Looking Across the Bay: Glebe Island

Looking Across the Bay: Glebe Island
Across Blackwattle Bay to the north beyond the Glebe Island Bridge there are glimpses of Glebe Island itself, joined to the mainland by a causeway from an early date. The architect Edmund Blacket built stone abattoirs on Glebe Island when they were relocated from Blackwattle swamp.

When Sydney abattoirs were moved west to Flemington, Blacket’s buildings were demolished to create wharves, and at that time the noxious trades of tanning and soap manufacture associated with the slaughter of animals also moved. In 1943 Glebe Island was the location for the arrival of the first American troops. Beyond Glebe Island you can see glimpses of the Balmain peninsula, crowned by the tower of St Augustine’s Church near Gladstone Park.