Little Bay, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Little Bay Sydney, New South Wales
The Coast Golf Course, Little Bay
Population	2,937 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	2036
Elevation	39 m (128 ft)
Location	14 km (9 mi) south-east of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	City of Randwick
State electorate(s)	Maroubra
Federal Division(s)	Kingsford Smith
Suburbs around Little Bay: Matraville Chifley Malabar Phillip Bay Little Bay Tasman Sea La Perouse La Perouse

Partially buried gun emplacement that formed part of Fort Banks

Little Bay is a suburb in the eastern part of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. It's located about 14 kilometres south-east of the main city area. Little Bay is a coastal suburb, meaning it's right by the ocean, and it gets its name from a small, pretty bay and beach. A famous hospital, the Prince Henry Hospital, used to be here.

History of Little Bay

The Little Bay area was first used in 1881–82 as a special camp. This was during a smallpox outbreak in Sydney. The camp helped keep healthy people separate from those who were sick. At first, people lived in tents on the beach. But soon, the government decided to build a permanent hospital here. This hospital was for treating people with infectious diseases. Little Bay was a great spot because it was away from other towns but still close enough to Sydney.

The Coast Hospital and Prince Henry Hospital

The hospital was first called the Coast Hospital. It was very important during the bubonic plague in Sydney in 1900. It also helped when soldiers came back from Europe with the influenza virus in 1919. In 1934, the Coast Hospital changed its name to Prince Henry Hospital. In 2001, the hospital services moved to another hospital, and the land became available for homes.

Today, there are still 19 old buildings from the Coast/Prince Henry hospital days. These buildings are protected because of their history.

Old Landmarks from Hospital Days

Two important landmarks from the hospital days are still here. One is the Coast Cemetery, which is south of Little Bay. Over 2,500 people were buried there. The oldest graves are further south, near Cape Banks. The cemetery is now part of the Botany Bay National Park. Many of the graves are covered by plants to help protect them.

Another landmark is the Interdenominational War Memorial Chapel. It sits on a hill overlooking Little Bay. A fire destroyed it in 1981, but it was rebuilt in 1982. Outside the chapel, you can see many plaques. These remember the people who used to work at the hospital.

How Little Bay Got Its Name

Little Bay was first called Yarra Junction. But mail kept going to a place in Melbourne with a similar name! So, the people living there asked for a new name. It was then called Phillip Bay Heights. However, everyone kept calling the area Little Bay. So, that's the name that officially stuck. In the 1950s, much of the land was given to soldiers who had returned from war.

The "Wrapped Coast" Art Project

In 1969, two famous international artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, created a huge art project here. It was called "Wrapped Coast – One Million Square Feet, Little Bay, Sydney, Australia". It was the largest sculpture in the world at that time! Many Australian artists and students helped them. They wrapped 2.4 kilometres of coastline with fabric. The wrapped area was between 46 and 244 metres wide and up to 26 metres high. This was a very new and different kind of art. It caused a lot of discussion and different opinions. But today, it's seen as a very successful and important art project. Christo and Jeanne-Claude later wrapped other things, like cars, islands, and even the Reichstag building in Germany.

Little Bay Beach

Little Bay Beach at sunset.

Little Bay Beach is a special sandy beach south of Sydney Harbour. It's the last big sand beach before you reach Botany Bay. The beach is shaped like a half-circle and has land on both sides. Its narrow entrance helps protect it from strong ocean waves.

In the early 1900s, a swimming pool was built at the southern end of the beach. It was made from rocks found on the beach. This pool, called Little Bay Rock Pool or Little Bay Baths, gave nurses from the nearby hospital a safe place to swim away from sharks. Parts of this pool are still there today.

Little Bay is not a surfing beach. It usually doesn't have strong currents unless there are very big waves from the south or south-east. There are no lifeguards patrolling the beach. However, surf lifesavers and the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service do help if there's an emergency. Fishing from the rocks along the coast is very popular. But it can be dangerous, and sometimes accidents happen. You can find more safety information on the Little Bay Beach website.

In February 2022, a diving instructor was sadly killed by a white shark while swimming near Little Bay Beach. This was the first shark fatality in Sydney's coastal waters since 1963.

Clean Water at Little Bay Beach

As Sydney's population grew, beaches south of the Malabar sewage treatment plant, like Little Bay, became quite dirty. By the 1980s, the water was brown, and greasy stuff was on the sand and rocks. But after a new deep-ocean pipe started working in 1990, the beaches became much cleaner very quickly. Today, Little Bay is known as one of Sydney's cleanest beaches. The water is clear, and it has low levels of bacteria.

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  Restored weatherboard building on former grounds of Prince Henry

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  War Memorial Chapel overlooking Little Bay

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  Memorial plaques outside chapel

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  Coast Cemetery

Landmarks in Little Bay

The northern headland of Botany Bay, called Henry Head, has some interesting features. These include two old gun emplacements at Fort Banks. There's also a lighthouse and the wreck of a ship called the SS Minmi near a place called Pussycat Island. The older gun emplacements, known as the Henry Head Battery, were built to help protect the entrance to Botany Bay.

Other important landmarks include:

• Former Prince Henry Hospital site
• Spinal Cord Injuries Australia
• Aboriginal Health College
• Prince Henry Development Project (new homes and facilities)
• Little Bay Weather Station

Famous People from Little Bay

Some well-known people have lived in Little Bay:

• Russell Fairfax, a rugby league player
• Greg Inglis, a rugby league player
• Anthony Maroon, a radio personality
• Tony Rafty, a cartoonist
• Jane Saville, a race walker
• Fiona Stanley, a children's doctor and the 2003 Australian of the Year
• David Warner, a Test cricketer
• Nathan Williamson, a broadcaster and journalist

Street Names in Little Bay

Many street names in Little Bay come from Aboriginal words or are named after important people. Especially those linked to medicine because of the former Prince Henry Hospital.

Transport in Little Bay

Little Bay is served by five bus services, run by Transdev John Holland. These buses connect Little Bay to other parts of Sydney.

Sport and Recreation

Little Bay has some great places for sports and fun:

• St Michael's Golf Club
• The Coast Golf Club
• Surf Life Saving Sydney, which has an office here. Surf Life Saving Sydney helps keep people safe at beaches.