Neutral Bay History Walk - Walks

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
  1. Neutral Bay Wharf entrance
  2. 2 Hayes Street
  3. 4 and 4a Hayes Street
  4. 19-21 Hayes Street
  5. 15 Wycombe Road
  6. 23a Wycombe Road
  7. 1 Wallaringa Avenue
  8. 5 Wallaringa Avenue
  9. 146 Kurraba Road
  10. 29, 31, 33 Shellcove Road
  11. 39 Shellcove Road
  12. 49 Shellcove Road
  13. 55 Shellcove Road
  14. 42 Shellcove Road
  15. 60a Shellcove Road
  16. St Augustine’s Anglican Church
  17. 91 Shellcove Road
  18. 120 Wycombe Road
  19. 124 Wycombe Road
  20. 126-132 Wycombe Road
  21. 134 Wycombe Road
  22. 143 Wycombe Road
  23. 144 Wycombe Road
  24. 47 Yeo Street
  25. 28-30 Yeo Street, Neutral Bay Fire Station
  26. Neutral Bay Public School
  27. 173 Ben Boyd Road
  28. 95 Ben Boyd Road
  29. 69-71 Ben Boyd Road
  30. 62 Ben Boyd Road
  31. 16 Ben Boyd Road
  32. 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.