Balmain
Balmain is a new electorate, but has some of the oldest communities in Sydney, rich with living histories. We are a vibrant area that embraces the best of city-living with close-knit, village suburbs.
The electorate covers the suburbs of Balmain, Birchgrove, Rozelle, Lilyfield, Glebe, Forest Lodge, Annandale, Leichhardt and Haberfield. We are home to the original wharfies' cottages on the Balmain peninsula, the Federation garden suburb of Haberfield, the 'little Italy' of Leichhardt, and Glebe's tumbling terraces.
Half of the electorate is bordered by Sydney's western harbour, and to be a resident of the Balmain electorate is to breathe the ebb and flow of Sydney Harbour, to live side by side with the ocean, to watch the ships come and go and the rowers at dawn.
The local area has always been home to Indigenous Australians - the Gadigal and Wangal people - and after 1788 the arrival of white settlers saw the establishment of some of the first white settlements in the Sydney basin. Timber cutters, whalers and sea-farers erected their cottages on the Balmain peninsula, while Governor Arthur Phillip granted 'the Glebe' to the Anglican Church's Reverend Richard Johnson, Chaplain of the First Fleet, in 1790. In 1901, the Federation 'garden estate' suburb of Haberfield was planned and waves of Italian immigrants later made Leichhardt their home.
Today, the local area is bustling, bohemian and bursting with kids and pets - making it a wonderful place for people of all ages.
Message from Verity
"The Balmain electorate is a wonderful place to live, work and visit. There is always something to do or a quiet spot to sit and contemplate.
We are creating and enhancing our open spaces, and the area is home to some of Sydney's most beautiful parks. I would encourage you to visit the rambling slopes of Callan Park, the beautiful new Ballast Point Park in Balmain (which links across to Mort Bay), the Annandale/Glebe foreshore or the Bay Run around Iron Cove.
Among the many attractions of our area I would recommend going for a walk or bike ride along the foreshore, dropping by the Organic Growers' Markets at Orange Grove, getting pasta and cannoli in Haberfield or Leichhardt and browsing the markets in Rozelle.
Our area is also home to some wonderful annual festivals, including the Norton Street Festa, Glebe Street Fair and the Acoustica Music Festival in Balmain.
Check the calendar on my website for upcoming events in our local area - I hope to see you there!"
Verity Firth MP
Member for Balmain
Balmain Electorate
Metropolitan, residential suburban. Located inner Sydney.
Principal suburbs: Annandale, Balmain, Balmain East, Birchgrove, Camperdown, Cockatoo Island, Dobroyd Point, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rodd Island, Rozelle, Sydney.
Area: 19 sq km.
Population: 69,514
Enrolment: 48,231
For more detailed information on the Balmain Electorate see here.
Balmain Electorate Map
Are you a Balmain electorate resident? Contact Verity!
