales, built 'Wotonga' - the forerunner of Admiralty House - in 1842–43 on a site which he leased, and then purchased, from the Campbells. Gibbes' son, William John Gibbes, lived nearby in Beulah House during the 1840s. Beulah was later lived in by the Riley and Lasseter families. Eventually, the house was demolished and its grounds subdivided into numerous residential blocks which were put up for public auction in 1905. Although Kirribilli is a predominantly residential area today, from 1890 to 1921, the Pastoral Finance Association had a large wool warehouse, meat cold store and wharf, on the foreshore adjacent to Admiralty House. The seven-storey building was destroyed by fire in December 1921, along with 30,000 bales of wool. Its engine room, which survived the fire, supplied electricity to customers on the north side of the harbour, until around 1922. The land was sold off in 19 allotments, in 1925, and later redeveloped as blocks of apartments. The Kirribilli area opened up further for development with the completion of the

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 ...

in 1932, which linked the municipality of North Sydney directly by road and rail with the CBD of the City of Sydney. Kirribilli experienced significant changes after World War II. In the early 1950s, it saw a growing population and an increase in demand for housing and infrastructure in Sydney's suburbs. Residential development strengthened during its period, with older houses being replaced by modern apartment blocks and townhouses. The development was part of the wider trend of urbanisation in Sydney, where urban dwellers moved into the suburbs for more space.

Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 3,629 people in Kirribilli. 53.7% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 6.3% and China 3.1%. 72.3% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 40.0% and Catholic 21.5%. While the suburb is one of the more densely populated parts of Sydney, as of 2024 it was reported to have a very high number of inactive dwellings.

Landmarks

Kirribilli is one of Australia's older suburbs, with the first land grants in the area being granted by the colonial government during the 1790s. A scattering of Georgian and Gothic-revival houses and mansions were built in the 1830s, '40s and '50s. Most of these have since been razed. Originally, Kirribilli formed part of the Parish of St Leonard's and was served by a private ferry service. In a process which began in the 1860s, the area's old estates were subdivided. New residential streets were laid out and terrace houses, Victorian villas and, later, blocks of apartments erected. During the early decades of the 20th century, Kirribilli's shoreline was dominated by a large, multi-storey brick warehouse which was eventually torn down to make way for housing. The suburb contains

(the official Sydney residence of the

), Admiralty House (the official Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia), and the headquarters and marina of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron located on the former Carabella mansion. The Sydney headquarters of

ASIO ''Asio'' is a genus of typical owls, or true owls, in the family Strigidae. This group has representatives over most of the planet, and the short-eared owl is one of the most widespread of all bird species, breeding in Europe, Asia, North Ameri ...

was formerly at 31 Carabella Street. The Sydney Flying Squadron is located adjoining Milson Park, formerly Kirribilli Park. Admiralty House, originally a private dwelling belonging to Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes, is Kirribilli's oldest extant building, the earliest portions of which date to 1842. Kirribilli House was built next door by Adolphus Frederick Feez, a wealthy merchant, in 1854–55. The following buildings are on the Register of the National Estate: * St Aloysius' College, Upper Pitt Street * St Aloysius' College's junior school (formerly Kirribilli Public School), Burton Street * Loreto Convent (formerly Elamang), Carabella Street * Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, Fitzroy Street * Sunnyside (house and grounds), Holbrook Avenue *

, Kirribilli Avenue * Admiralty House and Lodge, Kirribilli Point Image:Wiki0131.jpg, Karlsruhe, Fitzroy Street Image:Wiki0130.jpg, Craiglea House, Upper Pitt Street Image:Wiki0129.jpg, Burnleigh, Carabella Street Image:Sunnyside, Holbrook Avenue, Kirribilli, New South Wales, Sydney.jpg, Sunnyside, Holbrook Avenue

Transport

Kirribilli supports the northern end of the

. The Warringah Freeway provides a link south to the Sydney CBD and north to Chatswood. Kirribilli is serviced by rail, bus and ferry services. Milsons Point railway station is the closest railway station on the

North Shore railway line The North Shore Line is a railway line serving the North Shore in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The North Shore Line extends from Sydney Central station through the western limb of the City Circle, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and ...

of the

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of Railways in Sydney, suburban and intercity train services in and around Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The metropolitan part of the network is a hybrid urban rail, urban-suburban r ...

network. It is located next to the main shopping streets, and has frequent services to the Sydney CBD and the North Shore.

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia. History The origins of Busw ...

operate regular services from Kirribilli to many parts of northern Sydney. The 269 bus service runs a loop within the Kirribilli - Milsons Point - McMahons Point - North Sydney railway station area on weekdays. There are four operating

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

wharves near Kirribilli, serviced by both public and private ferries. They are: * On the eastern side is Kirribilli wharf, part of the Sydney Ferries Neutral Bay service. The wharf is one stop from

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

and has two services per hour in each direction. Kirribilli Wharf also has a small local cafe serving coffees, cakes, and newspapers to commuters and many local regulars. * At the southernmost tip of Kirribilli is the Beulah Street Wharf. This small wharf was dropped from public Sydney Ferries services when an inner harbour ferry route was cancelled, though was briefly pressed into service between 7–13 February 2011 and again on 27–28 October 2012 while the main Kirribilli wharf was undergoing maintenance. In 2005, private operator

Matilda Cruises Matilda Cruises operated commuter ferry and cruise services on Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of ...

started using Beulah Street Wharf as part of their Matilda Express loop from Circular Quay to

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood 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 busines ...

but it was suspended by 2006. Outside ferry hours, Beulah Street Wharf is frequently used for fishing and recreation and being directly north of 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 ...

, offers spectacular harbour views. * On the eastern side of the

, Jeffreys Street Wharf is also no longer used by Sydney Ferries, with just a few services by

. It is still used by private charter services, but is more popular as a fishing location. The panoramic views of the Opera House, Circular Quay, and the Harbour Bridge make

a popular location for wedding photography. * On the western side of the Bridge is

Milsons Point ferry wharf Milsons Point ferry wharf is located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour serving the North Sydney Council suburb of Milsons Point. It is next to Luna Park and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River and ...

, which carries many more services than the Kirribilli wharves and joins Kirribilli to the CBD, the inner harbour, and along the Parramatta River to

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

Commercial area

Kirribilli has a small shopping strip opposite Milsons Point railway station. The 'Kirribilli Markets' are held on the fourth Saturday of each month, on the lawns of the former Kirribilli Bowling Club. The markets contain a mixture of new and second-hand clothing, bric-a-brac, jewellery, and food-and-drink stands.

Schools

The two main schools in the suburb are St Aloysius' College and Loreto Kirribilli. Image:Kirribilli_St_John_the_Baptist_Anglican_Church.jpg, St John the Baptist's Anglican Church, Broughton Street Image:(1)St_Aloysius_College_Kirribilli-1.jpg, Senior School, St Aloysius College, Upper Pitt Street Image:(1)Loreto_Kirribilli.jpg, Loreto Kirribilli Image:Wiki0132.jpg, Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, Fitzroy Street

Churches

* Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, part of North Sydney Parish * St John's Anglican Church (" Church by the Bridge")

Culture

Kirribilli is the home of Australia's oldest continuously operating professional theatre company, The

Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first perfor ...

. Located in a converted boatshed, it shows productions of contemporary works by both Australian and International playwrights.

People

* Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), German-British novelist

References

External links

* CC-By-SA">Creative_Commons_license.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA/nowiki> {{Sydney North Sydney suburbs Suburbs of Sydney Kirribilli, North Shore (Sydney)