Glebe

Glebe, an inner city suburb of Sydney, is located 3 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD, in Sydney’s Inner West region. Glebe surrounds Blackwattle Bay, an inlet of Sydney Harbour, in the north. To the east is the suburb of Ultimo and to the west is Annandale and Forest Lodge. Broadway and Parramatta Road form the boundary on the southern side. The suburb is one of Sydney’s original seafaring and waterfront workers’ residential areas, but has experience rapid growth and development since the 1970s and is now predominantly populated by young professionals and executives. The influence of the wharves and horse training stables has been replaced by a colourful array of cosmopolitan restaurants, retail outlets and public facilities. Glebe Point Road is the main road through the suburb and its shopping strip features a vast array of unique specialty shops, bookstores, lively pubs, restaurants, cafes, and the odd shop which reflects Glebe’s more alternative nature. Nearby Broadway Shopping Centre has been built on the landmark site of the former Grace Brothers department store and includes a food court and cinema complex. In July 2007, renovations were completed and a fourth floor was added. The popular Glebe Markets are held weekly at Glebe Primary School on Glebe Point Road, and features arts, crafts, clothing, foods, and alternative lifestyle goods. Sydney Fish Markets – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere – is within walking distance of Glebe. As Glebe is located so close to the Sydney CBD, many people walk it. However, it is also well serviced by buses that regularly run along Glebe Point Road and Bridge Street. The Sydney Light Rail also stops at Glebe, providing a direct link to Central Station, Darling Harbour and Chinatown. Glebe features some fine examples of 19th Century housing, which have since undergone restoration and renovation as a result of the gentrification of the suburb. Gracious Victorian and Federation homes and terraces line Glebe’s tree-lined streets, alongside contemporary houses and apartments. Glebe is popular with city-workers and students due to its proximity to tertiary education facilities such as Sydney University and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Other educational institutions include Glebe Public School, Forest Lodge Public School, St James Catholic School, St Scholastica’s College and Glebe High School. Sport and leisure facilities in the area include the Olympic Swimming Pool at Victoria Park, Harold Park Paceway, Wentworth Park and Bicentennial Park, which features the popular Harbourside Walk – perfect for a leisurely stroll.