Woolloomooloo is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in a low-lying, former docklands area at the head of Woolloomooloo Bay, on Sydney Harbour, about 1.5 km east of the Sydney central business district. It is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney and has the postcode of 2011.
| Woolloomooloo Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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 Woolloomooloo Bay and Finger Wharf | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 3,038 | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 6,100/km2 (15,700/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2011 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 2 km (1 mi) from Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Sydney | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Bligh | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Sydney | ||||||||||||||
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The suburb has Potts Point to the east and Darlinghurst and The Domain to the west. The locality of East Sydney is near the south-west corner of the suburb and the locality of Kings Cross is near the south-east corner.
Description
The suburb has historically been a poorer working class district of Sydney. This has changed only recently with recent gentrification of the inner city areas of Sydney. The redevelopment of the waterfront, particularly the construction of the housing development on the Finger Wharf, has caused major change. Areas of public housing (housing commission) still exist in the suburb.
Woolloomooloo's commerce has historically been dominated by shipping at the Finger Wharf, and by the regular influx of sailors from the Garden Island base of the Royal Australian Navy. The wharf building is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest wooden structure in the world. 400 m long and 63 m wide, it was built in 1912 and stands on 3,600 piles. Located near the wharf is the popular fast-food stall and now tourist destination of Harry's Cafe de Wheels.
The well-known film actor Russell Crowe lives in a $14 million penthouse at Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, which as a result has become famous in Australia and abroad and as well as one of the most expensive and sought after places in the country.[1]
Origin of name
The current spelling of Woolloomooloo is derived from the name of the first homestead in area, Wolloomooloo House, built by the first landowner John Palmer. There is debate as to how Palmer came up with the name with different Aboriginal words being suggested. Anthropologist J.D. McCarthy wrote in NSW Aboriginal Places Names, in 1946, that Woolloomooloo could be derived from either Wallamullah, meaning 'place of plenty' or Wallabahmullah, meaning a 'young black kangaroo'.[2]
In 1852, the traveller Col. G.C. Mundy wrote that the name came from Wala-mala, meaning an Aboriginal burial ground. It has also been suggested that the name means 'field of blood', due to the alleged Aboriginal tribal fights that took place in the area, or that it is from the pronunciation by Aborigines of windmill, from the one that existed on Darlinghurst ridge until the 1850s.
History
Early years
After the First Fleet's arrival in Sydney, the area was initially called Garden Cove or Garden Island Cove after the nearby small wooded Garden 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.
In the 1840s the farm land was subdivided into what is now Woolloomooloo, Darlinghurst and parts of Surry Hills. Originally the area saw affluent residents building grand houses, many with spectacular gardens, attracted by the bay and close proximity to the city and Government House.[3]
The area slowly started to change after expensive houses were built in Elizabeth Bay and further east and a road was needed from Sydney. It was for this reason that William Street was built, dividing the land for the first time.
Popular culture
- The Bruces sketch by Monty Python is set in the fictitious university of Woolloomooloo, mainly due to its typical Australian name.
- The album Zoolook by Jean Michel Jarre has a track titled Woolloomooloo.
- In 1970, Australian educator, journalist and politician Irina Dunn created the paraphrase "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 feminist Gloria Steinem.[4]
Notable residents
- actor Russell Crowe smells bad
- radio presenter John Laws
Notes
- ^ Sams, Christine (2003-6-1). "On the move with Russell and Danielle". Sun-Herald. Retrieved 2006-10-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Farwell, George (1971). Requiem for Woolloomooloo. Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0340157771.
- ^ Fahey, Warren. "Australian Folklore Unit". Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ Allen, John S. "The Definitive Word on the Origin". A Bit of Herstory. The Fish and Bicycle Page.
I scribbled the phrase on the backs of two toilet doors, would you believe, one at Sydney University where I was a student, and the other at Soren's Wine Bar at Woolloomooloo, a seedy suburb in south Sydney.
See also