- Name
- Wollstonecraft History Walk
- Description
-
This walk will help you explore the Aboriginal and natural history of the area, while tracing the transformation of the suburb from a showcase of salubrious houses and gardens to a place of apartments and units in little more than 50 years.
- Points of interest
-
- 46 Shirley Road
- 25 Shirley Road
- 42 Shirley Road
- 40 Shirley Road
- 36 Shirley Road
- 32 Shirley Road
- 24 Shirley Road
- 22 Shirley Road
- 9 Shirley Road
- 7 Shirley Road
- 1 Shirley Road
- 8 Shirley Road
- Berry Island
- Badangi Reserve
- Former industrial sites and Wondakiah
- 1-11 Bridge End
- Belmont Avenue
- 19 Belmont Avenue
- 27 Belmont Avenue
- 35 Belmont Avenue
- 67 Shirley Road
- 74 and 80 Shirley Road
- 62 Shirley Road
- Location
- Brochure
- History
-
Wollstonecraft sits on the western boundary of the North Sydney Local Government Area. The territorial boundary of the Cammeraygal people, who lived here for many thousands of years before Europeans arrived, is further west on the Lane Cove River. Carvings on Berry Island are evidence of their presence.
The suburb takes its name from Edward Wollstonecraft who was granted 524 acres here in 1821, an estate that passed to his partner Alexander Berry after his death in 1832. As the land was only subdivided from the late 19th century, its original architectural character reflected the middle and upper class taste at the time which was predominately for English Revival styles.
The large lots attracted developers in the 1960s who took advantage of new ‘Flat Codes’ to build medium and high density apartment blocks. Much of Shirley Road and all of Belmont Avenue were totally remade. Wollstonecraft has one of the earliest Meriton developments in Sydney - 98 Shirley Road, built in 1970. The company became one of Australia’s largest developers.
