Balmain, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Balmain is a suburb
in the inner-west
of Sydney
, in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district
, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt
.
Balmain is located on the Balmain peninsula surrounded by Port Jackson
, adjacent to the suburbs of Rozelle
to the south-west, Birchgrove
to the north-west, and Balmain East
to the east. Iron Cove
sits on the western side of the peninsula, with White Bay
on the south-east side and Mort Bay on the north-east side.
Balmain has become established in Australian working class culture due to being the place where Australian Labor Party
formed in 1891 and its social history is of high cultural significance to New South Wales.
Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by Gadigal and Wangal people. 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 Governor John Hunter
. A year later, Balmain transferred his entire holding to settle a debt to John Bothwick Gilchrist before returning to Scotland. The legality of the land transfer from Balmain to Gilchrist for only 5 shillings was challenged by Balmain's descendents and further development of the area was blocked. The area subsequently became known as Gilchrist’s place, though court documents refer to the area as the Balmain Estate.
During the many years of legal challenges, the land was leased for farming and cattle purposes. In 1814 the adjacent homestead of Birchgrove
was sold to Roland Warpole Loane
, a merchant and settler descended from a family of English landlords. One hundred acres on the adjoining Balmain estate were leased to Loane.
In 1833, Gilchrist transferred power of attorney to Frederick Parbury. When Loane's lease finally expired in 1836 and the land retrieved from his possession, Parbury commissioned surveyor John Armstrong to sub-divide the land into six parcels. Three parcels were sold to Thomas Hyndes in 1837. The area was rapidly sub-divided and developed during the 1840s 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.
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 the Mort's Dock and Engineering Company
works which opened in 1855.
Increasing industrialisation at 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.
Lever Brothers Factory
opened in 1895. A coal mine was opened in 1897 ( beside what is now Birchgrove Primary School) by English shareholders. 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
. Balmain Power Station
was erected in stages from 1909 and the Balmain Reservoir
was built in 1915.
The opening of the railway in the 1920s further established and Balmain gained a reputation as a rough working-class area of Sydney.
The coal mine closed in 1931. A large influx of immigrants boosted Balmain's population in the 1950s.
Gentrification of Balmain began in the 1960s as industry waned. Balmain's desirability to the middle class was due in part to its waterfront location and proximity to Sydney's CBD. The Balmain Association was formed in 1965.
Increasing property values and waterfront development continued to push the suburb's remaining industry out. In 1996, the Lever Brothers site became a series of apartment complexes with a handful of original buildings preserved. The power station was demolished in 1998 to make way for apartments. However many aspects of Balmain's industrial past have been retained as heritage.
Darling Street, Balmain's main thoroughfare, features boutique shops, quality restaurants and cafes alongside old drinking establishments
. Landmarks on this street include the Post Office and Court House, alongside Balmain Town Hall, the historic Westpac Bank, Balmain Fire Station and Balmain Working Men's Institute. Other commercial developments are scattered throughout the suburb. The headquarters of the NSW Water Police moved to Cameron Cove in Balmain in late 2007.
As an old suburb, Balmain has many heritage buildings. The following buildings are listed on the Register of the National Estate
:
Balmain has several ferry
wharves that are serviced by the Inner Harbour ferry services
. These wharves are located at Thames Street, Elliot Street and in Darling Street, Balmain East
. Services run to Circular Quay. Sydney Ferries maintenance and repair base is at Balmain Shipyard.
Balmain's road network feeds into three main roads - Darling Street, Beattie Street, and Montague/Mullen Street. These streets have limited speeds, typically 40kph and are all single carriageway
with parallel parking. Due to the geography of the peninsula, all of these roads feed into Victoria Street and the Western Distributor. The result is that Balmain is one of Sydney's worst suburbs for traffic congestion.
Trams once ran all the way down Darling Street to the Wharf at Balmain East. 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. Sydney Buses have now replaced these tram services. The Bus services that service Balmain are: 441 - Birchgrove to NSW Art Gallery via Rozelle, 442 - Balmain to QVB
via Rozelle, 444/445 - Balmain to Campsie, 433 - Balmain to Millers Point.
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. However, Balmain still retains a diverse mix of residents due to the Housing Commission unit blocks in the suburb.
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
commented on the suburb's gentrification by using the term "Basket weavers of Balmain".
In the mid-1960s Balmain was the setting for the popular Seven Network
situation comedy series My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?
, starring Gordon Chater
, John Meillon
and Judi Farr
.
Balmain was the setting for the Australian film The Sum of Us
, which starred Jack Thompson
, John Polson
and Russell Crowe
.
The Pacific Hotel was used as the set for the Australian television soap opera
E Street
.
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. In 2005 the Tigers defeated the North Queensland Cowboys
in the Grand Final to win the premiership
.
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. 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 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.
Balmain is also home to Balmain SC
, who are a semi-professional football club, playing in the NSW Super League, the league below the NSW Premier League.
Notable past and present residents include:
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in the inner-west
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...
of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt
Municipality of Leichhardt
The Municipality of Leichhardt is a Local Government Area in the inner-west of Sydney, in state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The Municipality of Leichhardt stands on land that traditionally belonged to the Gadigal and Wangal people, of the Eora nation...
.
Balmain is located on the Balmain peninsula surrounded by Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
, adjacent to the suburbs of Rozelle
Rozelle, New South Wales
Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 4 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
to the south-west, Birchgrove
Birchgrove, New South Wales
Birchgrove is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Birchgrove is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
to the north-west, and Balmain East
Balmain East, New South Wales
Balmain East is a small suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain East is located three kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
to the east. Iron Cove
Iron Cove, New South Wales
Iron Cove is a bay on the Parramatta River, in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It lies approximately due west of Sydney's central business district. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Birchgrove, Balmain, Rozelle, Lilyfield, Haberfield, Five Dock, Rodd Point,...
sits on the western side of the peninsula, with White Bay
White Bay, New South Wales
White Bay is a bay on Sydney Harbour with a surrounding locality near the suburbs of Balmain and Rozelle in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.-History:...
on the south-east side and Mort Bay on the north-east side.
Balmain has become established in Australian working class culture due to being the place where Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
formed in 1891 and its social history is of high cultural significance to New South Wales.
History
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
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
William Balmain
William Balmain was a British naval surgeon who sailed as an assistant surgeon with the First Fleet to establish the first European settlement in Australia, and later became its principal surgeon.-Early life and career:...
(1762–1803) made in 1800 by Governor John Hunter
John Hunter (New South Wales)
Vice-Admiral John Hunter, RN was a British naval officer, explorer, naturalist and colonial administrator who succeeded Arthur Phillip as the second governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1795 to 1800.-Overview:...
. A year later, Balmain transferred his entire holding to settle a debt to John Bothwick Gilchrist before returning to Scotland. The legality of the land transfer from Balmain to Gilchrist for only 5 shillings was challenged by Balmain's descendents and further development of the area was blocked. The area subsequently became known as Gilchrist’s place, though court documents refer to the area as the Balmain Estate.
During the many years of legal challenges, the land was leased for farming and cattle purposes. In 1814 the adjacent homestead of Birchgrove
Birchgrove, New South Wales
Birchgrove is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Birchgrove is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
was sold to Roland Warpole Loane
Roland Warpole Loane
Roland Walpole Loane was a merchant descended from a family of English landlords and early settler in New South Wales. Concerned more with his personal wealth than contributing to colonial society, Loane became a well-known within the colony for his unscrupulous actions and unceasing...
, a merchant and settler descended from a family of English landlords. One hundred acres on the adjoining Balmain estate were leased to Loane.
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
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment.-Boilermaking:Many...
and the Mort's Dock and Engineering Company
Mort's Dock
Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959.-Sydney's first dry dock:...
works which opened in 1855.
Increasing industrialisation at 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.
Lever Brothers Factory
Lever Brothers Factory, Balmain
The Lever Brothers Factory in the Sydney, Australia suburb of Balmain was a soap factory which operated from 1895 until 1988. It employed many people from the local area and its large industrial buildings were a prominent feature of the landscape...
opened in 1895. A coal mine was opened in 1897 ( beside what is now Birchgrove Primary School) by English shareholders. From the bottom of the shaft a decline led down to a block of coal situated under the harbour between Ballast Point
Ballast Point, New South Wales
Ballast Point is a 2.6 hectare area located in Birchgrove at the tip of the Balmain Peninsula in the Municipality of Leichhardt in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and Goat Island
Goat Island (Port Jackson)
Goat Island is a rocky island in Sydney Harbour, in New South Wales, Australia. The island is some 400 m by 200 m in size and is located north-west of the Sydney central business district....
. Balmain Power Station
Balmain Power Station, New South Wales
The Balmain Power Station was located at Iron Cove, from Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The station no longer exists and residential properties now occupy the site...
was erected in stages from 1909 and the Balmain Reservoir
Balmain Reservoir
Balmain Reservoir is a 11 megalitre disused, covered reservoir located under Gladstone Park in Balmain, in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.-Description:...
was built in 1915.
The opening of the railway in the 1920s further established and Balmain gained a reputation as a rough working-class area of Sydney.
The coal mine closed in 1931. A large influx of immigrants boosted Balmain's population in the 1950s.
Gentrification of Balmain began in the 1960s as industry waned. Balmain's desirability to the middle class was due in part to its waterfront location and proximity to Sydney's CBD. The Balmain Association was formed in 1965.
Increasing property values and waterfront development continued to push the suburb's remaining industry out. In 1996, the Lever Brothers site became a series of apartment complexes with a handful of original buildings preserved. The power station was demolished in 1998 to make way for apartments. However many aspects of Balmain's industrial past have been retained as heritage.
Commercial area
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
. Landmarks on this street include the Post Office and Court House, alongside Balmain Town Hall, the historic Westpac Bank, Balmain Fire Station and Balmain Working Men's Institute. Other commercial developments are scattered throughout the suburb. The headquarters of the NSW Water Police moved to Cameron Cove in Balmain in late 2007.
Heritage
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
:
- Exchange Hotel, Beattie Street (circa 1885)
- Presbyterian Church, Campbell Street (1867–78)
- Presbyterian Church Hall, Campbell Street (late 19th century)
- Two-storey house, 9 Campbell Street (late 19th century)
- Presbyterian Manse, Campbell Street (late 1890s)
- St Andrew's Congregational Church and Hall, Darling Street (1855)
- Fire Station Darling Street (1894)
- Post Office, Court House and Police Station, Darling Street (1886)
- Watch House, Darling Street (1854)
- St Augustine's Catholic Church, Eaton Street (old church 1848-51, extensions 1860, new church 1906)
- Public School, Eaton Street (1876, extensions 1892)
- Public School, Nicholson Street (1877)
- Balmain Volunteer, Queens Place (1850)
- Terraces, 5-9 Queens Place (circa 1850)
- Thames Street Ferry Wharf and Shelter, Thames Street (circa 1895)
Parks and reserves
Balmain has a number of parks including Gladstone Park, Birrung Park and White Bay Park. The wider peninsula has many more parks in close proximity, particularly along the foreshores.Transport
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
wharves that are serviced by the Inner Harbour ferry services
Inner Harbour ferry services, Sydney
Inner Harbour ferry services connect suburbs on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour with Circular Quay by commuter ferry. The services are provided by Sydney Ferries Corporation, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. These routes are coloured light green, red, orange and lilac on the current...
. These wharves are located at Thames Street, Elliot Street and in Darling Street, Balmain East
Balmain East, New South Wales
Balmain East is a small suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain East is located three kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
. Services run to Circular Quay. Sydney Ferries maintenance and repair base is at Balmain Shipyard.
Single carriageway
A single carriageway is a road with 1, 2 or more lanes arranged within a single carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. Two-lane road or two-lane highway are single carriageway with one lane for each direction...
with parallel parking. Due to the geography of the peninsula, all of these roads feed into Victoria Street and the Western Distributor. The result is that Balmain is one of Sydney's worst suburbs for traffic congestion.
Trams once ran all the way down Darling Street to the Wharf at Balmain East. 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. Sydney Buses have now replaced these tram services. The Bus services that service Balmain are: 441 - Birchgrove to NSW Art Gallery via Rozelle, 442 - Balmain to QVB
Queen Victoria Building
The Queen Victoria Building, or QVB, is a late nineteenth century building by the architect George McRae in the central business district of Sydney, Australia. The Romanesque Revival building is 30 metres wide by 190 metres long, and fills a city block, bounded by George, Market, York and Druitt...
via Rozelle, 444/445 - Balmain to Campsie, 433 - Balmain to Millers Point.
Housing
The post-industrial gentrificationGentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
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. However, Balmain still retains a diverse mix of residents due to the Housing Commission unit blocks in the suburb.
Culture
Pubs and clubs
- Balmain is home to many historic hotels, including the Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Cricketer's Arms Hotel (now The Monkey Bar), Dick's HotelDick's HotelDick's Hotel was built in 1872 on the corner of Beattie and Montague Streets Balmain, an inner-west suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Dry Dock Hotel, Exchange Hotel, Forth & Clyde Hotel, Kent Hotel, London Hotel, Mort Bay Hotel, Norfolk Pines Hotel, Pacific Hotel, Riverview Hotel, Royal Oak Hotel, Shipwright's Arms HotelShipwright's Arms HotelThe Shipwright's Arms is an historic de-licensed pub in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Balmain East, looking out across Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge...
, Star Hotel, Town Hall Hotel, Volunteer Hotel and the West End Hotel.
- Balmain Sailing ClubBalmain Sailing ClubBalmain Sailing Club is a sailing club in Municipality of Leichhardt in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
is located in nearby BirchgroveBirchgrove, New South WalesBirchgrove is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Birchgrove is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
and is home to the annual Balmain Regatta.
Pop culture
Numerous phrases have been used to describe the suburb and its inhabitants, including "Balmain boys don't cry" (former NSW Premier Neville WranNeville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
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
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
commented on the suburb's gentrification by using the term "Basket weavers of Balmain".
In the mid-1960s Balmain was the setting for the popular Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
situation comedy series My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?
My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?
My Name's McGooley, What's Yours? was a popular Australian situation comedy series produced by ATN7 from 1966 to 1968.The situation involved a young couple, Wally and Rita Stiller , living in Balmain with Rita's father Dominic McGooley . Also in the regular cast was Stewart Ginn, and later Noeline...
, starring Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater
Gordon Chater was a comedian and actor.Chater attended Cambridge University to study to become a doctor but did not finish his degree. While at Cambridge he took part in many student revues.He arrived in Australia following World War II...
, John Meillon
John Meillon
John Meillon was an Australian actor, most widely known outside Australia for his role as Walter Reilly in the films "Crocodile" Dundee and "Crocodile" Dundee II. He also voiced Victoria Bitter beer commercials until his death.-Biography:Meillon was born in Mosman, Sydney...
and Judi Farr
Judi Farr
Judi Farr is an Australian theatre, film and television actor best known for several situation comedy roles on Australian television.She first became known for her role of Rita in the situation comedy My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?...
.
Balmain was the setting for the Australian film The Sum of Us
The Sum of Us
The Sum of Us is a play by David Stevens.The plot revolves around the comfortable relationship between widower Harry and his gay son Jeff and their individual searches for the right mate. Harry unconditionally loves his Rugby-playing son, and even takes an active part in Jeff's search for Mr. Right...
, which starred Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson (actor)
Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
, John Polson
John Polson
John Polson is an Australian actor, director and founder of Tropfest. In February 2001, Polson attended the 12th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Hokkaidō, Japan where his film Siam Sunset won the Minami Toshiko Award...
and Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
.
The Pacific Hotel was used as the set for the Australian television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
E Street
E Street
E Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by the Ten Network from 1989 to 1993.Whereas Neighbours is set in a middle-class suburb, Home and Away in a seaside town, and Richmond Hill a semi-rural ordinary community, E Street was set in a tough inner-city...
.
Sport and recreation
Balmain is home to the Wests TigersWests Tigers
The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs...
rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club. The club was formed in mid-1999 by a merger between Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
and Western Suburbs Magpies
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
in preparation for the 2000 season. In 2005 the Tigers defeated the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
in the Grand Final to win the premiership
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
.
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. 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 is still in existence and still upholds it proud history and traditions.
The suburb is also home to the Balmain Australian Football Club
Balmain Australian Football Club
Balmain Australian Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Sydney AFL league and based out of the Sydney suburb of Balmain.The club recently did a deal with the Fremantle Dockers, and are now known as the Balmain Dockers...
, a founding member in 1903 of the Sydney Football League.
Balmain is also home to Balmain SC
Balmain SC
Balmain Soccer Club also known as Balmain SC or Balmain FC is a semi-professional football club, based in the Inner West suburb of Balmain in Sydney. They played at the historic Birchgrove Oval, just west of Balmain, which is known to some as the home of Rugby League, when the Balmain Tigers Rugby...
, who are a semi-professional football club, playing in the NSW Super League, the league below the NSW Premier League.
Notable residents
- Geraldine Brooks, author and journalist
- Rose ByrneRose ByrneMary Rose Byrne is an Australian actress.Byrne made her screen debut in 1994 with a small role in the film Dallas Doll...
, actress - CarlottaCarlottaCarlotta is an Australian cabaret performer and television celebrity. She began her career as an original member of the long-running Les Girls cabaret show, performed entirely by heavily costumed males, which started in 1963 in the purpose built Les Girls building which stood on a prominent...
, entertainer - Dawn FraserDawn FraserDawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
, former champion swimmer - Sir John Kerr, former Governor-General of AustraliaGovernor-General of AustraliaThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
- Alex LloydAlex LloydAlex Lloyd is an Australian singer-songwriter. His most popular album Watching Angels Mend, which includes the songs "Amazing" and "Green", was released in 2001 went double platinum. His third album Distant Light released in 2003 featured three songs that made the Australian top 40 singles charts...
, singer/songwriter - Lottie LyellLottie LyellLottie Lyell was an Australian actress, screenwriter, editor and filmmaker born in Balmain, Sydney in 1890. She is regarded as Australia’s first film star, and also contributed to the local industry during the silent era with her collaborations with Raymond Longford.-Career:Charlotte Cox pursued...
, actress - Frank MoorhouseFrank MoorhouseFrank Moorhouse is an acclaimed Australian writer with a growing international reputation. He has won major Australian national prizes for the short story, the novel, the essay, and for script writing....
, author and screenwriterScreenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:... - George NegusGeorge NegusGeorge Edward Negus is an Australian author, journalist, and television presenter. He previously presented 6:30 with George Negus on Network Ten, until it was axed by the Network on 19 October 2011.-Education:...
, journalist and author - Nick OriglassNick OriglassNick Origlass was an Australian Trotskyist notable for his electoral success in becoming mayor of Balmain, an unusual feat for a revolutionary in Australia, and an unusual electoral success within Trotskyism's international history. Origlass became mayor on a Balmain Labour Party ticket...
, former Trotskyite mayor of Balmain - Henry ParkesHenry ParkesSir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
, former Premier of New South WalesPremiers of New South WalesThe Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature... - Wayne PearceWayne PearceWayne John Pearce OAM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. An athletic Lock Forward for the Balmain Tigers, he was affectionately known as 'Junior'...
, former rugby leagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player - Josh PykeJosh PykeJosh Pyke is an Australian singer-songwriting musician.-Beginnings and Feeding the Wolves :Josh Pyke was in his first band by age 12 and played his first performance in front of 650 parents and students at his primary school graduation. Playing guitar and initial song writing efforts came aged 14...
, musician - Tom UrenTom UrenThomas Uren, AO was a Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party. He helped establish the heritage and conservation movement in Australia and, in particular, worked to preserve the heritage of inner Sydney.-Early life:...
, former WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
Government Minister - Neville WranNeville WranNeville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
, former Premier of New South WalesPremiers of New South WalesThe Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...