Yirranma Place

Winner, NSW History Awards 2025, NSW Community and Regional History Prize

Gadigal Country, Woolloomooloo Farm, Riley Estate, Burdekin's paddock, Burlington Picture Palace, First Church of Christ Scientist, party mansion, Yirranma Place.

The many transformations of 262 Liverpool Street, lying at the corner of Forbes Street in Darlinghurst, reflect the long and layered history of Sydney. Now named Yirranma Place, it's a site that has been constantly recreated.

Historian Alana Piper takes episodes from the history of Yirranma Place and its surrounds to provide a window into Sydney's past, particularly the city's experiences of power and hardship. Bringing together local and social history, this visually rich exploration of a corner in Darlinghurst combines deep research with revealing stories.

Yirranma Place is a literary and visual tour de force of an inner-city Sydney neighbourhood that stretches from First Nations experiences in pre-contact times through to the present day. Alana Piper delivers her rigorously researched history in graceful prose, complete with accompanying maps, photographs and paintings that play an integral role in the story. In a series of thematic chapters, she draws attention to the people, issues and relationships that defined this place across eras and generations.

Judges' comments, NSW History Awards