Kissing Point is a point on the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, Ria, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average Altitude, height, and depth, depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour ...

about 2 km south of

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 24,096 according to the 2021 Census. Its growth as a seaside resort came after the villages of Upper Ryde and ...

, located in the suburb of

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

. Historically, the name referred to a much wider area than the current-day point; and perhaps originally to the point near Ryde Bridge where Settlers Park is now located.

History

Origin of the name

Several possibilities have been suggested for the origin of the name "Kissing Point". One is that the name was given because the area of water around it was the furthest up Parramatta River that heavily laden vessels could reach before their keels "kissed" the bottom. Another, more romantic possibility is the area was popular for picnics and that Governor Hunter may have had a kiss in return for his chivalry on one such occasion. A third is that Governor Hunter rowed up the river on a journey of exploration, had breakfast at Breakfast Point, and rowed across the river to Kissing Point where he kissed his wife goodbye before proceeding on his journey.

Settlement

The area was inhabited by the Wallumedegal people prior to European Settlement. When the area was first settled by European colonists it was known as Eastern Farms. Land grants were made to 10 emancipated convicts in 1792. By 1794 the name had given way to Kissing Point. In the early 19th century the name was applied to an area including the current day

and Gladesville. One of the

emancipist An emancipist was a convict sentenced and transported under the convict system to Australia, who had been given a conditional or absolute pardon. The term was also used to refer to those convicts whose sentences had expired, and might sometimes ...

s was

James Squire James Squire, alternatively known as James Squires, (bapt. 18 December 1754 – 16 May 1822) was a First Fleet convict transported to Australia. Squire is credited with the first successful cultivation of hops in Australia around the start of t ...

who brewed the colony's first beer and became a wealthy business man. He grew hops in the area and established a brewery and a tavern on the location just west of the current-day Kissing Point. A plaque to James Squire is erected on the site. Kissing Point was also an important source of fruits and vegetables for the early colony.

Bennelong Woollarawarre Bennelong ( 1764 – 3 January 1813) was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia. Bennelong served as an interlocutor between ...

died in the area. He was buried on the property of

, near to the point. Kidman and Mayoh's Shipyard established to build freight ships to replace freight fleet post World War I. A disastrous outcome, as the two ships built here were not commissioned, and were burnt and sold for salvage. Halvorsen's ships located where James Squire's original wharf stood. Halvorsen's made ships for World War II.Ryde River Walk Masterplan
at Ryde City Council

Current day

Kissing Point is in the Parish of Hunters Hill in the County of Cumberland and is in the suburb of

. Kissing Point is home to two wharfs; one at Bennelong Park and the other constructed off the very tip of the peninsula, the

Sydney Ferries Sydney Ferries is the public transport ferry network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales. Services operate on Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour and the connecting Parramatta River. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government ...

Kissing Point Wharf. Sydney Ferries operates a regular service to the Sydney CBD from the Kissing Point Wharf. Sydney Buses service 507 operates nearby; the bus stop closest to the ferry wharf is in Charles Street near Phillip Street. There is a boat launching ramp adjacent to the Kissing Point Wharf with associated trailer parking. The point is a landmark on the Parramatta Valley Cycleway.

References

External links

"Kidman & Mayoh's Shipyard at Kissing Point"
City of Ryde {{Use dmy dates, date=September 2019 Sydney localities Parramatta River