About Balmain East, NSW

Balmain East is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain East is located three kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council. Situated on the eastern end of the Balmain peninsula in Sydney Harbour, Balmain East shares a boundary with the suburb of Balmain to the west. The postcode 2041 covers the suburbs of Balmain, Balmain East and Birchgrove. == History and culture == The area now known as Balmain East was part of a 550-acre (2.2 km2) grant to colonial surgeon Dr. William Balmain (1762–1803) made in 1800 by Governor John Hunter. Balmain was first settled in 1836 and by 1861 had been divided into the well populated eastern areas of Balmain and the sparsely populated western area, extending to the gates of Callan Park.The small peninsula that jutted out from the main Balmain Peninsula, along which the main artery road Darling Street ran, was known to locals for decades as either "East Balmain" or "The East End" and generally encompassed the area east of Hart St and Balmain Bowling Club. This dividing boundary was originally a natural swamp that was reclaimed early the early 19th century. Whilst the area was almost always referred to as East Balmain by locals, it was still generally regarded as just a name for the eastern peninsula of the suburb, in a similar way in that Birchgrove was the name given to the area of Balmain that encompassed Snails Bay (refer to the history of Birchgrove for more details on its name).The Balmain markets showcases elements of the suburbs past, with antiques and second hand books, whilst also highlighting the area as a cultural hub in the region. Held weekly on Darling Street, the markets operate between 8:30am and 4pm.