Community History | Kimberley Estate

Rosebery

Rosebery was once part of a vast sand dune system. It provided habitat for a range of fauna and was a good food source for the Gadigal, the local Aboriginal people.

The land that today incorporates the areas of Alexandria, Waterloo, Zetland and Rosebery was originally one large estate granted to former convict and public servant William Hutchinson in 1823. The estate was sold to Daniel Cooper and Solomon Levy in 1825 before Cooper became its sole owner in 1833.

The suburb of Rosebery derives its name from Archibald Primrose, Earl of Rosebery and Prime Minister of England from 1894-95, who visited Sydney in 1883-84. Rosebery was once popular for its racecourse, which opened in 1906.

The Rosebery Estate was planned as a model industrial suburb by John Sulman and developed by Stanton and Sons between 1911 and 1920. The land was purchased for £24,000 in 1912 by the Town Planning Company of Australia, as part of 273 acres of the Waterloo Estate. John Sulman exhibited his design for Rosebery in the Town Planning Association of NSW exhibition in 1913. Most lots were still vacant up to 1924, possibly due to the outbreak of World War I.

Rosebery was one of the first planned suburbs in Sydney. Its detached housing for workers was located close to industrial employment sites. Sulman’s plan also incorporated commercial, recreational and community facilities.

With the decline of secondary industry since the 1970s, young families and urban professionals moved in. Today, the high demand for inner city living has resulted in such developments as the Green Square project, which is transforming the area into a lively residential precinct.

Frogs

In the mid-1990s, Meriton planned a major apartment development at Dalmeny Avenue and Kimberley Grove in Rosebery. The area was home to the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog, protected under environmental laws. Meriton needed an Endangered Fauna Licence and was required to reduce the development’s impact on the frog population. As part of the conditions, a frog pond and bog garden were established to house the displaced frogs; however, studies show that the species often favours disturbed areas, like former sand mining sites, over artificial habitats.

Despite environmental concerns, Meriton secured approval in 1995 to build around 750 apartments on the 70,000 square metre site. Known as Kimberley Estate, it became the company’s largest project at the time. The project illustrated the challenges of balancing urban growth with biodiversity protection and highlights the importance of strong environmental oversight in planning decisions.