Darling Point, Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia, has scores of inner suburbs or districts. Among the most prestigious is the blue ribbon community of Darling Point.

Darling Point is located just four kilometers east of the city’s central business district with plenty of transportation options to access it, yet it might as well be worlds away. The community sits on a peninsula surrounded by Sydney Harbour, Double Bay and Rushcutters Bay. Views don’t get much better than that.

Within the borders of Australia’s most populous city, Darling Point residents number fewer than 5,000 in an area less than one square kilometer. Almost half hail from Commonwealth nations including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Africa. The lifestyle is quiet and exclusive.

Activity buzzes around three waterfront parks. McKell Park is built on the foundations of Darling Point’s earliest house and remnants of the structure are preserved. The park’s grassed terraces lead to Sydney Harbour and the Darling Point Ferry Wharf.

Yarranabbe Park--Yarranabbe being the indigenous name of Darling Point--is on the shoreline of Rushcutters Bay and is a beloved vantage point for New Year’s Eve fireworks over on Sydney Harbour. Close by is Rushcutters Bay Park with sports fields for cricket, rugby and soccer. Next to the park is the prestigious Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, host of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which is one of the top--and toughest--in the world.

The area evolved from woods to farms and then to residential plots in the 1800s where the elite of Sydney society--“Darlingpointonians” as they were sometimes called--built grand estates designed by the top architects of the day. Waves of redevelopment would result in the demolition of many original mansions. Of those that remain, some are heritage-listed.

Over time, condominiums, townhouses and apartment buildings have replaced original freestanding residences and incorporate the harbor-side lifestyle with amenities such as kayak storage and balconies that look out onto the yacht-filled waters.