- Name
- Neutral Bay History Walk
- Description
-
This walk will help you explore the rich heritage of a suburb that is still a showcase of late-19th and early 20th century architecture demonstrating Australians’ affection for English-style architecture.
- Points of interest
-
- Neutral Bay Wharf entrance
- 2 Hayes Street
- 4 and 4a Hayes Street
- 19-21 Hayes Street
- 15 Wycombe Road
- 23a Wycombe Road
- 1 Wallaringa Avenue
- 5 Wallaringa Avenue
- 146 Kurraba Road
- 29, 31, 33 Shellcove Road
- 39 Shellcove Road
- 49 Shellcove Road
- 55 Shellcove Road
- 42 Shellcove Road
- 60a Shellcove Road
- St Augustine’s Anglican Church
- 91 Shellcove Road
- 120 Wycombe Road
- 124 Wycombe Road
- 126-132 Wycombe Road
- 134 Wycombe Road
- 143 Wycombe Road
- 144 Wycombe Road
- 47 Yeo Street
- 28-30 Yeo Street, Neutral Bay Fire Station
- Neutral Bay Public School
- 173 Ben Boyd Road
- 95 Ben Boyd Road
- 69-71 Ben Boyd Road
- 62 Ben Boyd Road
- 16 Ben Boyd Road
- Ben Boyd Memorials
- Location
- Brochure
- History
-
Neutral Bay (Harbour) was so named after all ‘neutral’, or non-British, vessels were ordered to anchor here as a security precaution in 1792. By then the local Cammeraygal people must have been aware their land was being taken without treaty or payment.
In 1814 John Piper bought 700 acres apparently as a gift to his daughter and son-in-law. The name Thrupp was thereby associated with the area though Sarah and Alfred never lived here. Daniel Cooper bought the land in 1828 and it remained with the family until the early 20th century. Their delayed release of land affected the architectural character of the suburb.
In the 1880s, Walter Liberty Vernon developed lots along Wycombe Road with his Neutral Bay Land Development Company. An English architect, Vernon thereby helped to introduce English Revival architecture to Sydney. His own house Penshurst looked like a medieval manor. With further subdivisions, Neutral Bay acquired a very uniform appearance. Although the period is associated with the creation of the Australian Commonwealth - sometimes called Federation - the aesthetic was quite English. Tastes changed and Georgian Revival and Mediterranean style houses were built from 1910 to the 1930s. Medium and high-density flats replaced homes and their large gardens from the 1950s, but the suburb retained many original houses.
