Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. Woollahra is located on the traditional land of the Birrabirragal and Gadigal people of the Eora. The Municipality of Woollahra takes its name from the suburb but its administrative centre is located in Double Bay. Woollahra is known for its quiet, tree-lined residential streets and village-style shopping centre.
History
Woollahra is located on the traditional land of the
Birrabirragal and
Gadigal people of the
Eora. When European settlers arrived in 1788, First Fleet officer Daniel Southwell translated the
Dharug language (the local Aboriginal language) word
Woo-la-ra (also later spelt by others as
Willarra and
Wallara) as meaning "lookout", but it has also been translated as "camp" or "meeting ground".
The name was adopted by Daniel Cooper (1821–1902), the first speaker of the legislative assembly of New South Wales, when he laid the foundations of Woollahra House in 1856. It was built on the site of the old Henrietta Villa (or Point Piper House). Cooper and his descendants were responsible for the establishment and progress of the suburb and its name was taken from the house.[ Book of Sydney Suburbs, Frances Pollon (Angus and Robertson) 1990, p.273]
Although Woollahra is predominantly a residential and retail area today, for over forty years and into early 20th century, there was a large iron foundry and cooking stove factory on Edgecliff Road.
Woollahra was the home of John McGarvie Smith, a metallurgist and biochemist who produced the first preservable anthrax vaccine.
Heritage listings
Woollahra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
-
14 Rosemont Avenue: Rosemont (Woollahra)
-
Waimea Avenue: Waimea House
Population
At the 2021 census, the population of Woollahra was 7,189,
down from 7,405 people in 2016.
63.1% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 6.7%, New Zealand 2.9%, South Africa 2.8% and the United States of America 1.7%. 79.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Mandarin at 2.7%, Spanish 1.4% and French 1.3%. The most common responses for religion in Woollahra were No Religion 41.3%, Catholic 19.1% and Anglican 14.5%.
Commercial area
Woollahra, along with its neighbouring suburb, Paddington, has the highest concentration of art galleries in Sydney. There are numerous cafes, restaurants and antique shops clustered around Queen Street.
The suburb is home to many government consulates, including Serbia, Russia, Poland, and Turkey.
Churches
One of the more prominent churches, All Saints in Ocean Street, was designed by
Edmund Blacket and built from 1874 to 1881.
Henry Mort, a resident of Ocean Street, donated £3,000 towards the construction of the church. However, the church was never entirely finished; it includes a porch that was meant to be a base for a tower and spire, which was designed but never built. It is constructed predominantly of dressed sandstone and is now listed on the Register of the National Estate. It has been described as "a beautifully designed and crafted parish church that has important connections with many famous Australian families."
[The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p. 2/138]
A stylistic contrast is provided by the Holy Cross Church in Adelaide Street. This brick church was designed by Austin Mackay and built in 1940. It is a rarity insofar as it is an Art Deco church, which is unusual enough, and it also shows the influence of Dutch architecture.[Sydney Architecture, Graham Jahn (Watermark Press) 1997, p.141]
The Congregational Church, on the corner of Jersey Road and Moncur Street, was built in 1875-77 and designed by Benjamin Backhouse. It was burned out much later but eventually restored and converted to residential use. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate.[Heritage of Australia, p.2/138]
Housing
Woollahra is a considerably affluent suburb, due in part to its proximity to the city and the shopping centre at
Bondi Junction, plus a wide range of picturesque homes, mostly in various Victorian styles. Moncur Street and Queen Street are particularly affluent areas, with a mixture of residential and commercial buildings and an extraordinarily high number of heritage-listed buildings.
[Heritage of Australia, pp.2/138-142] Most of the suburb's housing stock exists in the form of medium or high-density dwelling, as opposed to more high-rise centred regions like Zetland. In 2014, the Woollahra Council recorded 26,050 dwellings in the area, with "approximately 76% of all dwellings being multi-unit housing (generally residential flat buildings)". The remaining 24% of all dwellings are listed in the category of detached houses, semi-detached houses and terrace houses.
High-rise development has historically been avoided, maintaining the heritage character of the suburb. Despite this, in August 2025, the state government under
Chris Minns announced plans to build 10,000 new apartments in the area "over the next 10-15 years" alongside the completion of Woollahra station.
Schools
Woollahra Public School opened in 1877. It is a two-storey brick building that was designed by J. Wigram and W. Kemp. The building is listed on the Register of the National Estate.
The school includes Opportunity Classes in Years 5 and 6 for gifted students.
The school celebrated its centenary in 1977 and a time capsule was buried in the grounds.
Transport
Woollahra is serviced by Transdev John Holland and Transit Systems bus services, including the 389 route, as well as numerous services along Oxford Street in the suburb's south. Routes 333 and 440 provide direct services to the Sydney CBD from Oxford Street. The 352 on Oxford Street provides commuters with a service to
Surry Hills, Newtown and Marrickville in the city's south.
The Eastern Suburbs Railway runs through Woollahra, with the nearest railway stations being Edgecliff to the north of the suburb and Bondi Junction to the south, both served by the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. During the railway's construction, Woollahra station remained incomplete due to local opposition and cost blowouts.
Culture and events
Queen Street Fair
From 1972, a fair was held in Queen Street. Initially a community fair, it grew and became more commercial until local residents became unhappy with its noise, size, and disruption. Consequently, the fair ceased after 1985.
Sport and recreation
Since 1908, Woollahra has been represented in one of Australia's most popular sporting competitions, the National Rugby League, by the
Sydney Roosters, officially known as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club.
Notable people
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Dorothy Jane Adele Helmrich (1889–1984), mezzo-soprano and arts administrator
Gallery
Image:(1)Waimea_in_Waimea_Avenue.jpg|Waimea, heritage-listed Georgian home (circa 1858), Waimea Avenue[Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/141]
Image:(1)Federation_Home_Woollahra_Sydney.jpg|Federation Queen Anne home, Edgecliff Road
Image:ParterreWoollahra.JPG|Heritage-listed shop, Ocean Street (circa 1860)
Image:All Saints' Church Woollahra - Right side view.jpg|All Saints Church, Ocean Street
External links
