Yurulbin Park and Foreshore

Item details


Name of item:	Yurulbin Park and Foreshore
Other name/s:	Yurulbin Park, Yurulbin Point, Birchgrove estate, Yerroulbin, Yerroulbin Point Reserve, Whitfield's Farm, Birch Grove, Long Nose Point, Long Nose Point Park
Type of item:	Landscape
Group/Collection:	Parks, Gardens and Trees
Category:	Reserve
Primary address:	Louisa Road, Birchgrove, NSW 2041
Parish:	Petersham
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Inner West
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1	DP	1112881
LOT	2	DP	179069
LOT	3	DP	179069
Lot	4	DP	179069
LOT	5	DP	179069
LOT	6	DP	179069
LOT	1	DP	192096
LOT	2	DP	192096
LOT	1	DP	573639
LOT	1	DP	860477

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Louisa Road	Birchgrove	Inner West	Petersham	Cumberland	Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	Yurulbin Park and Foreshore is of State significance as one of the earliest attempts to reclaim the qualities of a pre-colonial landscape in a modern Sydney urban park. As an example of the transformation of industrial land to public use, it was instrumental in changing public expectations in the design of public open space. It is also significant as an important site of reconciliation between Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous Australians, symbolised as the place where the Australian Government's Local Government Reconciliation Program was launched in 1994. The early 1970s reconstructed foreshore landscape, a style later termed 'Alternative Parkland' by its principal designer Bruce Mackenzie, is intact. The park is associated with the State Planning Authority chairman and planner Nigel Ashton and Lindsay Robertson, the Authority's first landscape architect, and their innovative vision for Sydney Harbour. It is associated with Bruce Mackenzie and Associates who designed and established the park and contributed to the formation of a relatively rare cultural landscape that demonstrates the ecological and aesthetic landscape philosophies of the Sydney Bush School of the 1970s. Yurulbin Park and Foreshore is significant as a parkland where nature, manufactured elements and outstanding views framed by carefully placed trees are combined to create a landscape of high aesthetic quality. The place retains evidence of its early use as a shipyard accommodated through the shaping of the point's underlying sandstone geology, shipyard ramp, platform jutting over the water and slipway. It is an early example of incorporation of its previous maritime history into the park's design through the using recycled materials.
	Date significance updated: 20 Jan 25
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Bruce Mackenzie and Catherin Bull (Bruce Mackenzie and Associates)
Builder/Maker:	Landscape contractor: Frank McWilliam; stone mason: Ted Motley
Construction years:	1973-1976
Physical description:	Boundary description: Yurulbin Park and Foreshore, formerly Long Nose Point Park and Reserve is on a narrow spit of land, extending c.500m into the harbour at the end of Balmain Peninsula, at Birchgrove, off the eastern end of Louisa Road. It is on an important geographical feature of the Middle Harbour due to the proximity of Mann's Point on the north and narrowing of the channel in this location. Yurulbin Park and Foreshore includes Yurulbin Park, south of the road reservation for Louisa Road, and foreshore reserve land to the north of the road reservation for Louisa Road and excluding private property. The legal boundary descriptions of park and foreshore combined with a boundary set c.50m off shore as the recommended curtilage. Yurulbin Park occupies the southeastern tip of the point and Yerroulbin Point Reserve wraps around the point to the north, creating a border of public land at the eastern end of Birchgrove. Yurulbin Park is 0.6ha (1.5 acres)(Mayne-Wilson, 2013). It is broadly triangular with two sides facing the harbour. Its northwestern edge adjoins the public access to the Birchgrove ferry jetty. This jetty and its immediate environs are excluded from the recommended curtilage. The park's southern edge adjoins Snails Bay. Plantings and park elements: Large fig trees including Port Jackson or rusty fig (Ficus rubiginosa) and small-leaved or Hill's fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hillii) mark Yurulbin Park and Foreshore's upper entrance and provide screening between an adjacent residence on Louisa Road. The upper level of Yurulbin Park passes a 'lookout' area of rock outcrop to a central, grassed play area framed by trees and reveals how natural sandstone was quarried to create spaces for industrial buildings. Vertically worked cliff faces remain as evidence of this. Walls and paths of reclaimed quarried stone are worked into the park's design (AILA 2018). An upper level of car park, turning circle and central small lawn provide a viewing area and cater for passive recreation. The existing exposed rock shelf on this upper level creates an ideal lookout, with the addition of a stone sitting wall. Ridge crest natural sandstone rock platforms and seating space allow harbour views framed by mature trees. Yurulbin Park and Foreshore provides visual links to other headlands and foreshores nearby: Balls Head, Waverton; Mann's Point, Greenwich; Berry Island and Wollstonecraft foreshores; Blues Point, McMahons Point, Me-mel (Goat Island), Barangaroo Headland and Ballast Point, East Balmain (AILA 2018; NTA (NSW) 1990). Seating is at various levels, with each seat positioned to enjoy its particular outlook. Elsewhere, visitors can explore a series of spaces tucked into levels and crannies. Small boats can land passengers on the southern jetty, or water access via Birchgrove ferry wharf. The stone ramp and (boat launching) slipway at the park's east associated with former shipyard use were retained and are a prominent feature. The ramp and slipway were restored as bare rock, combined with a sandstone rubble-based concrete. Recycled building stone and wharf pile timbers were used, including as stone steps, walls and simple timber seating platforms. Upright power pole sections were used as a retaining wall. A prominent built feature is a stepped timber structure of wharf piles near the eastern point (facing Snails Bay). It is both play structure and elevated viewing platform, with unrestricted views to Me-mel Goat Island, Barangaroo Headland, Sydney city and Harbour Bridge. Its form is in part inspired by a pre-existing wharf here. Paths lead into the park from Birchgrove ferry wharf and along the passageway, following what was once a service line cut through rock. The original design brief clearly stated that the park be screened from the water by trees. The harbourside 'bushland' theme shared the approach at llloura Reserve and reflected the vegetated headlands of Berry Island and Balls Head nearby (Mackenzie 2011). Key native vegetation communities within the park vary, based on topography. There is a distinct, ecologically based progression from she oaks at the water's edge, through tea tree and native rosemary, to honey myrtles and eucalypts. The mature figs that edge Yurulbin Park's upper edge define the beginning of the adjoining urban area. The main tree species around the foreshore are black she oak (Allocasuarina littoralis) . Other trees include gums (bangalay, scribbly gum, swamp mahogany, red bloodwood and Sydney red gum), turpentine, paperbark and coastal honeysuckle. Bulky shrubs and small trees include: hairpin banksia, she-oak, hakeas, snow-in-summer, coastal tea tree, spider flowers, bottle brush, native fuschia, geebungs, native rosemary and wattles. Ground covers include running postman, matt rush, native violets and mat rush. Two glazed ceramic tile plaques on low flat rocks near the upper entry and another low rock with circular 'drinking hole' in front, give some Aboriginal interpretation of the place's long uses, such as fishing by Aboriginal men and boys with spears, woomera and nawi or canoes, and women and children's fishing, with nawi, lines and hooks. An aluminium sign gives interpretation of broader pre- and post-contact era Aboriginal Sydney and the local area. Another plaque marks the 1994 reconciliation ceremony when the park and point were renamed Yurulbin Point. After 36 years of revegetation, Yurulbin Park is heavily vegetated, in sharp contrast to the bare slopes and platforms of rock shown in 1970s photographs (AILA 2018; Mackenzie 2011; NTA (NSW) 1990).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The park's structural elements are in general in good condition through replacement of timber elements as necessary and repairs of seawall. For a park now 40 years old, its layout, canopy planting and structural elements comprising its 1970s design are remarkably intact. Some wooden posts have been painted green, which is unsympathetic. Large specimens of a succulent, possibly Mauritius hemp, a plant associated with old gardens, are features of Yurulbin Park, although it is unclear whether these are part of the 1970s planting. Fountain grass, a decorative exotic grass introduced since c.2000 has colonised pockets of planted areas but does not detract from the park's visual appeal (AILA 2018).
	Date condition updated:02 Dec 24
Modifications and dates:	c.1800 George Whitfield likely cleared part to his grant create an orange grove (Cosmos Archaeology 2020). c.1810+ further clearing likely for John Birch's Birch Grove Estate Date unclear: first industrial occupant: cooper Alexander Cormack used the site (AILA 2018), - a jetty 21' long and 14' wide built on piles off end of Louisa Road (Cosmos Archaeology 2020). 1850 - 1900 clearing, possible c.1900 quarrying or dumping of stone on site 1860: subdivision of Yurulbin Point land - limited sales and perhaps development. Further clearing likely. By early 1890s: seawall built around Yurulbin Point's eastern tip, a large brick building and store yard for Cormack's cooperage. Jetty used as occasional stop for steamers up the Parramatta River (Cosmos Archaeology 2020). c.1900 Yurulbin Point devoid of trees, except on on its tip 1905: postcard suggesting either quarrying of stone at, or excess building stone dumped on, the point (AILA 2018) 1908: regular ferry service from Long Nose Point by Sydney Ferries Early 1910s: North Sydney's electric tram network additional power supply connected from White Bay power station (opened 1913) via submarine electricity cables, laid between Yurulbin Point and Manns Point, Greenwich - 1913 - 24 construction of tunnel for electricity cables. Obsolete by 1960s, and in 1969 electricity supply disconnected (Cosmos Archaeology 2020). 1917 - 1920: Wallace Powerboat Building Company further developed the site. 1923 - 1971 Morrison & Sinclair shipyard and related maritime industrial uses. Design, construction, repair of ships, ferries, yachts. By 1923, three additional slipways on south-eastern tip of Yurulbin Point, a large wharf facility on its southern side facing into Snails Bay. By mid-1920s the northern portion of the end of Yurulbin Point was also developed. It had been subdivided into five waterfront allotments, with reclamation carried out along the length of foreshore. Land use (on those lots) was largely residential (Cosmos Archaeology 2020). Morris & Sinclair's buildings and associated winches were still evident in 1968 (AILA 2018). 1969: Long Nose Jetty built by NSW Maritime Services Board (Cosmos Archaeology 2020). 1970: Morris & Sinclair ceased trading (AILA 2018; Cosmos Archaeology 2020: Mackenzie 2011 says it was 1971 - 72). 1970: stage 1 of park transition (AILA 2018) for State Planning Authority (SPA) early 1973 acquisition by SPA under Nigel Ashton, for future recreation as public parkland (Mackenzie 2011) early 1973: first stage of park design by Bruce Mackenzie for SPA 1973 - 1976 gradual creation of parkland for SPA and later Leichhardt Municipal Council (who had acquired it from 1973 - 76). Some demolition was done, underlying rock retained as it was. An upper strata of car park, turning circle and a small lawn provided a viewing area from the existing exposed rock shelf, with the addition of a stone sitting wall. Seating was provided at various levels (Mackenzie 2011). Existing structures on site provided inspiration (Cormack's cooperage and Morrison & Sinclair's shipyards), seawalls and wharves of 'old' Sydney Harbour, using recycled wharf piles, recycled building stone, retaining and using the boat ramp and slipway and constructing the viewing platform over the water, inspired by a pre-existing structure (AILA 2018). 1974 Mackenzie Landscape Master Plan prepared for SPA and Leichhardt Municipal Council. Dates not given (likely, late 1970s): understory of new tree vegetation thinned to lift canopies and open views to harbour. The original boat launching ramp was eventually finished (its restoration) as bare rock in a combination with a sandstone rubble-based concrete. Brooms and hoses were used to clean rock surfaces bare. Paths lead into the park from the ferry wharf and along the passageway, following what was once a service line, presumably a sewer, cut through the rock (Mackenzie 2011). 1981: stage 2 of park transition (AILA 2018). Date not given: The wharf was struck by a drifting freighter. It was later made good on a slight lean, re-built as an attractive fishing location (Mackenzie 2011). 2006 - 2009: rectification and repairs to seawall and replacement of wooden posts at the entrance. 2011: After 36 years of revegetation, Yurulbin Park is heavily vegetated, a sharp contrast to the bare slopes and platforms of rock shown in a 1970s photograph (Mackenzie 2011).
Further information:	Comparison: Illoura Reserve (Peacock Point Park), East Balmain was immediate precursor for Long Nose Point (Yurulbin Park and Foreshore) and within the profession, the two are linked as benchmarks altering approaches to modern harbourside park design. In 2016 both were nominated into the top ten significant works of Australian landscape architecture 1966-2000. They share a designer (Mackenzie and Associates), similar concepts, transforming old maritime industrial sites and echoing vegetated headlands Balls Head, Waverton and Berry Island, Wollstonecraft. However at Yurulbin Park, the former industrial use is more identifiable through incorporating the ramp, slipway and industrial archaeological remnants. At Yurulbin Park (Snails Bay side) a pre-existing pole structure jutted into the water and informed the new structure built for the park. This contrasts with Mackenzie's wooden 'folly' at Illoura Reserve, a monument to both park bandstands and the maritime environment. Yurulbin Park makes a greater emphasis on Reconciliation with Aboriginal people. Other comparable are nearby headlands Balls Head and Berry Island, the natural vegetation and Sydney sandstone geology of which inspired Yurulbin Park's naturalistic design. All make a significant contribution to the landscape of this part of Sydney Harbour (AILA 2018).


Current use:	harbourside public park
Former use:	Aboriginal land, private estate, timber-getting, cooperage, quarrying, Wallace Powerboat Co., Morrison & Sinclair shipbuilding and repairs yard

History

Historical notes:

Statement of Country:
Birchgrove is in Wangal Country, which encompasses the south side of Sydney Harbour, from Iron Cove to Parramatta (Attenbrow 2010). It is close to the border of Gadigal Country, and it is likely both clans occupied the area. Birchgrove is called 'Wanna' in Sydney language. Yurulbin, meaning 'swift running water', was first recorded as the point's name in 1832 (Mackenzie 2011).

Being among the first to encounter the British, Wangal were highly impacted by disease and dispossession. The area that is now Yurulbin Park and Foreshore was an area in which Wangal people lived and accessed the resources of Sydney Harbour. This is demonstrated by the presence of archaeological sites in the local area including shelters containing midden material and art on private land adjoining the foreshore (Goodall & Cadzow; Thorp 2003; Solling and Reynolds 1997).

Early European history:
Yurulbin Park and Foreshore is part of 30 acres granted in 1796 to George Whitfield. Whitfield planted an orange grove, and sold in 1810 to Lieutenant John Birch, who renamed it Birchgrove. This was part of 550 acres of Rozelle and Balmain granted to William Balmain in 1800.

Merchant and developer, Numa Joubert subdivided the peninsula in 1860 in ten sections. Land at the point (where Yurulbin Park and Foreshore is) was split in two: sections 9 (two lots, to east) and 10 (three, west) The rocky tip was unsold. After subdivision, waterfront businesses arose in the 1860s and photographs show increasing land clearance. A 1905 postcard suggests sandstone was quarried, or excess stone dumped here (Cosmos Archaeology 2020; Read 2011; AILA 2018) near Yurulbin Point.

Maritime industries:
Alexander Cormack was a cooper who developed a business (lot 1, section 10 on the west of the point) with a jetty off Louisa Road and, by early 1890s, a seawall around the (Yurulbin) point, a large brick building and yard. The jetty became a stopping point for steamers, and ferries from 1908. From 1909 his sons took over as A.W. Cormack Ltd.

In 1913 the power station was built at White Bay, connected via submarine cables from Yurulbin Point to Manns Point. Construction took from 1913 - 24, largely due to issues with bedrock instability. By the 1960s, cables were obsolete, and were disconnected in 1969 but the tunnel remains and is listed on the SHR (Cosmos Archaeology 2020).

From 1917 to 1920 the site was developed by Wallace Powerboat Building Company. Morrison & Sinclair (shipbuilding) Pty Ltd bought it in 1923. By 1923, it had three slipways on the south-east tip and a large wharf on Snails Bay. They designed, built and repaired government, naval and merchant boats. By the mid-1920s the northern part of the point was subdivided in five with reclamation, for housing (Cosmos Archaeology 2020; AILA 2018)

The 1940s saw more maritime infrastructure. The southern foreshore of the point was reclaimed with a seawall, slipway and mooring. Sheds and wharves were extended, and a timber deck and dolphin added to the jetty. Along the north was a seawall, with 1910s -20s reclamation, including an L-shaped jetty and shed. The buildings and winches were still evident in 1968.

The point's name changed to Long Nose Point in the 1960s. By then, Snails Bay offshore mooring for large ships expanded with two rows of concrete dolphins. Long Nose Jetty was rebuilt by NSW Maritime Services Board in 1969. By then, local maritime industries were declining. Morrison and Sinclair ceased trading in the early 1970s. (Cosmos Archaeology 2020; AILA 2018; Mackenzie 2011).

New park:
The derelict site was acquired by the NSW State Planning Authority (SPA). A park was designed in stages in early 1973 and later for Leichhardt Municipal Council, who acquired it 1973 -76. The idea was that of Nigel Ashton, a modernist architect and planner with Lindsay Robertson, SPA's first landscape architect, who furthered initiatives outlined in the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Study of 1967. Ashton was concerned for visual quality, playing a critical role in identifying and acquiring sites for parks such as this and Peacock Point.

The park was built with assistance from the Whitlam government (Cosmos Archaeology 2020; Mackenzie 2011; AILA 2018; Knox 1996).

Evolving landscape design philosophy:
From 1969, there was increasing interest in taking a modern, ecological approach to landscape design. Its main protagonists were Harry Howard (1930-2000), Bruce Mackenzie (1932-2024) and Bruce Rickard (b. 1929) who ran landscape design practices and Allan Correy, who from 1967-70 ran the Landscape Section of the NSW Public Works Department. This group developed ideas in parallel with Californian landscape architects like Lawrence Halprin, influenced by his ethos that the Modern Movement in landscape architecture was 'a whole appreciation of environmental design as a holistic approach to the matter of making spaces for people to live.' (AILA 2018).

Unlike Howard and Rickard, Mackenzie was self-taught. Art classes, photoengraving, bush-walks, landscape contractor work and an appreciation of ecology meshed with the ideas of his colleagues. He said in 1974 'At no stage was I influenced by doctrines of a formal school of landscape teaching' (Correy 2002:388). Commodore Heights lookout at West Head, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (1964) with Russell Smith was an early work showing his love of Sydney sandstone. As were a garden for the Seidlers' Killara house (1967), roof garden for Reader's Digest House (Surry Hills, 1967) and landscape around Pettit and Sevitt demonstration homes in St. Ives bushland.

Sydney Bush School landscapes (as this school of design came to be known) were socially aware, aesthetically pleasing and responded to specific environments. Its influence on younger practitioners such as Buchanan and Craig Burton ensured a continuum. The philosophy was somewhat lost as Councils and gardeners across NSW copied elements, but not the ecological or aesthetic intent (Correy 2002; 388 - 389; AILA 2018).

Mackenzie transformed both Peacock Point and Yurulbin, challenging notions of conventional inner city parks. They became icons of modern park design. He later named this 'Alternative parkland' explaining that it drew from understanding nature's functioning and 'identifying the pleasure it affords people.' It provided an escape from urban pressure and 'meaningful reflection of nature's forms.' The budget was constrained. His unpretentious approach suited the site and community, using recycled stone, wharf piles and telephone poles. It was inspired by existing structures (cooperage, shipyards, seawalls), reinforced by retaining and using the boat ramp and slipway, with a new viewing platform over the water echoing a former wharf (Correy 2002: 388 - 389; AILA 2018).

The original brief clearly required the park be screened from water by trees. While some residents complained as trees thickened, blocking views, Mackenzie and Associates explained that they had confidence trees would mature and reveal some view through and below branches, enhancing outlooks. What residents forget are the former industrial buildings and tall fence around the whole site, blocking or impeding views (Mackenzie 2011).

Original planted trees include gums, she oak, turpentine, and paperbark. Shrubs included banksias, hakeas, snow-in-summer, and tea tree. Smaller shrubs or ground covers included hairpin banksia, spider flowers, running postman, geebungs, coastal rosemary, violets.

In the 1970s, native plants were scarcely available in nurseries. In 1974 they were ordered in advance from specialists. Understorey was thinned to lift canopies and open views. The boat ramp was restored as bare rock combined with sandstone rubble-based concrete. The wharf was damaged by a freighter but made good, re-built as a fishing location. Freighters relocated to Port Botany.

1980s to 2016:
In 1986, Yurulbin Park was given the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA)'s Award of Merit.

On 8th July 1994 Long Nose Point was renamed Yurulbin Point. A ceremony was held where Federal Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, the Hon Robert Tickner, launched the Commonwealth government's Local Government Reconciliation Program here, with Commissioner Christine Williams, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, Mayor Larry Hand and Cllr. Peter Woods (AILA 2018; plaque in Yurulbin Park).

In 2016 AILA chose Yurulbin Park as one of Australia's ten most significant landscape works from 1966-2000, representing the profession's foundations and best of their time. (AILA 2018; Saniga 2016).

When discussing plans to hand over Goat Island to Aboriginal people in 'The Australian' newspaper on 6 May 2016 Paul Keating explained:
'The idea was always to return the conservation of the headlands to as they were before settlement, with Me-Mel - the Aboriginal word for pupil of the eye - at the centre, surrounded by the reconstructed headland at Barangaroo, the great bluff face at Balls Head, the newly retained Ballast Point headland park and the natural park (Yurulbin) that sits at the end of Balmain,' Mr Keating said. 'That is, the hub would be Goat Island, with the rest of it the spokes. There are not many cities worldwide that still have this kind of natural curtilage and headlands.' (AILA 2018).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Parramatta River-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Cadigal tribe - Eora nation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Wangal clan - Dharug Nation-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Maritime industry shipyards timber yards-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes and parklands of distinctive styles-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Naming places (toponymy)-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - parks and open spaces-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Landscaping - 20th c bush garden style-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Bruce Mackenzie, landscape architect-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Nigel Ashton, modernist architect, state planner, visionary-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Lindsay Robertson, first landscape architect appointed to State Planning Authority-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Yurulbin Park and Foreshore has State historic significance as one of the first modern Sydney parks created by transforming former derelict industrial sites into public use. Its design, together with that of Illoura Reserve in Balmain, brought native vegetation back to inner-city sites, challenged notions of inner-city parks, and became iconic examples of modern city park design, much discussed and copied. The development of Yurulbin Park and Foreshore was a continuation of the gesture which began with Illoura Reserve in 1970, in the bicentennial year of Captain Cook's landing at Botany Bay. The 1974 plan to transform Yurulbin Park and Foreshore (formerly the site of Morrison and Sinclair Shipbuilding Works) into a park that echoed the vegetation of Ball's Head Reserve across the Harbour, established Bruce Mackenzie's place as an innovator in Australian park design or 'Alternative Parkland'. This approach was a direct response to the place and without denying its industrial past, it brought back native vegetation to the foreshore. This set a new direction that subsequent generations of designers have developed. Yurulbin Park and Foreshore has State historic significance as a place of confluence of Aboriginal and European values. It was renamed Yurulbin in a ceremony in July 1994 in which Australian Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Hon Robert Tickner, launched the Australian Government's Local Government Reconciliation Program.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Yurulbin Park and Foreshore has State significant historic associations with landscape designer Bruce Mackenzie and his associates, including landscape architect Catherin Bull. Mackenzie was one among a small group of practitioners who, during the late 1960s -1970s, formulated a modern, ecological approach to landscape design, complementary to the Sydney School of architecture. This movement was shaped by environmentalism, a design ethos that grew out of a distinctly non-horticultural approach to planting and a dismissal of modernist featurism. Yurulbin Park and Foreshore has State significant historic associations with Modernist architect and planner Nigel Ashton and Lindsay Robertson, the first landscape architect appointed to the State Planning Authority, who implemented the principles outlined in the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Study (December 1967). Ashton and Robertson raised a new awareness for landscape values at the State Planning Authority and played a critical role in acquiring several sites for harbourside parks, including Peacock Point (now Illoura Reserve) and Long Nose Point (now Yurulbin Point).
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Yurulbin Park and Foreshore has State aesthetic significance for its ability to demonstrate the evolving philosophy of 'Alternative Parkland', as one of the earliest attempts to reclaim the qualities of a pre-colonial landscape in a modern Sydney urban park - Mackenzie's incorporation of the site's identifiable industrial past into the park's design demonstrates his developing ability to work in this idiom. It is considered one of the icons of 1970s inner-city park design and of the Modern Movement in landscape architecture, which embraced environmental design as a holistic approach to making spaces for people to live. At Yurulbin Park and Foreshore, nature and manufactured elements are combined in a landmark Sydney Harbour location with outstanding views framed through carefully placed trees resulting in a landscape of high aesthetic quality. Its layout, transition between levels, exposed rock surfaces, sea walls and tree groupings combine to provide an environment that seems removed from its city location, a quality which adds to its appeal.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Yurulbin Park and Foreshore is rare at State level as an early example of a Sydney Bush School foreshore park on Sydney Harbour and is a benchmark as one of the earliest attempts to reclaim the qualities of a landscape before colonisation.
Integrity/Intactness:	High
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities/ works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, the Hon James Griffin MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective at the time of publication in the New South Wales Government Gazette: 1. revoke the order made on 9 November 2020 and published in the Government Gazette Number 318 of 13 November 2020; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. The Hon James Griffin MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Signed this 2nd day of June 2022. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Jul 25 2025
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act - Site Specific Exemptions	Exemption Order for Yurulbin Park and Foreshore listing on the State Heritage Register (SHR 02112) under the Heritage Act 1977 I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the State Heritage Register Committee as delegate of Heritage Council of New South Wales dated 6 May 2025, make the following order under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977 (the Act) granting an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out of any activities described in Schedule C by the owner, manager, mortgagee or lessee (or persons authorised by the owner or manager) of the item described in Schedule A on the land identified in Schedule B. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 16 day of July 2025. The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage SCHEDULE A The item known as Yurulbin Park and Foreshore SHR 02112, situated on the land described in Schedule B. SCHEDULE B The item known as Yurulbin Park and Foreshore SHR 02112, located as identified on the plan catalogued HC Plan 3345 in the office of the Heritage Council of New South Wales. SCHEDULE C The following specified activities/ works to an item do not require approval under section 57(1) of the Act. GENERAL CONDITIONS These general conditions apply to the use of all the site specific exemptions: a) In these exemptions, words have the same meaning as in the Heritage Act 1977 or the relevant guidelines, unless otherwise indicated. Where there is an inconsistency between relevant guidelines and these exemptions, these exemptions prevail to the extent of the inconsistency. Where there is an inconsistency between either relevant guidelines or these exemptions and the Heritage Act 1977, the Act will prevail. b) If a conservation management plan (CMP) is prepared for the item, it must meet the following conditions: i. It must be prepared by a suitably qualified and experienced heritage professional ii. It must be prepared in accordance with the requirements for a detailed and best practice CMP as outlined in the Heritage Council of NSW document Statement of best practice for conservation management plans (2021) or any subsequent document prepared to replace or supplement this document iii. It must be consistent with the Heritage Council of NSW documents: Guidance on developing a conservation management plan (2021) and Conservation Management Plan checklist (2021) or any subsequent document prepared to replace or supplement this document c) Anything done under the site specific exemptions must be carried out by people with knowledge, skills and experience appropriate to the work (some site specific exemptions require suitably qualified and experienced professional advice/ work) d) The site specific exemptions do not permit the removal of relics or Aboriginal objects. If relics are discovered, work must cease in the affected area and the Heritage Council of NSW must be notified in writing in accordance with section 146 of the Heritage Act 1977. Depending on the nature of the discovery, assessment and an excavation permit may be required prior to the recommencement of work in the affected area. If any Aboriginal objects are discovered, excavation or disturbance is to cease, and Heritage NSW must be notified in accordance with section 89A of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Aboriginal object has the same meaning as in the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 e) Activities/ works that do not fit within the exemptions described in this document or the ‘standard exemptions’ for items listed on the State Heritage Register made under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, and published in the NSW Government Gazette would require an approval under the Heritage Act 1977 f) The site specific exemptions are self-assessed. It is the responsibility of a proponent to ensure that the proposed activities/ works fall within the site specific exemptions g) The proponent is responsible for ensuring that any activities/ works undertaken by them, or with their landowners’ consent, meet all the required conditions and have all necessary approvals h) Proponents must keep records of any activities/ works for auditing and compliance purposes by the Heritage Council of NSW. Where advice of a suitably qualified and experienced professional has been sought, a record of that advice must be kept. Records must be kept in a current readable electronic file or hard copy for a reasonable time i) The site specific exemptions under the Heritage Act 1977 are not authorisations, approvals, or exemptions for the activities/ works under any other legislation, Local Government and State Government requirements (including, but not limited to, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974), or construction codes such as the National Construction Code j) The site specific exemptions under the Heritage Act 1977 do not constitute satisfaction of the relevant provisions of the National Construction Code for ancillary works. Activities or work undertaken pursuant to a site specific exemption must not, if it relates to an existing building, cause the building to contravene the National Construction Code k) Where relevant The Heritage Manual (1996, Heritage Office and Department of Urban Affairs and Planning) and The Maintenance Series (1996 republished 2004, NSW Heritage Office and Department of Urban Affairs & Planning) guidelines must be complied with then undertaking any activities/works on an item. EXEMPTION 1: EXISTING CONSENTS AND MANAGEMENT PLANS Specified activities/ works: a) All works/ activities which are in accordance with a current development consent in force at the date of gazettal of the listing of Yurulbin Park and Foreshore b) All activities/ works recommended in the 2014 Yurulbin Reserve Restoration Plan, prepared by Bruce Mackenzie and adopted by Inner West Council. Note: State Significant Infrastructure consents relating to the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade also apply to the item (SSI-8863 and approved modifications to SSI-8863) but do not require an exemption as separate approval is not required under the Heritage Act 1977 for State Significant Infrastructure projects. EXEMPTION 2: MARITIME ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS Specified activities/ works: a) The below activities and works undertaken by the relevant authority as long as they do not impact any relics or works as defined under the Heritage Act 1977 or any other maritime or underwater cultural heritage: i. activities associated with the environmental management of the harbour ii. maintenance dredging (limited to the current depth of the channel or sea bed) to allow safe access for vessels where required iii. works and activities associated with navigation and safety, including emergency works iv. works and activities that are associated with the use, operation and maintenance of moorings apparatus and berths v. works and activities that are associated with the use, operation and routine maintenance or repairs of maritime structures vi. activities associated with the use of jetties, piers, wharves, and berthing areas in the harbour for surveyed charter vessels under pre-existing license agreements. EXEMPTION 3: BUSH REGENERATION, VEGETATION AND LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT Specified activities/ works: a) Minor works and activities associated with management of native vegetation and management of its identified ecological communities in accordance with relevant requirements b) Minor works and activities associated with the mitigation, minimisation, and suppression of fire risk across the site including management and reduction of vegetation density where prescribed as a requirement by an appropriately qualified fire specialist and including prescribed or cultural burning of bushland vegetation where there will be no impact on heritage significance c) Introduction of new indigenous and non-indigenous plantings, consistent with existing vegetation and heritage significance including bushland, buffer areas, and parkland. d) Removal of dead or dying trees which are to be replaced by trees of native species in the same location within a period of 12 months e) Removal and replacement of existing small plantings, and removal, construction and alteration of garden beds, hard landscaping, paths, walkways and plantings where the activity will not adversely impact heritage fabric or the heritage significance of the park/ reserve as a whole f) Routine horticultural maintenance where there are no adverse impacts to heritage significance g) Vegetation trimming and pruning to protect and restore significant views and sight lines where these activities are undertaken under the guidance of an appropriately qualified specialist h) Minor routine activities associated with tree management including erection of temporary structures and protections around trees for safety reasons and installation of any temporary facilities or equipment associated with arboriculture activities and assessments. Temporary facilities or equipment for this purpose must not be in place for any longer than 12 months. EXEMPTION 4: FAUNA HABITAT MANAGEMENT Specified activities/ works: a) Installation of nesting boxes, wildlife management aids and landscaping to support native fauna b) Pest management of foxes, rabbits and feral animals including use of baiting, shooting, and trapping methods. EXEMPTION 5: PARK MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS Specified activities/ works: a) Installation of fully reversible temporary infrastructure for community and cultural events that can be installed and removed with no adverse impacts to heritage significance. These are to be erected, used, and removed (along with necessary remediation) within a maximum period of 40 days per installation b) Minor activities/ works as listed below provided that they do not result in adverse impacts to heritage significance: i. the installation and upkeep of waste management facilities and waste disposal including bins, recycling stations and related servicing ii. signage and wayfinding installation, upkeep and alteration including updating non-illuminated signs, maps, wayfinding markers and temporary safety notices where important to visitor navigation and safety and removal of signage iii. installation of temporary or semi-permanent fencing or barriers to restrict access to environmentally or culturally sensitive areas and support temporary event crowd management measures iv. path, track, garden bed, and kerb maintenance v. managing park hydrology, erosion or compaction control, and shoreline maintenance vi. maintaining drainage structures using appropriate heritage materials and repairing non-significant drainage structures using like-for-like materials which adhere to existing character and would have no adverse heritage impact vii. minor maintenance or repair of any structure, furniture, fixture, monument, retaining wall, or work within the park viii. installation, relocation, removal, and maintenance of park furniture and fixtures ix. maintenance, repair, or upgrade of services and public utilities x. lawn maintenance. EXEMPTION 6: WORKS BY OR ON BEHALF OF SYDNEY WATER CORPORATION ON SYDNEY WATER CORPORATION ASSETS Specified activities/ works: a) Activities enabling the operation, maintenance, or repair of Sydney Water infrastructure - inclusive of property interests under the Sydney Water Act 1994, provided that there is no adverse impact to heritage significance b) The erection and dismantling of temporary works and structures necessary for maintenance and enhancement works for a period of no longer than 12 months c) Repair or replacement of missing, damaged or deteriorated fabric that is beyond further maintenance provided that there is no adverse impact to heritage significance.	Jul 25 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		02112	25 Jul 25	2025-307	11 - 16
Local Environmental Plan	Yurulbin Park	I555	01 Jan 13
Heritage study	AILA NSW Significant Landscapes List
National Trust of Australia register	National Trust (NSW) Suburban Register		22 Sep 86

Study details

Title	Year	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Significant Landscapes List		Australian Institute of Landscape Archictects (NSW)		No
Leichhardt Municipality Heritage Study	1990	McDonald McPhee Pty Ltd (Craig Burton, Wendy Thorp)	Craig Burton	Yes
Urban Parks Survey	1990	National Trust of Australia (NSW)	Urban Parks Committee, NTA (NSW)	No
The Modern Movement in New South Wales: A Thematic Study and Survey of Places	2013	HeriCon Consulting in association with Colleen Morris and Peter Spearritt	Roy Lumby, Colleen Morris	No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	AILA (Christine Hay, James Quoyle and Colleen Morris, for AILA)	2018	SHR nomination - Yurulbin
Written	Attenbrow, Val	2002	Sydney's Aboriginal past: investigating the archaeological and historical records
Written	Bruce Mackenzie and Associates	1974	Long Nose Point, Balmain - Landscape Master Plan
Written	Buchanan, Barbara	2009	Modernism meets the Australian Bush: Harry Howard and the Sydney Bush School of Landscape Architecture
Written	Bull, Catherin	2002	New Conversations with an Old Landscapea
Written	Corrie, Allan	2002	'Bruce Alexander Mackenzie' (entry)	View detail
Written	Cosmos Archaeology	2020	Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade - Technical working paper: Maritime heritage, 1/2020	View detail
Written	Evans, Catherine	2007	'Preservation by design: approaches to landscape preservation in Sydney, Australia'
Written	Fitzpatrick, Stephen, in 'The Australian'	2016	'Goat Island: Baird reveals talks under way to return to indigenous ownership'
Written	Goodall, Heather and Cadzow, Allison	2009	Rivers and Resiliance: Aboriginal People on Sydney's Georges River
Written	HeriCon Consulting, with Colleen Morris and Peter Spearitt	2013	The modern movement in NSW - a thematic study and survey of places
Written	Jacobs P/L, 1/2020, in Transport for NSW, 2020, Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade - Appendix J: Technical working paper: Non-Aboriginal heritage	2020	(A.4.6 Archaeological assessment) in Appendix A. 'Heritage item descriptions and significance assessments'	View detail
Written	Knox, Paul	1996	'Yurulbin Point',
Written	Leichhardt Municipal Counicl	2013	Reconciliation Action Plan, July 2013 - June 2017
Written	Mackenzie, Bruce	1979	'Alternative Parkland'
Written	Mackenzie, Bruce, in Design with Landscape, Bruce Mackenzie - Australia	2011	'Yurulbin Reserve Birchgrove'
Written	Mayne-Wilson, Warwick	2013	'Today's parks - new or refurbished'
Written	McDonald McPhee P/L (Craig Burton, Wendy Thorp)	1990	Leichhardt Municipality Heritage Study
Written	Read, Stuart	2011	National Archaeology Week - Birchgrove wander - post-industrial parks & private gardens	View detail
Written	Saniga, Andrew	2016	'50:50 - Significant Projects, 1966-2016'
Written	Saniga, Andrew	2012	Making Landscape Architecture in Australia
Written	Solling, Max and Reynolds, Peter	1997	Leichhardt: on the margins of the city
Written	Stephenson, P.R. and Kennedy, Brian	1980	The history and description of Sydney Harbour
Written	Transport for NSW	2020	SSI-8863 - Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade	View detail
Written	Wharton, Benjamin	2016	Lieutenant Rodger Anchor, Yurulbin Point, 142a Louisa Road, Birchgrove	View detail

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5061980
File number:	EF17/6184

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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