Waverley, New South Wales

Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council.

Waverley Council takes its name from the suburb but its administrative centre is located in the adjacent suburb of Bondi Junction, which is also a major commercial centre. Waverley is the highest point of altitude in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.

History
Waverley takes its name from a home built near Old South Head Road in 1827, by Barnett Levey (or Levy) (1798–1837). It was named Waverley House, after the title of his favourite book, Waverley, by author Sir Walter Scott. Waverley Municipality was proclaimed in June 1859. The house was a distinctive landmark and gave its name to the surrounding suburb. Waverley Cemetery (South Head General Cemetery) was established in 1877 and is one of Australia's most notable cemeteries due to its cliff-side location. The cemetery also features the graves of several notable Australians including poet Henry Kendall and aviator Lawrence Hargrave.

Edina, a late Victorian mansion built on a grand scale in Birrell Street by Ebenezer Vickery for himself and his family, was completed in about 1884. Vickery was a leading merchant and a most prominent patron of the Methodist Church. Other buildings in the group include Banksia, Witchagil and the Nellie Vickery Memorial Chapel. Banksia and Witchagil are two-storey villas that Vickery built for his sons.

This distinguished group of Victorian buildings is now used as the War Memorial Hospital. Edina, Banksia and Witchagil are on the Register of the National Estate.

Churches
Mary Immaculate Church in Victoria Street was designed by John Hennessy in 1912. Its twin-towered design is said to be reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance and is an example of the Federation Academic Classical style.

The Jubilee International Church, also in Victoria Street was originally the Grahame Memorial Presbyterian Church, Waverley. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs. William Grahame on May 8, 1897. The Catholic Friary, was demolished in 1985 after sustaining extensive fire damage (see gallery below).

Commercial area
Waverley is mostly residential with a scattering of commercial developments, centred on the road junction known as Charing Cross.

Schools
Waverley is home to a number of schools. Waverley College is a Christian Brothers school for boys made up of Our Lady's Mount Campus in Birrell Street, (Senior School Years 7-12), Waterford Campus in Henrietta Street (Junior School Years 5-6) and Waterford Pre School. St Catherine's School is an Anglican, Day and Boarding school for girls, located in Albion Street. St Clare's College is a Catholic, high school for girls in Carrington Road.

Sport and recreation
The following clubs are located in or represent the Waverley area:
 * Waverley Rugby Club - Rugby Union
 * Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club
 * Bondi United - Rugby League
 * Waverley Bowling Club
 * St Charles Waverley - Rugby League
 * Sydney Roosters Rugby League Club (based at the Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club, in Bondi Junction).

Notable residents
Current and former notable residents include:


 * Reg Lindsay (1929–2008), country music star. Lindsay was born in Waverley.
 * Norbert Basil MacLean III (1971-), dual American-Australian citizen and U.S. Navy veteran who championed equal access to the Supreme Court of the United States for members of the U.S. Armed Forces. MacLean moved to the suburb in 2009.
 * Bob Windle, gold medallist in the 1500m freestyle at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Windle spent his formative years in the suburb.