Ballast Point (New South Wales)

Ballast Point Park
Ballast Point Park
	Ballast Point, pictured in 2013
Type	Urban park
Location	Ballast Point Road, Birchgrove, Inner West Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°51′09″S 151°11′22″E / 33.852395°S 151.189416°E
Area	2.6 hectares (6.4 acres)
Created	11 July 2009
Operated by	Inner West Council
Open	24 hours
Status	Open all year
Website	www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/explore/parks-sport-and-recreation/parks-and-playgrounds/parks-by-suburb/birchgrove-parks/ballast-point-park

Ballast Point is a 2.6-hectare (6-acre) urban park located in Birchgrove at the tip of the Balmain Peninsula in the Inner West Council local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The park is located adjacent to the point of the same name, situated between Snails Bay and Mort Bay in Sydney Harbour.

History

Between 1788 and 1800, the point was used as a fishing and hunting ground for European settlers and as a source of

shillings and the area then became known as Gilchrist's place. In 1833, Gilchrist transferred power of attorney

to Frederick Parbury who, three years later, commissioned surveyor John Armstrong to lay out sub divisions. This survey formed the basis of sales between 1836 and 1841.

Ballast Point was sold by Parbury to Cooper (NSW Controller of Customs and later Superintendent of Distilleries) and McLean in 1840 but a default in the mortgage saw the land transfer to James Tod Goodsir in February 1841 for A£700. Only seven months later, Ballast Point was sold to Andrew Blowers Smith and Henry Smith for A£500. The land was advertised for sale in 1842 but severe colonial depression forced withdrawal of the sale.

Merchant and draper Thomas Perkins, purchased the two-hectare (five-acre) site for A£300 in 1852 and in 1864 built the only house thought to have existed on the site, Menevia. From this point until 1875 the site was known as Menevia Point after the residence and from 1884 to 1928 was known as Perkins Point after Mrs Perkins who lived in the house. In 1905 the land passed to Henry Thomas Perkins, a barrister living in Surrey, England, who never took up residence at the site. From 1893 to at least 1915 Menevia was used as a boarding house and possibly still operated as such in the early 1920s. By 1928, Menevia had fallen into disrepair and the site was purchased by Texaco (later Caltex) who demolished the house to make way for a fuel depot, manufacturing and packaging facility. Ballast Point formed Texaco's major distribution point in Sydney and continued until the 1990s.^[1]

In September 2002, the derelict site was returned to public ownership after compulsory purchase for A$24 million by the NSW Government. Caltex had planned to sell the site to the Walker Corporation for development of residential units. A legal dispute ensued over the amount paid for the purchase but an initial win by the developers was overturned by the NSW Court of Appeal. Significant community support for public ownership had occurred with the activist group "Save Ballast Point", which was formed in 1984, claiming to have in excess of 500 members.^[2]

Current use

Ballast Point Park is now owned by the Placemaking NSW and has been redeveloped into a public recreation space.^[3] The park was designed by the McGregor Coxall Landscape Architecture and Urban Design studio from Sydney. Ballast Point Park opened to the public on 11 July 2009. The opening was attended by local state member Verity Firth and NSW Premier Nathan Rees. The A$16 million project included demolition and decontamination of the derelict industrial site with construction of steel stairways, recycled building rubble walls, artworks, shade structures, wind turbines and Australian native gardens.^[4]

References

^ "Leichhardt Development Control Plan Part-A" (PDF). Leichhardt Municipal Council. 2000.
^ Gee, P. (March 2002). "Ballast Point Victory". Village Voice Balmain. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
^ "Ballast Point". Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. Retrieved 1 June 2006.
^ Malkin, B. (6 October 2005). "Ballast Point: from oil terminal to public park". The Sydney Morning Herald.

Bibliography

Solling, M; Reynolds, P; Leichhardt: On the margins of the city, Allen & Unwin, 1997,
ISBN 1-86448-408-X
.

Lawrence, J; Warne, C; A Pictorial History of Balmain to Glebe, Kingsclear Books, 1995,
ISBN 0-908272-40-5
.

External links

Official website
Reynolds, Peter (2008). "Ballast Point". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2015. [CC-By-SA]
"Local images". InnerWest ImageBank. Leichhardt Council. n.d. Archived from the original on 29 August 2006.^{[dead link]}
Local History Collection, Leichhardt Council

[1] "Leichhardt Development Control Plan Part-A" (PDF). Leichhardt Municipal Council. 2000.

[2] Gee, P. (March 2002). "Ballast Point Victory". Village Voice Balmain. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.

[3] "Ballast Point". Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. Retrieved 1 June 2006.

[4] Malkin, B. (6 October 2005). "Ballast Point: from oil terminal to public park". The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Major centres and localities	Central Business District Chatswood Chinatown Kings Cross North Sydney Parramatta Pitt Street Mall The Rocks
Urban renewal projects	Barangaroo Bays Precinct Central Park Darling Harbour Green Square Sydney Olympic Park Waterloo
Parks and nature	Auburn Botanic Gardens Balaka Falls Balls Head Reserve Bents Basin Berowra Valley National Park Bicentennial Park Bland Oak Blue Mountains National Park Brenan Park Centennial Parklands Central Gardens Nature Reserve Chinese Garden of Friendship Chipping Norton Lake Cronulla sand dunes Fairfield Park Precinct Farm Cove Featherdale Wildlife Park Field of Mars Reserve Fred Hollows Reserve Garigal National Park Garawarra Conservation Area Georges River National Park Heathcote National Park Hyde Park Kamay Botany Bay National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase Lake Parramatta Lane Cove National Park Macquarie Place Mrs Macquarie's Chair Paddington Reservoir Parramatta Park Prospect dolerite intrusion Prospect Hill Prospect Nature Reserve Rosford Street Reserve Royal Botanic Garden Royal National Park Sydney Harbour National Park Sydney Park The Domain Western Sydney Parklands Western Sydney Regional Park Wetherill Park Nature Reserve
Cultural institutions	Art Gallery of New South Wales Australian Museum Australian National Maritime Museum Chau Chak Wing Museum Harry's Cafe de Wheels Manly Art Gallery and Museum Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Sydney Justice and Police Museum Powerhouse Museum Sea Life Sydney Aquarium State Library Sydney Conservatorium of Music Sydney Zoo Taronga Zoo
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Beaches	Bondi Cronulla Manly Palm
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v t e Parks and gardens in Sydney, Australia
In the Sydney local government area	Balfour Street Park Barangaroo Reserve Belmore Park Centennial Parklands Centennial Park Moore Park Chinese Garden of Friendship The Domain Hyde Park Jessie Street Gardens Macquarie Place Park Observatory Park Paddington Reservoir Prince Alfred Park Redfern Park Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Cove West Archaeological Precinct Sydney Park Victoria Park Wentworth Park Wild Life Sydney Wynyard Park
In all other local government areas	Anderson Park, Neutral Bay Angophora Reserve Astrolabe Park Auburn Botanic Gardens Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan Ballast Point Balls Head Reserve Bede Spillane Gardens Ben Buckler Park Bents Basin State Conservation Area Berowra Valley Regional Park Bicentennial Park Birchgrove Park Bradleys Head Brenan Park Brickpit Ring Walk Burwood Park Carss Bush Park Centenary Park Centenary Square Centennial Parklands Centennial Park Moore Park Queen's Park Central Gardens Nature Reserve Chipping Norton Lake Coral Sea Park Fagan Park Fairfield Park Precinct Ferndale Park Fred Hollows Reserve Garawarra State Conservation Area Garigal National Park Garrison Point George Kendall Riverside Park Georges River National Park Grey Box Reserve Heathcote National Park Iloura Reserve Ivanhoe Park Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve Kamay Botany Bay National Park Kellys Bush Park Koala Park Sanctuary Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Lake Parramatta Reserve Lane Cove Bushland Park Lane Cove National Park Louise Sauvage Pathway Lower Prospect Canal Reserve Magdala Park McLeod Reserve Moore Reserve Moore Reserve, Oatley Mortdale Memorial Park Muston Park Nielsen Park Nurragingy Reserve Oatley Park Oatley Pleasure Grounds Oatley Point Reserve Oxford Falls Peace Park Parramatta Park Penrith Lakes Regional Park Petersham Park Prince Alfred Square Prospect Hill Prospect Nature Reserve Queen Elizabeth Park Rockdale Bicentennial Park Rofe Park Rosford Street Reserve Rowland Park St Leonards Park St Thomas Rest Park Sydney Harbour National Park Sydney Zoo Tania Park Taronga Zoo Terry Lamb Complex Wadim (Bill) Jegorow Reserve Wallumatta Nature Reserve Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator, Willoughby Waverley Cemetery Western Sydney Parklands Western Sydney Regional Park Wetherill Park Nature Reserve Yellomundee Regional Park Yurulbin Park
Parks and gardens in New South Wales

History

Current use

See also

References

Bibliography

External links