One of Sydney’s longest-running community tennis centres is facing an uncertain future after its operators were ordered to leave the site following a successful Aboriginal land claim.
The Northern Suburbs Tennis Association (NSTA) has been told to vacate the eight-court Talus Street Tennis Centre in Naremburn, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, by 30 September 2026 after receiving an eviction notice from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC).
The tennis association has operated at the site since 1978, and the centre attracts more than 62,000 player visits each year, making it one of the busiest community tennis facilities of its size in Sydney. Australian tennis champions including Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Pat Cash have also played at the facility over its long history.
The 1.51-hectare Talus Street Reserve was the subject of an Aboriginal land claim after leases held by Willoughby City Council were ruled invalid. The NSW Government approved the land claim in 2022, with the Crown land to be transferred to the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. NSTA records indicate ownership was formally transferred in July 2025.
The NSW Government has previously acknowledged that the tennis courts were being heavily used by the community but became legally claimable because of problems with the underlying leasing arrangements. Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper cited Talus Street as an example of a community facility becoming claimable because of a technical legal issue.
A significant part of the current dispute concerns the amount NSTA pays to use the land.
The association reportedly pays around $46,000 a year, while the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council argues that the amount is substantially below what would be considered a commercial market return for more than a hectare of valuable North Shore property.
The land council has said it has responsibilities to ensure land returned under Aboriginal land-rights legislation provides economic and social benefits to its Aboriginal members and does not become a financial liability.
The tennis association and supporters, however, argue that the courts should be recognised as an important community sporting asset that has served generations of children, families, senior citizens and competitive players.
Community concern has also grown after the land council previously explored a proposal involving an 18-storey development containing 303 apartments on the site.
The proposal was not recommended for the NSW Government’s fast-track State Significant Development pathway, although other planning options could potentially remain available.
A community petition has since been launched calling for tennis operations to remain at Talus Street and urging the parties to negotiate a solution.
The Naremburn dispute comes amid a much wider debate about Aboriginal land claims involving Crown land across New South Wales.
Under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW), eligible Crown land can be returned to Aboriginal land councils when statutory requirements are satisfied. The system was established to provide compensation for the historical dispossession of Aboriginal people.
However, the NSW Government has raised concerns about cases where actively used sporting or community facilities become claimable because of technical problems with leases or occupation arrangements.
More than 44,000 Aboriginal land claims have reportedly been lodged or remain within the NSW system, with the government considering legislative changes aimed at protecting certain community facilities while maintaining Aboriginal land rights. Aboriginal land organisations have opposed changes they believe could weaken rights established under the landmark 1983 legislation.
For the thousands of players who use Talus Street, however, the immediate question is much simpler: will almost five decades of community tennis at Naremburn continue beyond 30 September?
Unless negotiations produce a new agreement, the current operators face having to hand back the keys at the end of the month.
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