The Eastern Suburbs is the eastern metropolitan
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia.
Location
Informally, references to "eastern suburbs" are often limited only to the area east of the
Sydney Central Business District
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
, one of the earliest areas developed beyond the town centre. However, the Eastern Suburbs of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
in the more expansive sense refers to the whole area situated to the east and south-east of the
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
, around the southern shore of
Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...
to the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
beaches and continuing on to the port at
Botany Bay
Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...
and
La Perouse. The region is sometimes defined as all of the suburbs within
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
s of the
Municipality of Woollahra
Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Port J ...
,
Waverley Council
Waverley Council is a Local government in Australia, Local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. First incorporated on 16 June 1859 as the Municipality of Waverley, ...
and
City of Randwick as well as eastern parts of
Bayside Council
Bayside Council is a Local government in New South Wales, local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located around part of Botany Bay, to south of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD. It includes 29 subu ...
and
City of Sydney. Some suburbs in the City of Sydney and Bayside Council which are south of
Central station, west of the
Eastern Distributor and north of the
Airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
Starting with
Redfern and ending in
Mascot are sometimes included in this region, even though these suburbs are neither east nor south-east of Sydney CBD. The region corresponds with the
Parish of Alexandria and the
Parish of Botany, two
cadastral
A cadastre or cadaster ( ) is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref>
Often it is represente ...
parishes used for land title purposes.
For statistical purposes, the
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an List of Australian Government entities, Australian Government agency that collects and analyses statistics on economic, population, Natural environment, environmental, and social issues to advi ...
(ABS) limits its definition of the "Eastern Suburbs" statistical area (Statistical Area level 4) to comprising just the Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick local government areas. As at the , this ABS region had an estimated population of ,
up from 249,546 in the .
The "Eastern Suburbs" statistical area is further divided into:
* "Eastern Suburbs - North" Statistical Area Level 3, which includes
Woollahra Council,
Waverley Council
Waverley Council is a Local government in Australia, Local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. First incorporated on 16 June 1859 as the Municipality of Waverley, ...
and The
Centennial Parklands with postcodes 2021 to 2030.
* "Eastern Suburbs - South" Statistical Area Level 3, which includes most of
City of Randwick with postcodes 2031 to 2036.
Outside the "Eastern Suburbs" statistical area, the ABS defines the "Botany" Statistical Area Level 3, which includes the part of Bayside Council that used to be
City of Botany Bay along with
Port Botany which is part of
City of Randwick. The "Botany" statistical area is part of the "Sydney - City and Inner South" Statistical Area Level 4.
Landmarks

The largest commercial areas linking the Eastern Suburbs are found at
Bondi Junction,
Double Bay
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality o ...
,
Randwick, and
Maroubra Junction. These hubs provide transport, services, restaurants, residential space, retail space and office space.
Shopping centres include
Westfield Bondi Junction,
Eastgate Bondi Junction, Eastpoint Food Fair at
Edgecliff Centre, Supa Centa in
Moore Park,
Royal Randwick Shopping Centre,
Pacific Square in Maroubra,
Southpoint in
Hillsdale and
Westfield Eastgardens which is the largest centre in the south-east, Westfield Bondi Junction being the largest overall.
Popular commercial localities in the Eastern Suburbs include
Charing Cross, Five Ways in
Paddington
Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
,
Kings Cross and
The Spot
The Spot, or thespot.com, was the first episodic online story (1995–1997), and covered Bandwidth (computing), bandwidth and production costs by offering paid advertising banners on the web pages and product placement within the journal entries ...
.
The Eastern Suburbs features some of Sydney's well-known beaches and tourist destinations. These include:
Double Bay Beach,
Redleaf Pool,
Lady Martins Beach,
Rose Bay Beach,
Shark Beach,
Parsley Bay Beach,
Kutti Beach,
Camp Cove Beach,
Lady Bay Beach,
Watsons Bay
Watsons Bay is a harbourside, Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, ...
,
Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach () is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of ...
,
Tamarama Beach,
Bronte Beach,
Clovelly Beach,
Gordon's Bay,
Coogee Beach,
Maroubra Beach,
Malabar Beach,
Little Bay Beach,
Little Congwong Beach,
Congwong Beach,
Frenchmans Beach,
La Perouse and
Yarra Bay Beach.
Randwick Racecourse
Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney r ...
is a popular recreational spot for residents in the Eastern Suburbs and is the largest racetrack in New South Wales.
Port Botany is located in the south of the region and is the largest container port in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
.
Sydney's eastern university is the
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
, located in
Kensington
Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
, and is a member of the
Group of Eight. Across the road within the same suburb of Kensington is the
National Institute of Dramatic Arts.
The major hospitals serving the Eastern Suburbs are
St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, with the largest hospital being
Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick.
Transport
Railways in the region include the
Eastern Suburbs railway line and the
CBD and South East Light Rail.
The Eastern Suburbs railway line which opened in 1979 has stations at
Martin Place,
Kings Cross,
Edgecliff and terminates at
Bondi Junction. The Eastern Suburbs railway was originally intended to include more stations and to reach as far as Kingsford or Daceyville, but the route was shortened due to budget constraints.
The CBD and South East Light Rail splits at
Moore Park. One branch which opened in 2019 terminates at
Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick. The other branch which opened in 2020 terminates at The Juniors leagues club in Kingsford. The light rail takes residents of both of these suburbs as well as
Kensington
Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
to
Circular Quay
Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...
via Moore Park,
Surry Hills
Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gover ...
and the
CBD through
George Street.
Transdev Sydney Ferries operate services to
Darling Point,
Double Bay
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality o ...
,
Rose Bay and
Watsons Bay
Watsons Bay is a harbourside, Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Watsons Bay is located 11 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, ...
.
Bus services are operated by
Transdev John Holland
Transdev John Holland Buses is a bus operator in Sydney, Australia. A joint venture between Transdev Australasia, Transdev and John Holland Group, John Holland, it operates services in Sydney Metropolitan Bus Service Contracts, Sydney Bus Regio ...
and
Transit Systems NSW for the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Major roads connecting the Eastern Suburbs to the CBD include
New South Head Road,
Oxford Street and
Syd Einfeld Drive with Bunnerong Road,
Anzac Parade and the
Eastern Distributor being the major connectors for the south-east and
Airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
. Other main roads in the Eastern Suburbs include
Old South Head Road and Bondi Road.
Sporting teams
In the
National Rugby League, the Eastern Suburbs is represented by the
Sydney Roosters
Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
playing out of the
Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park with their leagues club
'Easts' being based in Bondi. Traditionally they represented the whole of the Eastern Suburbs but over time due to junior team boundaries changing (of which to this day still causes much debate) their area is now usually agreed to represent at least down to the Randwick/ Coogee region (officially the articles of association from 1908 still have not changed meaning at a senior level they do still technically represent all of the Eastern Suburbs). Maroubra down to La Perouse is where the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
are often supported instead, and do represent this part of the area according to
NSWRL Junior District Boundaries. Although being based in the
inner southern suburb of
Redfern the South Sydney Rabbitohs have leagues clubs called 'The Juniors' in Kingsford, Maroubra and Malabar. They however play their home games in Sydney's West at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park.
In the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
, the
Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club. The Swans' headquarters and training facilities are located at the
Sydney Cricket Ground, the club's playing home ground since 1982.
The
NSW Blues are a professional first class men's cricket team also based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The team competes in the
Sheffield Shield
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams representing the six states of Australia. The Sheffield Shield is named after Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield, Lor ...
Australia's first class interstate cricket competition.
The
Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers is an Australian professional franchise men's cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League (BBL). Along with the Sydney Thunder, the Sixers are the successors of the Spee ...
are a NSW professional franchise men's cricket team based at Sydney Cricket Ground, competing in Australia's domestic
Twenty20 cricket competition, the
Big Bash League.
The Eastern Suburbs Football Association (ESFA) is the delegated authority governing
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. ESFA offers women's competitions including AAW Premier League running from April through to August.
Representative government
The Eastern Suburbs includes several local government areas including
Municipality of Woollahra
Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Port J ...
,
Waverley Council
Waverley Council is a Local government in Australia, Local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. First incorporated on 16 June 1859 as the Municipality of Waverley, ...
, the
City of Randwick and parts of
Bayside Council
Bayside Council is a Local government in New South Wales, local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located around part of Botany Bay, to south of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD. It includes 29 subu ...
. The part of Bayside Council within the Eastern Suburbs was formerly governed by the
City of Botany Bay, which amalgamated with the
City of Rockdale (on the western shore of Botany Bay) to form
Bayside Council
Bayside Council is a Local government in New South Wales, local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located around part of Botany Bay, to south of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD. It includes 29 subu ...
in 2016.
At the state government level, the Eastern Suburbs covers a number of electorates in the
lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
. From south to north, these are the Electoral Districts of
Maroubra,
Heffron,
Coogee,
Vaucluse
Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019. and (partly)
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. The political allegiances of these electorates reflect the socio-demographic difference between the different parts of the Eastern Suburbs. Vaucluse, covering the northern Eastern Suburbs, is a safe electorate for the
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...
and has elected a member from the Liberal Party or one of its predecessor conservative parties since it was established in its current form in 1927. The electorates of Maroubra and Heffron in the south are safe electorates for the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...
and have elected members from the Labor Party since each of them was established. The electorate of Coogee is historically a marginal electorate but has been held by the Labor Party since 2019. Sydney, being an inner-city electorate, has elected independent members since it was re-established in its current form in 2007.
At the federal government level, the Eastern Suburbs covers the
Division of Wentworth (north) and the
Division of Kingsford Smith
The Division of Kingsford Smith is an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. It is located south and south-east of Sydney CBD, comprising most of the City of Randwick ...
(south). Wentworth, historically a safe conservative seat, is currently held by a
Teal independent,
Allegra Spender. The Division of Kingsford Smith is a safe Labor seat and has been held by the Labor Party since the establishment of the electorate in 1949.
Suburbs in the Eastern Suburbs
Gallery
File:Clifftop, hilly homes in Vaucluse in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.png, alt=Looking west to the Sydney central business district, Clifftop homes, Vaucluse
Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.
File:Dover cliff tops.jpg, Dover Heights
File:North Bondi 1.JPG, North Bondi Beach
File:Double Bay Knox Street 1.JPG, Knox Street, Double Bay
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality o ...
File:Main Walkway, Lower campus UNSW.jpg, University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
File:NorthBondi.jpg, North Bondi apartments
File:Bare island fort La Perouse.jpg, Bare Island at La Perouse
File:Randwick Racecourse Track.JPG, Royal Randwick Racecourse
Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney r ...
References
External links
SYDNEY.com – Sydney EastAustralian Bureau of Statistics - 2016 Census - Sydney - Eastern Suburbs
{{Sydney regions
Regions of Sydney