[3][4] Scottish-Australian naturalist William John Macleay described the species as Raja australis in 1884, from specimens collected from a trawl off the south head of Botany Bay.

He was excited by the find of a skate species in Sydney waters and wondered about its potential as a food item.

He observed, "As an article of food, skate has never been much in favour here, in fact, except in French cafés and places of that kind.

[3] The upperparts are brown, with lighter color on the snout and pectoral fins, while the underparts are white.

[5] The Sydney skate is found on the continental shelf off the east coast of Australia, at depths of 20 to 325 metres (66 to 1,066 ft).