The history
of Aboriginal people in the balmain area is, without doubt, a hidden one.
What we know as the Leichhardt Municipality was once the area
inhabited by the Wangal band of the Dharug (Eora) language group. The "Eora
people" was the name given to coastal Aborigines around Sydney - Eora means
"from this place" - local Aboriginal people used this word to describe to
Europeans where they came from, and in time the term became used to define
Aboriginal people themselves. Wangal country was known as wanne and it
originally extended from the suburbs of Balmain and Birchgrove in the east
to Silverwater and Auburn in the west.
(refer to
Land of the Eora)
the area of
balmain has had many names, ross' farm, grose hill, gilchrist place, balmain
point & waterview. the name Ross' farm refers to an unregistered land grant
made to major robert ross ,the lieutenant governor & commandant of the
marine detachment, possibly made to simulate the cultivation & clearing of
the land. although no documentation exists the date of 1788 is believed to
be accurate. 13 dec 1794 judge advocate david collins granted land in the
area by lieutenant governor grose , this grant ,called grose hill has yet to
be properly identified.(see
streets, lanes & places 1836-2005 published by the balmain association 1994)
the first
documented land granted on the peninsula was in 1796 by gov. hunter called
Whitfield's farm and covered the areas now referred to as snails bay, long
nose point & birchgrove. (the northern side of the peninsula) this farm was
sold to john birch in 1810.
the second
documented
land grant on the peninsula was 500
acres granted in 1800 to the principal surgeon for the colony william
balmain along the southern side, this area became rozelle & balmain. this
grant to balmain ignores all previous grants made on the peninsula. this
land grant is transferred to john gilchrist of calcutta
before william balmain returns to england due to ill health.
the transfer fee being 5 shillings.
in 1823 gilchrist advertised his land for sale however this was
unsuccessful.
the first subdivision sale was
advertised by agents acting on behalf of john gillchrist in 1836-ten acres
adjacent to waterview bay are sold by private treaty.
the second subdivision sale
comprised 22 plots all with water frontage and took place some 60 days after
the waterview sale. this land was further sub divided throughout the 1840s.
