Rosebery was named in honor of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, who served as the UK’s prime minister from 1894 to 1895. The neighborhood bears his name following this two-month visit to Australia in 1883-1884.

Rosebery Racecourse, which began as a pony track in 1906, was formerly located in Rosebery.Particularly in the 1920s, race meetings hosted by the Associated Racing Clubs grew in popularity to match those at Randwick. During World War II, the track was used as an army camp.[2] Following the war, the Sydney Turf Club used it as a training facility.