The Spit is an urban locality in the 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 Mosman

Mosman, New South Wales

Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman.-Localities:In February...

 in 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...

, 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...

. The Spit is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman

Municipality of Mosman

The Municipality of Mosman is a Local Government Area on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Demographics :According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics...

 and is part of the Lower North Shore.

Landmarks

The Spit protrudes off Beauty Point

Beauty Point, New South Wales

Beauty Point is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman and is part of the Lower North Shore.-History:...

 and is home to the Spit Bridge

Spit Bridge

The Spit Bridge is a bascule bridge that carries Spit Road over Middle Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, at a point called "The Spit", 10 km north-east of the CBD. It connects the suburbs of Mosman, on the south bank and Seaforth, on the north bank...

, a bascule bridge opened in 1958 over Middle Harbour

Middle Harbour

Middle Harbour is the northern arm of Port Jackson in Sydney, Australia.Middle Harbour extends about to the northwest, from where it joins the main harbour near the Heads. Its shore is nearly everywhere rugged, barren and forested and for this reason Middle Harbour was almost entirely neglected...

. The bridge opens at set times to allow yachts with high masts to pass. The Spit is the site of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club and a marina.

History

From as early as 1834, a ferry operated by Barney Kearns carried passengers across the waters of Middle Harbour

Middle Harbour

Middle Harbour is the northern arm of Port Jackson in Sydney, Australia.Middle Harbour extends about to the northwest, from where it joins the main harbour near the Heads. Its shore is nearly everywhere rugged, barren and forested and for this reason Middle Harbour was almost entirely neglected...

. From the 1850s, a punt

Punt (boat)

A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole...

 operated by Peter Ellery, carried passengers across for sixpence and horse-drawn vehicles were charged 1s 6d. If the horses swam across, there was a reduction of sixpence. In 1889, it was replaced by a government steam punt. A wooden bridge was opened in 1924 after the electric tram

Trams in Sydney

The Sydney tramway network once served Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia. In its heyday, it was the largest in Australia, the second largest in the Commonwealth , and one of the largest in the world. It was extremely intensively worked, with about 1,600 cars in service at any...

 lines were extended to the Spit. This was replaced by the bascule bridge in 1958, which was needed to cope with heavy traffic from the Sydney CBD to the Northern Beaches

Northern Beaches (Sydney)

The Northern Beaches is an informal term used to describe the northern coastal suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean...

. Chinamans Beach was named after the Chinese residents who had market gardens and salt pans there.