The suburb of Elizabeth Bay takes its name from the bay on Sydney Harbour. Macleay Point separates Elizabeth Bay from Rushcutters Bay. The suburb of Elizabeth Bay is surrounded by the suburbs of Rushcutters Bay and Potts Point. Kings Cross is a locality on the south-western border and Garden Island is a locality, to the north.
Elizabeth Bay is one of the places around Sydney Harbour that has been officially gazetted as a dual named site by the Geographical Names Board (GNB). The official dual name for this place is 'Elizabeth Bay / Gurrajin'. Nearby officially assigned dual names are 'Elizabeth Point / Jerrowan' and 'Macleay Point / Yurrandubbee'.[2][3] The GNB dual naming policy applies to already named geographical features or cultural sites. Dual naming means that the original Aboriginal place name has been officially reassigned by the Geographical Names Board, and is recognised along with its more recent European place name.[4]
An earlier source claims this area was originally known by the Aboriginal name 'Yarrandabby' and what is now Macleay Point was 'Jerrewon'.[5]
Ashton, located at the bottom of Elizabeth Bay Road, was designed by Thomas Rowe in the Victorian Italianate style and built c. 1875. It was originally part of a group of villas built for well-off clients who included Thomas Rowe, John Grafton Ross, Charles Henry Hoskins and Sir Cecil Harold Hoskins. In more recent years, the character of the area was changed radically by the building of blocks of flats, but Ashton survived as one of the few original buildings in the area.[9]
Boomerang is perhaps the best surviving suburban estate of its period on the harbour foreshores. It was designed by Neville Hampson in 1926 for Frank Albert, a music publisher. This Hollywood Spanish Mission style dwelling and flats are of stuccoed brick with vaguely classical windows and decoration, under a terracotta hipped roof. The exterior colour is dull brown. The interior maintains the theatrical air with rooms decorated in different styles from various historical eras. The gardens, which have significantly matured, are an amalgamation of palm trees, shrubs and fountains with tennis court and boathouse.[7] A private residence, it sold for A$20.7 million in 2005 to Lindsay Fox. It has been used as a backdrop for Hollywood films, including Mission: Impossible 2, and is heritage-listed.[12]
Across the road from Ashton is Tresco, a two-storey home designed by Thomas Rowe and built in 1868. It was constructed by Italian stonemasons who were brought to Australia by the Joubert brothers, who were prominent in the early settlement of Hunters Hill. In 1913 it became the official residence of the Flag Officer in Charge, Royal Australian Navy, Eastern Australia.[8][12]
Population
According to the 2021 census, there were 4,878 living in Elizabeth Bay.[13]
At the 2016 census, there were 5,215 residents in Elizabeth Bay. 51.9% of people were born in Australia, with the top other countries of birth being England (6.1%), New Zealand (4.0%), United States of America (2.0%), Italy (1.6%), and France (1.6%). 69.6% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included French (2.5%) and Spanish (2.4%). The most common responses for religion were No Religion (43.9%) and Catholic (18.0%).[14]
