Ever wondered how Iron Cove got its intriguing name? Iron Cove is a bay on the Parramatta River. It sits in Sydney’s inner-west. We are about 5 kilometres west of Sydney’s central business district. The suburbs of Birchgrove, Balmain, Rozelle, Lilyfield, and others surround it.
In the early days of New South Wales, it was sometimes called Long Cove. This was likely due to its long, narrow shape. The real story behind “Iron Cove” is less clear.
An 1822 survey map calls it Iron-stone Cove. The name Iron Cove may be a shorter version of this. It might refer to the red iron oxides in the stone. These are known as laterites.
P.R. Stephensen suggested another idea. He thought the name came from iron shackles. Convicts from Cockatoo Island wore these. They worked around the bay from 1839. But Stephensen himself called this “a surmise”.
Still another explanation exists. Perhaps the name came from the Ironbark trees. These trees used to grow here.
Look out to the middle of Iron Cove. You will see Rodd Island. It is named for Brent Clements Rodd.
See that bridge crossing Iron Cove? That’s the Iron Cove Bridge. The first one opened in 1882. It connects Rozelle and Balmain to Drummoyne. They replaced the original bridge in the 1950s.
In 1953, something sad happened here. The Australian warships HMAS Ballarat and HMAS Goulburn were broken up for scrap in Iron Cove.
Notice the smaller bays around Iron Cove. There are Sisters Bay and Half Moon Bay on the northern shores. Iron Cove Creek runs into the bay’s western end. Hawthorne Canal runs off the southern part.
The land around Iron Cove is mostly parkland. This creates a 7-kilometre jogging path. People know it as The Bay Run.
But there’s another side to Iron Cove. The University of Sydney says this bay is heavily polluted. It is the most polluted in Sydney Harbour. High levels of copper, zinc, and lead are in the bay. Road dust washes into the bay in stormwater. Iron Cove Creek also suffers from pollutants.
A proposal exists to fix this. They want to install a water filtration device at Iron Cove Creek. This device would stop contaminants from reaching Sydney Harbour.
Iron Cove has a rich history. It has beautiful scenery. It also faces environmental challenges. It is a place of contrasts and stories.