Point Piper, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Eastern Suburbs (Sydney)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...
suburb
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...
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...
. It is located six kilometres east 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 known as the Municipality of Woollahra
Municipality of Woollahra
The Municipality of Woollahra is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The administrative centre of the Municipality of Woollahra is located on New South Head Road at Double Bay....
.
Point Piper is generally regarded as the most exclusive residential suburb in Australia. Wolseley Road, Point Piper is currently ranked the 9th most expensive street in the world, at $20,900 per square metre.
Location
The suburb of Point Piper sits on Sydney Harbour, beside the suburbs of Rose BayRose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
, Bellevue Hill
Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
Bellevue Hill is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bellevue Hill is an affluent suburb, located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra....
and Double Bay
Double Bay, New South Wales
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Double Bay is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra.Double Bay takes its name...
. The streets in Point Piper are: Buckhurst Avenue, Longworth Avenue, New South Head Road, Redvers Street, Wolseley Road
Wolseley Road
Located in Point Piper, Sydney, Australia, Wolseley Road is the most expensive residential road/street in Australia and its status stands as Australia's ultimate address, with 16 of the top 100 most expensive houses in Sydney being located on this road....
, Wolseley Crescent, Wingadal Place, Wentworth Place, Wentworth Street, Wunulla Road, Wyuna Road.
History
Point Piper was named after Captain John PiperJohn Piper (military officer)
John Piper was a military officer, public servant and landowner in the colony of New South Wales.Piper was born in Maybole, Ayrshire Scotland, son of Hugh Piper, a doctor; his family came from Cornwall. He was commissioned as an ensign in the New South Wales Corps in 1791, and sailed on the...
(1773–1851). Piper was a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
-born military officer of Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
parentage, who arrived in the colony in 1792 and built a neo-Palladian mansion on the point, on 190 acre (0.7689034 km²) of land granted by the governor in 1816. After a review of Piper's performance as head of the Customs Department showed that he had mismanaged funds (although he was not actually accused of being corrupt), Piper attempted to drown himself in Sydney Harbour. He subsequently sold his holdings at Point Piper, Rose Bay
Rose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
, Neutral Bay
Neutral Bay, New South Wales
Neutral Bay is a harbourside suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is located 5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council....
, and Petersham
Petersham, New South Wales
Petersham is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Petersham is located 6 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Marrickville Council...
, for £5,000 and moved to the country.
In 1834, Piper's former residence was leased by Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873), the newly arrived Collector of Customs for New South Wales and a Crown appointee to the colony's Legislative Council. Colonel Gibbes and his family resided at Point Piper House (also known as Henrietta, or Naval, Villa) until 1844, when they moved to "Wotonga" on Kirribilli Point. Wotonga now forms part of Admiralty House
Admiralty House, Sydney
Admiralty House is the official Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia. It is located in the suburb of Kirribilli, on the northern foreshore of Sydney Harbour . This large, Italianate, sandstone mansion occupies the tip of Kirribilli Point...
. Unfortunately, Point Piper House was torn down in the 1850s and the site redeveloped.
Commercial area
Point Piper does not have a commercial area, and has few amenities or public facilities. The closest commercial areas are in nearby suburbs such as Rose BayRose Bay, New South Wales
Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Municipal Council and Woollahra Council .Rose Bay has views of both the Sydney...
and Double Bay
Double Bay, New South Wales
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Double Bay is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra.Double Bay takes its name...
.
Beaches and reserves
- Duff Reserve - off Wolseley RoadWolseley RoadLocated in Point Piper, Sydney, Australia, Wolseley Road is the most expensive residential road/street in Australia and its status stands as Australia's ultimate address, with 16 of the top 100 most expensive houses in Sydney being located on this road....
, deep water point, popular for weddings and picnics - Lady Martin's Beach - off Wunulla Road
- Seven Shillings Beach - off New South Head RoadNew South Head Road, SydneyNew South Head Road, is a major road in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The road runs north-east from Rushcutters Bay through Edgecliff, Double Bay, Point Piper, Rose Bay and Vaucluse where it finally merges into Old South Head Road.-Maroo Track:...
- Redleaf Pool - off New South Head Road, on Seven Shillings Beach
Clubs
- The Scots CollegeThe Scots CollegeFor other schools with a similar name see Scots College.The Scots College is an independent Presbyterian day and boarding school for boys, located in Bellevue Hill, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
rowing shed - off Wolseley RoadWolseley RoadLocated in Point Piper, Sydney, Australia, Wolseley Road is the most expensive residential road/street in Australia and its status stands as Australia's ultimate address, with 16 of the top 100 most expensive houses in Sydney being located on this road.... - Royal Motor Yacht Club - 21 Wunulla Road
- Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club
Housing
Point Piper is home to some of the most expensive and exclusive homes in Australia. There are only eleven streets in Point Piper; the main road is Wolseley RoadWolseley Road
Located in Point Piper, Sydney, Australia, Wolseley Road is the most expensive residential road/street in Australia and its status stands as Australia's ultimate address, with 16 of the top 100 most expensive houses in Sydney being located on this road....
. The price per sqm of real estate in Point Piper is one of the most expensive in the world; property writer Cindy Martin calculated in 2002 that the total value of the properties on the 1 km waterfront section of Wolseley Road was A$720 million.
John Symond
John Symond
John Symond is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the founder of Aussie Home Loans. -Early life:John Symond was born on 17 August 1947 in Crookwell, New South Wales and raised in Sydney, Australia. Growing up he spent most of his time between Brisbane, where his mother's family lived,...
's mansion on Wingadal Place, reportedly cost over $70M to build (excluding land), easily making it Australia's most expensive, privately owned residential home. In 2007, Altona (Australia's second most expensive house) was listed for more than A$50 million.
Craig-y-Mor is a non-waterfront house on Wolseley Road. Australia's second most expensive residential property, it sold in 2008 for $32.4 million. It was previously owned by Rene Rivkin
Rene Rivkin
Rene Rivkin was an Australian entrepreneur, investor, investment adviser, and stockbroker. He was a well-known stockbroker in Australia for many years until his death in 2005.-Early life:...
, who sold it to businessman Ben Tilley in 2004 for $16.15 million. The house has six bedrooms and a nine-car garage.
Wolseley Road is the World's 10th most expensive residential street at up to $38,000 a square metre.
Notable residents
Point Piper is an affluent residential area, home to many prominent Australians including:- Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm TurnbullMalcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...
, former Federal Opposition Leader and Member for WentworthDivision of WentworthThe Division of Wentworth is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was proclaimed in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. The Division is named after William Charles Wentworth , a noted Australian explorer and statesman... - Frank LowyFrank LowyFrank Lowy, AC is an Australian-Israeli businessman. He is a co-founder of the Westfield Group, operator of over 100 shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Great Britain...
- The Westfield GroupThe Westfield GroupThe Westfield Group is an Australian shopping centre group undertaking ownership, development, design, construction, funds/asset management, property management, leasing and marketing activities...
founder and boss - John SymondJohn SymondJohn Symond is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the founder of Aussie Home Loans. -Early life:John Symond was born on 17 August 1947 in Crookwell, New South Wales and raised in Sydney, Australia. Growing up he spent most of his time between Brisbane, where his mother's family lived,...
- Founder of Aussie Home Loans - Julia Ross - Recruitment executive, Ross Human Directions Ltd.
- Denis James O'Neil - Developer and former Olympian
- Jonathan Spicer - Architect and founder of the Pure Series Music events.
Notable former residents
- Bruce JacksonBruce Jackson (audio engineer)Bruce Jackson was an Australian audio engineer who co-founded JANDS, an Australian audio, lighting and staging company. He joined American touring audio engineer Roy Clair and mixed concert stage monitors for Elvis Presley in the 1970s. With Clair Brothers, a concert sound company, Jackson...
(deceased) - Audio engineer, lived in his youth at the mansion Altona - James Haydon Leslie Arnott - CEO Arnott's Biscuits (deceased) William Arnott's eldest son lived in Wyuna Rd
- Rene RivkinRene RivkinRene Rivkin was an Australian entrepreneur, investor, investment adviser, and stockbroker. He was a well-known stockbroker in Australia for many years until his death in 2005.-Early life:...
- Stockbroker (deceased) - Sir Frank RenoufFrank RenoufSir Francis Henry "Frank" Renouf was a prominent New Zealand tycoon and financier. His obituary in the Dominion was headed: "Flamboyant Renouf shook starch out of financial world"....
- New Zealand financier (deceased) - Lachlan MurdochLachlan MurdochLachlan Keith Murdoch is the eldest son of Australian-American media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his second wife Anna Torv. He resigned from his executive positions at News Corporation on 29 July 2005...
- Elder son of media mogul, Rupert Murdoch