Woolloomooloo

Woolloomooloo(/ˌwʊləməˈluː/wuul-ə-mə-LOO) is a harbourside, inner-cityeasternsuburb ofSydney,New South Wales,Australia, 1.5 kilometres east of thecentral business district,in thelocal government areaof theCity of Sydney.It is in a low-lying, former docklands area at the head of Woolloomooloo Bay, onSydney Harbour.The Domainsits to the west, the locality ofEast Sydneyis near the south-west corner of the suburb and the locality ofKings Crossis near the south-east corner.Potts Pointis immediately to the east.

Woolloomooloo Sydney,New South Wales
Finger Wharf
Population	3,792 (SAL2021)
Postcode(s)	2011
Area	0.5 km2(0.2 sq mi)
Location	1.5 km (1 mi) east ofSydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Sydney
State electorate(s)	Sydney
Federal division(s)	Sydney
Suburbsaround Woolloomooloo: Sydney CBD Port Jackson Potts Point Sydney CBD Woolloomooloo Potts Point East Sydney Darlinghurst Kings Cross

Woolloomooloo was originally aworking-classdistrict of Sydney and has only recentlychanged withgentrificationof the inner city areas of Sydney. The redevelopment of the waterfront, particularly the construction of the housing development on theFinger Wharf,has caused major change. Areas ofpublic housingstill exist in the suburb, with 22% homes in the 2011 postcode, owned byHousing NSW,in front ofRedfern,EastlakesandGlebe.

Woolloomooloo is home toArtspace,an independent, not-for-profit, contemporary art space which is located in the heritage-listedGunnerybuilding.

History

Aboriginal culture

Woolloomooloo Bay in 1855 (watercolour)

The current spelling of "Woolloomooloo" is derived from the name of the first homestead in the area,Wolloomooloo House,built by the first landowner John Palmer. There is debate as to how Palmer came up with the name with differentAboriginalwords being suggested. Anthropologist J.D. McCarthy wrote in 'NSW Aboriginal Places Names', in 1946, that Woolloomooloo could be derived from eitherWallamullah,meaningplace of plentyorWallabahmullah,meaning ayoung black kangaroo.

In 1852, the traveller Col. G.C. Mundy wrote that the name came fromWala-mala,meaning an "[Aboriginal] burial ground". It has also been suggested that the name meansfield of blood,due to the alleged Aboriginal tribal fights that took place in the area, or that it is from the pronunciation by Aboriginals ofwindmill,from the one that existed on Darlinghurst ridge until the 1850s.

European settlement

Woolloomooloo Bay, Sydney, 1866

After theFirst Fleet's arrival in Sydney, the area was initially recognised as Garden Cove or Garden Island Cove after the nearby small woodedGarden Island,off the shore. The first land grant was given to John Palmer in 1793 to allow him to run cattle for the fledgling colony.

An 1832 map byThomas Mitchellshows "Woolloomooloo Estate" extending from the road "To South Head" northwards to Woolloomooloo Bay. To the east lies a hill with windmills and a "New Prison", and land grants on the peninsula that is now the suburbs ofPotts PointandElizabeth Bay.

In the 1840s, the farm land was subdivided into what is now Woolloomooloo,Darlinghurstand parts ofSurry Hills.Originally the area saw affluent residents building grand houses, many with spectacular gardens, attracted by the bay and close proximity to the city andGovernment House.

The area slowly started to change after expensive houses were built inElizabeth Bayand further east and a road was needed from Sydney. It was for this reason thatWilliam Streetwas built, dividing the land for the first time.

Woolloomooloo Bay was used extensively as a port. As recently as October 1971, theMaritime Services Boardopened a 200 metre berth on the western side of the bay.

Trams

The Woolloomoolootram lineopened in stages between 1915 and 1918. This line branched off fromPark Streetand ran north along Haig Avenue, Sir John Young Crescent and Lincoln Crescent to Brown's Wharf at Woolloomooloo. Through service ran fromCircular QuayviaElizabethandParkstreets. The line was an early closure, in 1935, being replaced by a bus service fromPyrmont.

Green ban

In February 1973, theBuilders Labourers Federationplaced a two-year longgreen banon the suburb to stop the destruction of low-income housing and trees.It succeeded and 65% of the houses were placed under rent control.

Heritage listings

Woolloomooloo has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Cowper Wharf Road:Finger Wharf
• 43–51 Cowper Wharf Road:The Gunnery, Woolloomooloo

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2001	3,038	—
2006	3,518	+15.8%
2011	3,716	+5.6%
2016	4,011	+7.9%
2021	3,792	−5.5%

According to the2021 census,there were 3,792 people in Woolloomooloo.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplemade up 3.6% of the population. 51.5% of people were born in Australia; the next most common countries of birth includedEngland5.4%,New Zealand3.7%,China(excludingSpecial Administrative Regions(SARs) andTaiwan) 2.4%,Vietnam1.6%, and theUnited States of America1.5%. 67.1% of people only spokeEnglishat home; other languages spoken at home includedSpanish3.5%,Mandarin2.5%,French1.6%,Cantonese1.5%, andVietnamese1.4%. The most common responses for religion includedNo Religion46.7%,Catholic18.8%,Anglican6.6%, andBuddhism3.1%; a further 10.5% of respondents for this area elected not to disclose their religion.

Landmarks

Overlooking Woolloomooloo from the Domain Park, with the Bells Hotel (red brick building) in the foreground

Woolloomooloo is home to theFinger Wharf,known for its remarkable size. It is 400 metres (1,310 ft) long and 63 m (210 ft) wide and stands on 3,600 piles.

The Sydney Harbour Trust built the Finger Wharf, or Woolloomooloo Wharf, between 1911 and 1915 with the charter to bring order toSydney Harbour's foreshore facilities. The wharf became thelargest wooden structure in the world.The area's commerce was dominated by shipping at the wharf and by the regular influx of sailors and officers from theGarden Islandbase of theRoyal Australian Navy.

The wharf's influence diminished for Woolloomooloo during the 1970s when other more modern wharves were preferred. By the 1980s the wharf lay derelict and empty and in 1987, thestate governmentdecided to demolish the Wharf.A new complex was approved to replace the wharf in Woolloomooloo Bay, but when demolition work was due to begin in January 1991, locals blocked entrance to the site.Unions imposed agreen ban,which stopped demolition crews from undertaking work.

Aerial view

In the mid-1990s the wharf was renovated into 300 private residential apartments and a boutique hotel with 104 guestrooms. It also has several restaurants and bars, including the popular Water Bar, frequented by many visiting celebrities. At first, the hotel was launched as "W Sydney - Woolloomooloo" and was theW Hotelsbrands' first internationally launched property outside of the United States. The hotel's licensing expired in 2007 and rebranded as "Blue Hotel", managed byTaj Hotels & Resorts.Notable residents include actorRussell Crowe,who lives in a $14 million penthouse which as a result has become famous in Australia and abroad and one of the most expensive and sought after places in the country. Another prominent resident is controversial former Australian radio presenterJohn Laws.

Woolloomooloo is home toArtspace,an independent, not-for-profit and non-collecting residency-basedcontemporary artcentre. Artspace is housed in the historicGunnery Building.Devoted to the development of certain new ideas and practices in contemporary art and culture, since the early 1980s Artspace has been building a critical context for Australian and international artists, curators and writers.

TheAndrew "Boy" Charlton Pool,sits on the western side of Woolloomooloo Bay, amongst theRoyal Botanic Gardens.

Popular culture

• The Bushwackersplay a song "Woolloomooloo Lair" about an inhabitant of the suburb.
• Steve Mullins recorded "Woolloomooloo" in 1910 for Jumbo Records in the UK.
• TheTommy Leonettisong "My City of Sydney", later covered by the post-punk bandXL Capris,mentions "That little church steeple in Woolloomooloo".
• TheBruces sketchbyMonty Pythonis set in the fictitious University of Woolloomooloo, mainly due to its typical Australian name.
• In the showFlight of the Conchords,Jemaine claims that his short-time girlfriend Keitha ( "Unnatural Love") is from Woolloomooloo.
• The 1984 albumZoolookbyJean Michel Jarrehas a track titled "Woolloomooloo".
• In 1970, Australian educator, journalist and politicianIrina Dunncreated the phrase "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle," scribbling the phrase on two bathroom doors: one at Sydney University where she was then a student, and the other at Soren's Wine Bar in Woolloomooloo. The quip is often incorrectly attributed to American feministGloria Steinem.
• The 1982 albumCircus AnimalsbyCold Chiselcontains the song "Numbers Fall", which refers to Forbes Street and Springfield Avenue, Woolloomooloo. "Letter to Alan", on the same album, also refers to the Wayside Chapel in neighbouring Potts Point.
• The 1989 albumThe Big Don't ArguebyWeddings Parties Anythingcontains the song "Ticket in Tatts", which refers to Woollomooloo.
• The popular children's bookThe Kangaroo from Woolloomooloo(written byJoy Cowley;illustrated by Rodney McRae, 1985), featured, among a wide variety of other Australian fauna, a kangaroo from Woolloomooloo.
• Author/musician and sometime resident Nathan Roche set his novelsVagrer,Cleaning Off The Cobwebs on the Skeletons in the ClosetandThe Harbour Reviewin the suburb and also wrote the song "Sailors into Woolloomooloo" which appeared on his 2013 record,Watch It Wharf.
• In the Dutch city ofUtrecht,a student's disco is called Her Majesty's first discobar "Woolloomooloo", or "Woo" in brief.
• The song "Slow Motion Angreza"from the Hindi movieBhaag Milkha Bhaag,featuringFarhan AkhtarandRebecca Breeds,references Woollomooloo in its lyrics.
• The infamous brothel owner and underworld figureTilly Devinewas based at Woolloomooloo, and was nicknamed the Queen of Woolloomooloo

Public transport

Woolloomooloo is served byTransdev John Hollandbus route 311 fromEddy AvenuetoMillers Point.

Notable residents

Visual representation of the suburb's name on Cathedral Street

• Mark Bosnich,former Socceroos football player
• Russell Crowe,actor
• Alessandro Del Piero,former Sydney FC football player
• Delta Goodrem,singer
• John Laws,radio presenter
• Tilly Devine,underworld figure
• Tim Bailly,French Model
• Lang Walker,property developer
• Spanian,content creator and former career-criminal

External links

• SYDNEY.com - Potts Point and Woolloomooloo
• Shirley Fitzgerald - City of Sydney History Unit (2008)."Woolloomooloo".Dictionary of Sydney.Retrieved29 September2015.[CC-By-SA]