About Rushcutters Bay, NSW

Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney.The suburb of Rushcutters Bay sits beside the bay it takes its name from, on Sydney Harbour. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst, Paddington and Darling Point. Kings Cross is a locality on the western border. == History == After British settlement, the area was first known as 'Rush Cutting Bay' because the swampy land was covered in tall rushes used by early settlers for thatching houses. In 1878, 2 hectares (6 acres) were reserved for recreation; and, after reclamation work was completed, Rushcutters Bay Park was created, bounded by New South Head Road and the bay at Sydney Harbour. Rushcutters Bay was once the site of the famous Sydney Stadium. On Boxing Day 1908 at the Stadium, Tommy Burns lost his heavyweight title to the legendary Jack Johnson, famously the first African-American to win a world title. For many years Rushcutters Bay was home to White City Stadium for major tennis tournaments, prior to the establishment of tennis facilities at Sydney Olympic Park. On 6 April 1927, Herbert Pratten, Federal Minister for Trade, appeared in a Lee DeForest film to celebrate the opening of a Phonofilm studio in Rushcutters Bay.In the 20th century, when neighbouring Darlinghurst was seen as down-at-heel, some businesses and residents abutting that boundary would, for appearance’s sake, list their addresses as being in Rushcutters Bay. This phenomenon persists despite Darlinghurst’s gentrification; for example, a BMW dealership on Craigend Street, Darlinghurst, provides customers with an incorrect address.The bay at Sydney Harbour served as host for the sailing events during the 2000 Summer Olympics.