Balmain, New South Wales

Balmain is located on the Balmain peninsula in Port Jackson adjacent to the suburbs of Rozelle to the south-west, Birchgrove to the north-west, and Balmain East to the east.

Balmain has Iron Cove on the western side, White Bay on the south-east side and Mort Bay on the north-east side.

[edit] History

Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Indigenous Eora peoples. Stories from early settlers in the area tell of how the local indigenous people used to hunt kangaroo by driving them through the bushy peninsula, down the hill to Peacock Point at the East end, where they were killed.

The area now known as Balmain was part of a 550 acre (2.2 km²) grant to colonial surgeon Dr William Balmain (1762-1803) made in 1800 by Govenor John Hunter. The land was first settled in 1836 and by 1861 had been divided into the well populated eastern suburb of Balmain and the sparsely populated western area, extending to the gates of Callan Park, known as Balmain West.

Balmain Town Hall c1890. National Archives of Australia.

The peninsula changed rapidly during the 1800s and became one of the premier industrial centres of Sydney. Industries clustered around Mort Bay included shipbuilding, a metal foundry, engineering, boilermaking and a dry dock completed in 1855.

In the 1920s the manufacture of railway and mining equipment completed the heavy industrialisation of Balmain. Balmain also boasted its own coal mine - a deep, gassy and watery affair that struggled to survive, supported mainly by its long-suffering, English shareholders, from its opening in 1897 to its final closure in 1931. The mine's shaft was located beside what is now Birchgrove Primary School. From the bottom of the shaft a decline led down to a block of coal situated under the harbour between Ballast Point and Goat Island.

Trams once ran all the way down Darling Street to the Wharf at East Balmain. Due to the very steep incline at the bottom of the street, the trams used a complex 'dummy' counterweight system constructed under the road surface. The trams were pushed up the steep hill by the dummy, and rode the dummy on the way down to safely descend the hill.

Balmain had a reputation as a rough working-class area of Sydney. Numerous phrases have been used to describe the suburb and its inhabitants, including "Balmain boys don't cry" (former NSW Premier Neville Wran at the Street Royal Commission; "You can take the boy out of Balmain, but you can't take Balmain out of the Boy" (Unknown); "There are only two types of man in this world: those who were born in Balmain and those who wish they were" (a Police Commissioner of New South Wales). Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating also once spoke of the "Basket weavers of Balmain".

Darling St. Balmain c1888. State Library of NSW.

The industrialisation of Balmain created a demand for cheap housing. This was satisfied by the dock owners selling small blocks of land to entrepreneurs who then built tiny cottages and rented them to the workers.

It was in this suburb in 1891, in the meeting hall of the Unity Hall Hotel, that the Australian Labor Party was formed and first met. Balmain is still very much a Labor area, due to a high proportion of residents being socially-conscious middle class professionals, and a surviving connection with the area's old working class identity and history.

Balmain's colourful past should also include mention of the notorious Balmain Nellie Boys - a house of ill-repute frequented by sailors, politicians and actors and staffed by local working boys.

The post-industrial gentrification of Balmain has resulted in a suburb of considerable charm and interest where the modest, pretty houses command prices that would not have been dreamt of by their original tenants. Boutique shops and quality restaurants now appear alongside old drinking establishments on Darling Street, Balmain's main thoroughfare. However, Balmain still retains a diverse mix of residents due to the Housing Commission unit blocks in the suburb.

[edit] Landmarks

Balmain Power Station - A private power station which once serviced the electricity needs of the local area. Demolished in 1994 to make way for apartments.
Balmain Reservoir - An underground reservoir located beneath Gladstone Park.
Lever Brothers Factory - A large soap factory that was much a part of the Balmain landscape from 1895 until it was demolished for apartments in 1996.
Balmain Sailing Club - Located in nearby Birchgrove and home to the annual Balmain Regatta.
Balmain Pubs - Balmain is home to many famous drinking establishments.
Balmain Parks and Reserves - List of parks and reserves located on the Balmain peninsula.

[edit] Notable Residents

Notable past and present residents include:

Dawn Fraser, champion swimmer^[1]
Sir John Kerr, former Governor-General of Australia^[2]
Frank Moorhouse, author and scriptwriter^[3]
Henry Parkes, former Premier of New South Wales^[4]
Wayne Pearce, former rugby league player^[5]
Tom Uren, former Whitlam Government Minister^[6]
Neville Wran, former Premier of New South Wales^[7]^[8]
Actors Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward^[9]^[10]

[edit] Sports Teams

Balmain is home to the Wests Tigers rugby league club. The club was formed in mid-1999 by a merger between Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies in preparation for the 2000 season.^[11] In 2005 the Tigers defeated the North Queensland Cowboys in the Grand Final to win the premiership.^[11]

The Balmain Rugby Union Football Club, founded in 1873, took part in the very first competition structure and in fact winning their first premiership in 1875. Players lost fighting in World War 1 forced the club to merge with the Glebe "Dirty Reds" RUFC in 1919, to form the Glebe-Balmain RFC. As a merged club they had enormous success during the Twenties, winning four premierships. In 1931, as a depression project, Drummoyne Oval as we now know it was constructed on the site of a small oval which Glebe and Balmain had used for junior matches since 1892. To ensure longevity of tenure, because there were just not enough sporting grounds in Sydney, but with some reluctance, the Glebe-Balmain Club decided to change its name to the Drummoyne Rugby Football Club [1].It did so without giving up its long held traditions, the scarlet jumpers of Glebe and its world famous tag, "The Dirty Reds" and the black and gold of Balmain, colours still worn proudly by today's players in their socks. Drummoyne Rugby Club [2]is still in existence and still upholds it proud history and traditions.

The suburb is also home to the Balmain Australian Football Club, a founding member in 1903 of the Sydney Football League.^[12]

[edit] Gallery

Sandstone-fronted terrace	A full bay-windowed end of terrace	A 'gentrified' residence	Balmain Fire Station
Balmain Reservoir	Exchange Hotel	Elkington Park	Balmain Thames Street Wharf

[edit] Notes

^ Postcode 2041 covers the suburbs of Balmain, Balmain East and Birchgrove.
^ Combined population for all residents of postcode 2041.
^ Median house price for all properties of postcode 2041.

[edit] References

Solling, M; Reynolds, P; Leichhardt: On the margins of the city, Allen & Unwin, 1997, ISBN 1-86448-408-X.
Lawrence, J; Warne, C; A Pictorial History of Balmain to Glebe, Kingsclear Books, 1995, ISBN 0-908272-40-5.