Rose Bay was named by Governor Arthur Phillip after his friend and mentor, George Rose .  

The name Rose Bay was used as early as 1778 by Captain John Hunter .  

Aborigines camped on the site of present Rose Bay Park and fished from Lady Martin's Beach on Point Piper.  

In 1919 local workers dug up a box containing newspaper clippings from The Sydney Gazette from November 27th 1830 which referred to the death of the famous Aboriginal, Bungaree who died on Garden Island and was buried at Rose Bay. Bungaree was called "King of the Blacks" as he had circumnavigated Australia with Mathew Flinders in 1801/02.