Sydney Harbour Archives

Long-Held Mosman Home Returns After Major Renovation

A long-held Mosman home at 2A Cross Street has returned to the market after a complete renovation, marking another chapter for a property that remained under the same ownership for about three decades.

A New Chapter for the Mosman Home

The five-bedroom property had been owned by the late Andrew Turnbull for about 30 years before it sold last year to Bant Investments for $8.1 million. It had initially come to market with expectations of $10 million.

Records cited for the property show Turnbull bought the double-brick home for $2 million in July 1995.

Since the sale, the residence has been extensively reworked while retaining its large-scale layout. It now contains five bedrooms, five bathrooms and parking for four cars, with about 472sqm of floor space spread across three levels on a 771sqm block.

The renovation extended throughout the home, including its kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas. The layout includes three living spaces, an office or study and a separate studio apartment with external access.

A gym, spa and infrared sauna have also been incorporated, while the garage has been upgraded with an epoxy resin floor.

Cross Street Setting Remains Central

The property sits on Cross Street, close to shops and an oval, while its boundary adjoins Sydney Harbour National Park.

Its elevated position provides views across the harbour towards the city and ocean. The house also includes balconies and a limestone courtyard, with a full-width balcony overlooking the surrounding outlook.

Access is provided by a 60-metre cobblestone driveway with remote gates. Security cameras, an intercom and an alarm system are also included in the current listing.

The location and scale of the property remain key parts of its character despite the extensive internal changes.

Property Returns to the Local Market

Atlas founding director Michael Coombs is handling the sale alongside residential sales agent Dan Meakins.

Coombs reported a high level of inquiry within the first 24 hours of the property being launched. Across properties he is handling, first-day inquiry had risen from an average of about 11 or 12 six months earlier to about 30 to 32.

No specific first-day inquiry total was given for 2A Cross Street.

The property has been reported with a $16.5 million price tag, although the Atlas listing does not publish a numerical price guide and instead directs buyers to contact the agency.

Turnbull, who previously owned the Mosman home, had served as chairman of Mt Isa Mines, chief executive of Burns Philp and a senior executive at GEC Australia, and held numerous board positions during the 1980s.

Published 9-September-2026

Balmoral Shark Listening Station Brings Real-Time Alerts To Harbour Users

Photo Credit: NSW SharkSmart/Instagram

Balmoral swimmers and other harbour users can now receive real-time SharkSmart alerts when tagged white, tiger or bull sharks are detected nearby, after one of Sydney Harbour’s first two shark listening stations was installed near Balmoral in Middle Harbour.

Balmoral Shark Listening Station Adds Local Alerts

The Balmoral shark listening station sends an alert through the SharkSmart app when a tagged target shark passes within approximately 500 metres. SharkSmart also distributes tagged-shark detections through X.

White, tiger and bull sharks are the target species covered by the listening-station program. The alert system is specifically based on detections of tagged sharks within the station’s range.

shark monitoring — Photo Credit: NSW SharkSmart/Instagram

A second harbour station has been installed at Lady Bay in the harbour’s east. Together, the Balmoral and Lady Bay installations are the first two Tagged Shark Listening Stations placed in Sydney Harbour.

The pair can provide information about tagged sharks moving into and out of the harbour. The program also includes research into bull shark movements and behaviour in Sydney Harbour and other estuaries.

Balmoral shark listening station — Photo Credit: NSW SharkSmart/Instagram

Balmoral Buoy To Remain In Place

The buoy near Balmoral is visible from the shoreline and is intended to remain in place permanently. Its detections provide swimmers and other harbour users with additional information about tagged target sharks moving nearby.

The harbour installations expand an existing network of 37 tagged shark listening stations at ocean beaches across NSW. That coastal network stretches from Kingscliff to Merimbula, with at least one station in every coastal local government area.

The existing stations are tracking 1,698 white sharks, 938 tiger sharks and 374 bull sharks. Adding the two Sydney Harbour stations brings the statewide listening-station network to 39.

Part Of The Wider Shark Management Program

The listening stations form part of the NSW Shark Management Program, which also includes 305 SMART drumlines across 19 local government areas and 51 shark nets between Newcastle and Wollongong from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Drone surveillance is another part of the program, with 73 drones operating across 97 beaches as expanded monitoring is rolled out.

Research under the program covers white, tiger and bull sharks, along with artificial intelligence, drone automation, personal and area-based shark deterrents and bite-resistant materials.

The program states that shark risk cannot be eliminated entirely. The Balmoral shark listening station adds real-time tagged-shark information through the SharkSmart app when a target shark is detected within approximately 500 metres.

Published 2-Septemberr-2026

Taronga Zoo Starts $105m Cable Car Works In Mosman

Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo Sydney

Work has begun on the $105 million Sky Safari upgrade at Taronga Zoo in Mosman, starting construction on a new cable car system that is expected to return one of the zoo’s long-running visitor experiences by late 2027.

Mosman Sky Safari Works Start At Taronga Zoo

Construction is underway on Taronga Zoo’s upgraded Sky Safari, beginning the next stage of a $105 million project to replace the former cable car system that closed in January 2023.

The Sky Safari had operated at the zoo since 1987 and carried about 20 million passengers before it was retired after reaching the end of its working life. The cable car has been used as both a visitor attraction and a transport link across the zoo’s naturally hilly site, connecting the lower entrance near Taronga Zoo Wharf with the upper entrance.

The new system will follow a 900-metre route and travel up to 36 metres above parts of the zoo, giving passengers elevated views across Sydney Harbour and several animal areas.

Taronga Zoo cable cars — *Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo Sydney*

Larger Gondolas Planned For Taronga Zoo

The upgraded Sky Safari will have 25 larger gondolas, each able to carry up to 10 people. The cabins are being designed to better accommodate larger prams and wheelchairs, with the wider project aimed at improving movement across the zoo for families, visitors with mobility needs and guests of different ages and abilities.

The route will pass above several animal enclosures, including areas for giraffes, zebras, rhinos and chimpanzees. Two new stations will also be built at the lower and upper ends of the system, with larger queuing areas intended to help manage visitor numbers during busy periods.

The lower station near the ferry wharf is intended to make it easier for guests arriving by public transport to move through the zoo.

Gartner Rose has been appointed as head contractor after a competitive tender process. Construction zones are being established at the top and bottom of the zoo so the existing stations can be demolished before the new station works begin.

Foreshore Track Changes During Construction

Taronga Zoo will remain open while the Sky Safari works are carried out. Construction hours are listed as 7am to 6pm from Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

The project will bring temporary changes to parts of the surrounding area. A section of the Foreshore Track that runs through Taronga Zoo land will be partly closed, with no through access between Whiting Beach and Taronga Zoo Wharf from early May because of safety requirements linked to demolition and construction.

The track will remain open to Curlew Artist Camp and Whiting Beach. Pedestrians coming from Sirius Cove and continuing towards Bradleys Head will be directed to a detour near Whiting Beach, linking to Whiting Beach Road and Bradleys Head Road.

There will also be changes to how buses use the turning circle on Athol Wharf Road during lower station works, although the 238 bus service and ferry operations are not expected to be affected. At the upper station, construction vehicles will enter through Bradleys Head Road, with traffic controllers used to help manage local movements.

A moderate increase in construction traffic is expected around the zoo. Signage will be placed on Bradleys Head Road and Athol Wharf Road to alert pedestrians, cyclists and drivers to changed conditions and construction vehicle movements.

Some local concerns have also been raised about the height of the new cable car system, harbour views, visitor numbers, traffic and noise impacts near homes.

Late 2027 Return Expected

The first stage of works will involve demolition of the existing upper and lower stations. New stations will then be built, followed by the removal of old pylons, installation of new pylons, gondola installation and testing.

The new Sky Safari is expected to be complete in late 2027, restoring a cable car experience that had been part of Taronga Zoo for more than three decades.

Published 28-Apr-2026

30 Warships to Fill Sydney Harbour for Rare International Naval Display

HMAS Leeuwin | Photo Credit: Royal Australian Navy

Sydney Harbour will host one of its largest international naval gatherings in more than a decade, with around 30 warships from nearly 20 nations set to assemble within clear view of Lower North Shore communities, including Mosman, Cremorne and Kirribilli.

A major international fleet review

The event on Saturday, 21 March, forms part of Exercise Kakadu, a multinational maritime exercise led by the Royal Australian Navy, and coincides with commemorations marking 125 years since the service’s establishment.

A central feature of the program is the fleet review, a formal naval tradition in which a reviewing officer inspects assembled vessels. HMAS Leeuwin is expected to carry the reviewing officer as it passes the fleet, with participating ships delivering ceremonial salutes.

Participating vessels have travelled from across the Indo-Pacific, with some arriving in Sydney following joint exercises conducted further north.

Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy, Vietnam People’s Navy, Royal Thai Navy, Philippine Navy, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Indian Navy attend an Exercise Kakadu harbour brief at HMAS Coonawarra, Darwin, NT. Photo: Seaman Genae Kelly/Defence

While many vessels will remain anchored across Sydney Harbour, one column is expected to move through the main channel toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge, providing a prominent visual along the harbour corridor.

Full-day program on the harbour

Ship arrivals are scheduled to take place from early morning through to midday, building toward the main fleet review in the afternoon.

The program also includes a joint aerial display by the Royal Australian Air Force, followed by a ceremonial gun salute. Later in the day, a public boating sail-past and a historical flotilla procession are expected to conclude the event.

The sequence of activities is designed to combine formal naval ceremony with public-facing displays across both water and air.

Lower North Shore vantage points

Residents along the lower north shore are expected to have some of the best land-based viewing positions.

Locations including Bradleys Head, Georges Head Lookout, Cremorne Reserve and Kurraba Reserve have been identified as key vantage points, with clear sightlines across the harbour.

Authorities anticipate increased foot traffic in these areas as spectators gather throughout the day.

Transport and maritime authorities have advised that planning ahead will be important for those attending.

Waterway restrictions, including exclusion zones around naval vessels, will be in place across parts of Sydney Harbour. Boaters are required to maintain safe distances and follow directions from maritime authorities.

On land, parking is expected to be limited near popular viewing areas. Additional public transport services, including increased bus frequency in suburbs such as Mosman, have been scheduled to assist with crowd movement.

Published 18-March-2026