Woolloomooloo | The Dictionary of Sydney

Once a desirable bayside address east of central Sydney, the area grew more congested and grimy as the wharves expanded and the boarding houses and pubs gave refuge to larrikin gangs and petty criminals. Though now bisected by freeways and rail it is slowly reclaiming its heritage and character with extensive residential development and sympathetic landscaping.

-33.865598008456, 151.22176800018

Name

Colloquial

The Loo

Property

Administered by

City of Sydney Council

Part of

City of Sydney local government area

Type

Suburb

Shirley Fitzgerald

2008

Woolloomooloo's chequered history includes its past as a Gadigal hunting ground and ceremonial space, its subsequent use for farming and country housing for Sydney's elite, and its evolution into an area of workers cottages and maritime industry. From the 1970s new residents joined with unions and locals to preserve Woolloomooloo from developers.

Jennifer Preston

2018

McElhone Stairs in Woollomooloo is one of three stairways that connect Brougham Street to Victoria Street the others being Hordern Stairs and Butler Stairs). The wide variety of experiences encountered on the stairs, from the arduous nature of the climb, the vibrant and colourful users, the sexual encounters and the physical dangers have given them a special place in Sydney's artistic history.

Jennifer Preston

2018

Stairways such as Butler Stairs were part of the Sydney City Council’s Victorian infrastructure boom, and the sophisticated level to which these stairways are detailed shows a level of civic pride and financial investment in pedestrian infrastructure that had not been undertaken previously in the city.