McMahons Point

McMahons Point
Sydney, New South Wales
McMahons Point; Sydney, New South Wales
	McMahons Point, New South Wales
Population	2,315 (SAL 2021)
Postcode(s)	2060
Elevation	41 m (135 ft)
Area	0.3 km2 (0.1 sq mi)
Location	3 km (2 mi) N of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	North Sydney Council
State electorate(s)	North Shore
Federal division(s)	North Sydney
	Suburbs around McMahons Point:

Last updated December 16, 2024

McMahons Point is a harbourside suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. McMahons Point is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. McMahons Point sits on the peninsula flanked by Berrys Bay to the west and Lavender Bay to the east. The lower tip of the peninsula is known as Blues Point, which offers expansive views of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). The postcode is 2060.

Once predominantly working-class, it is now among Sydney's most exclusive localities. McMahons Point is primarily a medium-to-high-density residential area and is bordered by the surrounding suburbs of Waverton, North Sydney and Lavender Bay. Real estate north of Sydney Harbour in this collection of villages is set at a premium due to the area's low crime rate, cafes, restaurants, pubs, parks, accessibility to bus, train and ferry networks plus expansive views of the Sydney City CBD.

History

McMahon's Point is named after Michael McMahon, a 19-year old Irish farm labourer who arrived in Sydney on 14 Feb 1848 with his brother James (24). Two years later he married Angelina Faning (of St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands) and they had several children.

Michael McMahon became a successful and wealthy manufacturer of brushes and combs and in 1864 built the McMahon family home on the headland. He became mayor of the borough of Victoria (later North Sydney) in 1890. He and his wife Angelina and many of their family are buried in the Catholic Section of Gore's Hill Cemetery. However their many descendants are established in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US and the McMahon family name has become part of the famous harbour where he built his home.

The original occupants of this region were the Cammeraygal. These people lived along the foreshores and in bushland, cliffs and rock shelters prior to European settlement.

Land in this area was originally settled and farmed by James Milson (1785-1872), a Napoleonic War veteran, in 1806. Further grants were subsequently made in 1817 to Billy Blue, a Jamaican convict turned Sydney Harbour waterman, which remained within his family until the 1850s. Subsequently, the estate was progressively subdivided, with the earliest developments occurring on the northern end. Blues Point Road had been gazetted from 1839 as a thoroughfare from the ferry wharf to the St Leonards township. Most of the middle and southern sections of the peninsula were subdivided by the 1870s. A tram line was extended to McMahons Point in 1909, further stimulating development, particularly along Blues Point Road.

Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney city centre on the far right at twilight, from McMahons Point

Large numbers of passenger and vehicular ferries travelled between Blues Point/McMahons Point and the city at the turn of the century. When the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932, the wharves of McMahons and Blues Point provided services every 10–15 minutes and served six million passengers per year. The opening of the harbour bridge immediately rendered the bulk of these ferries redundant and, in 1935, small ferries operated by Hegarty Ferries took over the former runs of the larger craft of Sydney Ferries Limited to McMahons Point. The tram service was replaced by buses in 1933.

In July 1890, the boroughs of St Leonards, East St Leonards and Victoria (incorporating McMahons Point) merged to form the borough of North Sydney. Foreshores were popular for boat building and other maritime activity through the latter half of the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth. In 1957, much of McMahons Point was to be rezoned as 'waterfront industrial' by North Sydney Council, but a group formed by residents and architects, led by Harry Seidler, argued for a residential vision. Seidler proposed a 29-building apartment development in gardens. This redevelopment was in turn opposed by a new council and residents; only two towers were built - Blues Point Tower and Harbour Master.

A stretch of railway line dating from 1893 runs through the suburb's north-west and emerges from a tunnel at an off-peak storage depot in Lavender Bay. It no longer carries passengers as a newer line (known now as the North Shore railway line) was constructed in 1932 which traverses the North Sydney and Milsons Point stations.^[2]

Heritage listings

McMahons Point has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

11-11a Bayview Point: Ildemere ^[3]

Population

In the 2021 Census, there were 2,315 people in McMahons Point. 60.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England at 7.7%, New Zealand at 2.7%, United States of America 2.3%, China 2.0% and South Africa 2.0%. 79.6% of people spoke only English at home, the next most common languages spoken at home were Mandarin 2.4%, French 1.6%, Cantonese 1.4%, Spanish 1.1% and Italian 1.0%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 48.3%, Catholic 19.4% and Anglican 12.7%.^[4]

Commercial area

At the northern end of Blues Point Road (adjacent to the North Sydney central business district), there is a concentration of businesses primarily associated with advertising/marketing, publishing, media, computing, engineering, architecture and creative arts. This precinct is also home to many al fresco street cafés and restaurants and some speciality retail stores.

Transport

The suburb is served by F4 Pyrmont Bay ferry services and F3 Parramatta River ferry services (F3 Peak only), trains (from Waverton, North Sydney and Milsons Point) on the North Shore & Western Line and Northern Line of the Sydney Trains network, with bus routes 254 and 291 terminating at McMahons Point ferry wharf and various other routes passing across the top of it at North Sydney Station and Victoria Cross.

Related Research Articles

The North Shore is a region within Northern Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia, generally referring to suburbs located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour up to Wahroonga, and suburbs between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River.

The North Shore Line is a railway line serving the North Shore in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The North Shore Line extends from Sydney Central station through the western limb of the City Circle, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and through the North Shore area to Hornsby where it joins the Main North Line. Services on the line are primarily provided by the T1 North Shore & Western Line and T9 Northern Line, with some services to Wyong during peak hours.

Kirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administered by North Sydney Council. Kirribilli is a harbourside suburb, sitting on the Lower North Shore of Sydney Harbour. Kirribilli House is one of the two official residences of the Prime Minister of Australia.

North Sydney is a suburb and major commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council.

North Sydney railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of North Sydney. It is served by Sydney Trains' T1 North Shore Line and T9 Northern Line services.

Milsons Point railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Milsons Point in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. The station is located above ground, accessible via stairs and a lift, in Milsons Point, in the North Sydney Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the Sydney Harbour Bridge Branch of the NSW Department of Public Works. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Waverton railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Waverton in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. The station is located on Bay Road, Waverton, in the North Sydney Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by New South Wales Department of Railways. It is also known as Waverton Railway Station group. The station was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

The first Lavender Bay railway station was opened on 30 May 1915 at a site 300 metres north of the original Milsons Point station on the North Shore line on the edge of Lavender Bay. The station was created by building platforms beside the existing lines. An overbridge was constructed leading to a new ferry wharf. Southbound trains used to drop their passengers at Lavender Bay station and then proceed to Milsons Point railway station to reverse.

Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney.

Lavender Bay is a harbourside suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Lavender Bay is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council.

In Australia, Lower North Shore refers to the affluent northern suburbs of Sydney adjoining Sydney Harbour. The three bodies of water that surround the Lower North Shore are Lane Cove River on its western border, Sydney Harbour on its south side, and Middle Harbour on its east. The Lower North Shore borders the Upper North Shore when the Lane Cover River and Middle Harbour are at their closest.

Cremorne Point is a harbourside suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia located six kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council.

Blues Point is a harbourside locality of North Sydney, Australia. Named after local mariner Billy Blue in the 19th century, Blues Point is at the very southern tip of the McMahons Point peninsula and has views of Sydney Harbour. The locality, within North Sydney Council, is home to the Blues Point Tower, a controversial residential tower designed by Harry Seidler. Since 2005, under the dual naming policy Blues Point has also been officially referred to by its indigenous name, Warungareeyuh. Blues Point is also used as a vantage point for Sydney New Year's Eve celebration.

Waverton is a harbour-side suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Waverton is four kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney.

North Shore is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on Sydney's lower North Shore. It is currently held by Liberal MP Felicity Wilson.

Milsons Point ferry wharf is located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour serving the Sydney suburb of Milsons Point. It is next to Luna Park and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River and Pyrmont Bay services operated by First Fleet and RiverCat class ferries.

McMahons Point ferry wharf is located on the northern side of Sydney Harbour serving the Sydney suburb of McMahons Point. It is served by Sydney Ferries Parramatta River and Pyrmont Bay services operated by First Fleet and RiverCat class ferries.

Berrys Bay is a bay located to the east of the Waverton Peninsula and the west of McMahons Point, on the north of Sydney Harbour.

The City of Lower North Shore is a proposed local government area which would be formed from the merger of the suburbs of Willoughby, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Mosman, and the southern parts of Kuringgai, in New South Wales, Australia.

Koree was a "K-class" ferry on Sydney Harbour. Launched in 1902, the timber-hulled steamer was built for Sydney Ferries Limited during the boom in cross-harbour ferry travel prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

References

↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "McMahons Point (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
↑ The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 174
↑ "Ildemere". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment. H00390. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence .
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "McMahons Point". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 18 March 2024.

External links

Margaret Park (2008). "McMahons Point". Dictionary of Sydney . Retrieved 28 September 2015.[ CC-By-SA ]

33°50′43″S151°12′16″E / 33.84524°S 151.20433°E / -33.84524; 151.20433

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "McMahons Point (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.

[2] The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 174

[nswshr-390-3] "Ildemere". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment. H00390. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence .

[census-4] Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "McMahons Point". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 18 March 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Suburbs of the North Sydney Local Government Area, North Shore, Sydney
Cammeray Cremorne Cremorne Point Crows Nest Kirribilli Kurraba Point Lavender Bay McMahons Point Milsons Point Neutral Bay North Sydney St Leonards Waverton Wollstonecraft
List of Sydney suburbs