Monthly Archives: February 2018

Narrabeen Bridge

Narrabeen NSW Bridge front

The image above beautifully captures the history of a place which many Sydneysiders are familiar with, visiting for its excellent beaches and surfing. In fact, so famous are the beaches that Narrabeen is even mentioned in the Beach Boy’s song Surfin’ USA.

Narrabeen has long been a popular destination for Sydneysiders wishing to visit the seaside, or to go boating on the beautifully still waters of the Narrabeen Lagoon. In fact, the area was widely promoted as an excellent destination for people wishing to improve their health, being far enough from the city to be advertised as ‘country’. Yet early visitors to the area had no choice but to ford the Narrabeen Lake, as although there were basic roads in the area, there was no bridge over the lagoon.

Then, in in the early 1880s, a timber bridge was constructed across the lagoon. As the image above shows, the first Pittwater Road Bridge was quite narrow, and although it was suitable at the time it was built, by the 1920s was too narrow for the increasing traffic and sometimes created a bottleneck, of the kinds we are all too familiar with today. It wasn’t just that the bridge was narrow though, often anglers used the bridge to fish from, and both sides of the roadway could be lined with hopeful fishermen. An iron barrier was installed in the 1940s to protect the fishermen on the eastern side of the bridge, and fishing was banned entirely in 1945. Of course, many locals simply ignored the ban! Finally, plans to build a new, more substantial concrete bridge were made and in 1954 the concrete bridge which we see today was constructed.

Circular Quay Shipping

Shipping Circular Quay Sydney front

The image above is a stunning view which shows the vast alterations which some of Sydney’s most famous places have undergone in the last century. Circular Quay is a place which Sydneysiders and visitors to Sydney alike are usually familiar with. Being a hub of ferry traffic, and of course, so close to the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House, today Circular Quay is a popular place for people to visit and explore. Yet once, as the image above shows, it was a very different area, thriving with a different sort of activity.

The Circular Quay which we see today is substantially different to the foreshore which greeted the First Fleet when they made landfall in the area in 1788. Circular Quay, was we now know it, was constructed between 1837 and 1844, in order to create an artificial shoreline which would be appropriate to accomodate shipping. Wharves were built on the southern shoreline and, in order to reflect the importance of the new harbour as the hub of Sydney’s shipping, a Customs House was constructed in 1844. The Governor’s Residence, which had been located closer to the shoreline at Circular Quay was relocated to Government House in the 1840s and Macquarie Street was extended to Fort Macquarie at Bennelong Point (where the Opera House is today).

These changes allowed Circular Quay to quickly develop into a commercial working wharf, covering the area between the extended Macquarie Street and the shoreline. The shipping industry was mainly dominated by the wool trade, which in Australia was thriving. Warehouses, wool stores and bond stores began to be constructed and by the 1860s, the entirety of the Circular Quay foreshore was dedicated to commercial shipping. By the 1870s though, the artificial harbour at Circular Quay was too small to accomodate the growing number of ships and Darling Harbour began to take over as the hub of trade, while ferry services began to dominate Circular Quay. As the image above shows though, Circular Quay remained a working harbour into the 20th century.

Pittwater and Palm Beach

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Cottage along Palm Beach Road, midway between Newport and Palm Beach. Inside waterway (Pittwater)

The image above, taken from the Past Present’s amazing collection of photographic negatives, is a stunning glimpse into the history of one of Sydney’s more exclusive areas. Today much of the Pittwater area is an area of luxurious homes, fashionable beaches and trendy cafes. Yet once, as the image above shows, the area was much quieter.

Palm Beach itself, which is one of the most exclusive areas of Pittwater today, was named after the many Cabbage Tree Palms which were to be found in the area. The original owners, the Guringai people used the cabbage tree fronds to construct fishing lines and patch leaks in their boats.

The first European to be granted land in the area was James Napper, who in 1816 was granted a huge area of 400 acres, including Palm Beach, Barrenjoey and most of Whale Beach. Other early European use of the land was made by fishermen, who caught and dried fish, and by smugglers, who recognised that the area was an ideal place for illicit trade. In order to discourage smuggling, in 1843 the government acquired land at the base of the headland on the Western Pittwater shore, and built a customs house. In 1881 the acquired further land on the Northern most point of the headland, and built the Barrenjoey Lighthouse, which still stands today.

It wasn’t until the 1900s that residential development truly began to occur. In 1900, 18 large blocks advertised as good grazing land were offered for sale, but none sold. Then, in 1912, the land was again advertised for sale, but this time the blocks were much smaller and there were many more of them. They were advertised as offering fishing, sailing, golf and rowing, and all of the blocks sold. Yet the area was isolated and had poor transport options, so development remained slow, with many blocks remaining empty, and used simply for camping and picnicking. In the wake of World War Two, development sped up, and the area known as Palm Beach began to transform into the exclusive suburb we see today.

Queens Square

Queens Square Front

The image above is a beautiful snapshot of a place which many Sydneysiders and visitors to Sydney alike are familiar with, yet little think about. Queens Square is today simply a public square and many Sydneysiders may not even be aware that it has a name.

Queens Square is found at the place where King Street, Phillip Street and Macquarie Street come together. In 1810, when Governor Macquarie arrived in Sydney, he began the process of transforming the fledgling penal colony into a township.  He oversaw the reorganisation of streets, and the establishment of public spaces and parks in line with British town planning. He established a town common in the form of Hyde Park and saw that the key civic features of a township, including Churches, schools, a hospital and a courthouse, were built near this common.

The centre of the township, the civic square, was established just by the town common, and this civic centre was called Queens Square. The square is bounded by some of Sydney’s most important buildings, including The Sydney Mint, the Law Courts, Hyde Park Barracks, and St James Church (which was originally to be the courthouse). Even today, it is still considered by many to be the centre of the city of Sydney.