The Tingle Factor Box

Roy Discovers 200 Years Of History In A Garden - Royal Botanic Gardens

This week, with the iconic Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens celebrating an important milestone over the recent June long weekend, it seemed the perfect time for Roy to revisit this beautiful parkland and garden. The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the oldest Botanic Gardens in the Southern Hemisphere, and has just celebrated its bicentenary. This makes it even older the Kew Gardens in England!

If you would like to visit the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens (and Domain) they are located in Sydney. Being a huge area, they are bound by many different roads, but one of the major ones is Macquarie Street. The gardens are the perfect place to relax, enjoy a picnic, wander and soak up the beauty and history. If Roy is driving into the city to the Gardens, he usually parks in the Domain Car Park.

The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens have a fascinating history, dating back right to the era before European colonisation. Before Europeans arrived, the area around Farm Cove and including the Botanic Gardens was known as Woccanmagully by the Cadigal people, who used the land as an initiation ground - an important place indeed. After Europeans arrived though, the area was soon taken over. Almost immediately, a small farm growing much needed grain was established on the site - hence the name ‘farm cove’. By 1802 the Old Government House, which once stood where the Museum of Sydney stands today was noted for its fine garden of native and exotic species. This garden included areas of what are now the Botanic Gardens. Other areas were still dedicated to food production. Yet in 1807 Governor Bligh began efforts to reclaim the Demesne, which we now know as the Domain. He began building roads and cleared many of the buildings. 

 

 

 

Yet it was Macquarie who really began the process of establishing the iconic gardens. In 1810 he began a project to build walls around the area, complete the roads in the Domain and remove the remaining buildings. One of these roads, Mrs Macquaries Road, was completed in 1816 on June 13. Today, this is the date commemorated as the Foundation Day for the Botanic Gardens. Yet the area was not for the use of everybody and punishments were in place for those who were not deemed suitable visitors. The respectable residents of Sydney however were welcome to use the area. The first botanist associated with the gardens was Allan Cunningham who arrived in the colony in 1816. Yet it was Charles Fraser, who was formally appointed Government Colonial Botanist and superintendent of the Botanic Gardens in 1821 who had most influence. He began working on the gardens in 1817, and by 1820 had established a what was officially described as a ‘botanic garden’ which was separate from the Governors Kitchen Garden. In September 1831 the Domain area was opened to the General Public, though much of the Gardens was still reserved for the Governor and respectable classes. In December, Fraser died at just 43 years of age. For the next almost two decades many different men act as superintendent for the gardens, with some resigning and others dying in office. Then, in 1848 Charles Moore took over the position. 

Come back next week to find out about the next era in the Botanic Gardens history

Rover Finds A Not So Depressing Place - Balls Head

This week, Rover decided it was time to head back to one of the many headlands around Sydney. We have many ‘heads’ in Sydney – North Head, South Head, Middle Head and so on, but this week, Rover is most interested in Balls Head. He has long been entranced by the history of this amazing area, and has often visited to explore the various aspects of history to be discovered. This week though, he is focusing on Balls Head in the Great Depression.

If you would like to visit Balls Head, it is located in Waverton, North Sydney. To get there, turn off the Pacific Highway into Bay Road. Follow Bay Road into Balls Head Road and on to Balls Head itself. There is plenty to see and do at Balls Head, with an historic coal loader to explore, historic walks, Aboriginal heritage, a centre for sustainability and more. There is also plenty of room for a picnic, for the kids to run around or kick a ball.

Before Europeans colonised Australia, there was no formal economy in Australia and no threat of depression. The Aboriginal people of Australia used the resources they had available and were essentially hunter gatherers, living in harmony with, and off the land. Yet when the European colony was established, a new economy was established too. Sometimes, this economy was based on trade (and rum was a real part of the economy!), but soon enough a more formal currency was the basis of the colony economy. The new economy, and the Bank of NSW which was established in 1817 as an integral part of this economy, allowed the colony to flourish and develop. The colony became increasingly prosperous, but the down side of having an economy is that it can fluctuate and depression also became part of the economic cycle. The 1840s and the 1890s both saw depression and hardship in Sydney.

The 1930s though is perhaps the most famous and dire depression. This depression, The Great Depression was felt internationally, and Australia was certainly not spared. In Sydney in 1932 almost 32 percent of the population was unemployed and many lost not just their livelihoods, but their homes. Shanty towns began to appear all around Sydney, everywhere from the Domain itself, to Botany Bay and of course, at Balls Head. Many caves around Balls Head were occupied during the Depression by families, or individuals who had lost their homes when rent became impossible to pay. You can see many of these shelters when visiting, and also the various paths and gardens which were established during the depression, and soon after. Of course, the most surprising depression era relic at Balls Head is actually the beautiful ‘natural’ bush. In actuality, most of the trees on Balls Head were cleared during the depression, to make simple items which could be sold by the inhabitants (or simply to produce firewood). After the depression ended, tree planting was undertaken as part of an organised beautification scheme, and nearly 2500 trees had been planted by 1948!

Roaming Roy Finds A Creek In History - Flat Rock Creek

This week, Roy decided it was time to enjoy a quiet meander in beautiful, natural surroundings. Roy was heading into the North Sydney area though, so he knew he would have to look carefully to find the perfect place where he could walk and almost forget he was close to the city. Eventually we decided that Tunks Park and Flat Rock Creek in the Willoughby area would be perfect.

If you would like to visit Tunks Park and Flat Rock Creek, it is located in Cammeray, not far from North Sydney. To get there, continue along Strathallen Avenue, across the suspension bridge, and then turn into The Boulevarde. Continue along Rowlison Parade until you reach Vernon Street and from there turn into Brothers Avenue. You should now be able to find somewhere to park. Alternately, you can turn from Strathallen Avenue into Cliff Avenue and then follow Lower Cliff Avenue to Brothers Avenue. There is plenty of room to have a picnic, run off energy, kick a ball or just enjoy a walk along the creek! There is also a fabulous children’s playground to explore and enjoy.

Tunks Park, named after William Tunks (the first Mayor of St Leonards), is a foreshore park which has long been the centre of sports in the area. With fields catering for cricket, football, soccer and even school carnivals, it is a popular place for not only organised sports, but for more informal games. The sports fields themselves were created in the 1950s, when the creek and mudflats at the top of Long Bay were reclaimed. The fields were named the Falcon Memorial Playing Fields, in memory of the soldiers of the First and Second World Wars. However, the history of the area surrounding Tunks Park goes back much further. There are shell middens and rock art sites in the area which show that the local Aboriginal people, the Cammeraygal people after whom Cammeray is named, used the creek and tidal flats for food and water.

After European settlement though, the area around Flat Rock Creek became heavily used. Rock was quarried from the area for use around Sydney, and in building the piers for the suspension bridge which spans the park. The soils around the creek were also found to be rich and fertile and quickly orchards and market gardens began to appear, many of which were operated by the Chinese. There was even a piggery, the ruins of which can still be seen if you walk the entire length of the creek. Of course, the creek was also picturesque, with cascades and a magnificent waterfall, and many came to the area to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Then, in the 1930s the beautiful waterfall which had been so popular with picnickers, was designated as a rubbish dump. The Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator could not cope with the amount of waste, and tonnes of rubbish was tipped into Flat Rock Creek Gully, right up until 1985.

Roaming Roy Finds A Place Of Folly - Folly Point

This week, Roy decided to spend some time out and about, exploring a few of the fascinating places to be discovered in Sydney. Roy loves exploring Sydney because there always seems to be something to be discovered and when he visited Folly Point, he found this area was no different. Not only is Folly Point a fascinating place, but from the point you can even spot some shipwrecks!

If you would like to visit Folly Point, it is located in Cammeray, North Sydney on the North Shore of Sydney Harbour. To get there take Cammeray Road and continue along the road essentially until you run out of road – this is Folly point. From here you can explore the small parkland area on the point, and from a little further up the road, you can gaze across to Salt Pan Creek where the wrecks of two ships can be seen.

Folly Point has an intriguing history, though nobody is entirely sure what the origins of the name ‘Folly Point’ are. In fact, the exact location of Folly Point has even moved, with early maps actually marking Folly Point as the small peninsula in Primrose Park! By the 1880s though Folly Point was located where we know it today and was a perfect waterfront location for boatsheds and the various associated services like tea rooms. In the 1890s though, Depression struck and Folly Point became home to hundreds of out of work men and their families living rough in basic shacks and tents. ‘Tin Town’ as the settlement became known grew up in the bush surrounding Folly Point and was actually still in existence during the 1930s Depression, when the population of the shanty town again grew.

Folly Point itself is not the only attraction in the area though as it is from slightly further up the road that you can gaze into Salt Pan Creek. Once, Salt Pan Creek was actually known as Old Shipwreck Bay, hinting at what lies on the sand flats – ship wrecks. A number of ships found their final resting place in the bay, though there is one which is the most visible, the Barque Italia. Italia was actually in Newcastle when disaster struck. In 1906, the boat caught fire and eventually exploded, and the remaining hulk was towed to Sydney and abandoned in Salt Pan Creek. Another ship which was visible when Roy visited, but is apparently difficult to see at higher tides, is the Coraki which was abandoned on the mudflats in 1946, after serving the country in the Second World War. There are apparently more wrecks within the creek, but they are not so easy to spot!

Rover Finds A Man Made Forest - Balls Head

This week, Rover decided that he wanted to spend some time out and about near the beautiful Sydney harbour. Rover loves nature, but he is also enthralled by the harbour itself, which of course is surrounded by built up city. There are such wonderful gems along the shores of the harbour though – national parks which not only provide beautiful natural surroundings, but which are often filled with history. One which Rover is particularly taken with is Balls Head.

If you would like to visit Balls Head, it is located in Waverton, North Sydney. To get there, turn off the Pacific Highway into Bay Road. Follow Bay Road into Balls Head Road and on to Balls Head itself. There is plenty to see and do at Balls Head, with an historic coal loader to explore, historic walks, Aboriginal heritage, a centre for sustainability and more. There is also plenty of room for a picnic, for the kids to run around or kick a ball.

Today, we tend to think of Balls Head as a beautiful, natural bushland area along the harbour foreshore, and people enjoy using the area for picnics and walking. Yet Balls Head was not always this leafy oasis. It is true that up until the 20^th century Balls Head, which was then part of the Wollstonecraft Estate, was largely undisturbed bushland, but this rapidly changed. In 1917 a coal loader was built at Balls Head and from this time on, the landscape around the headland changed rapidly, becoming remarkably barren. In addition, during the Great Depression many homeless men and women created homes on Balls Head, living in the various shelters and even carving out their own in the sandstone rock. In order to generate some income, they felled trees to sell as firewood and also to make into items like clothes props which could be sold. By 1931, almost all of the trees across Balls Head had disappeared.  

Yet it was also at the time when these trees were disappearing that people began to become interested in maintaining foreshore areas for public use. Balls Head was one area which was suggested as a public reserve by the State Government and in 1926, on June 25, it was officially gazetted for public recreation. Of course, the site was barren and in severe need of beautification at the time, including rehabilitation of the landscape. Between 1931 and 1948 yearly plantings took place at Balls Head, with the Field Naturalists Society, the Australian Forest League, Waverton Precinct and North Sydney Council taking part. In the 17 years of tree planting approximately 2350 trees were planted and the beautiful revegetated landscape which people so love is thanks to their efforts.   

Rover Checks Out A Church - Or Is It A Courthouse? St James Church

This week, with Christmas nearly upon us, Rover wanted to visit somewhere appropriately Christmassy. He thought of checking out the decorations or Christmas trees, but when the opportunity to visit Sydney’s oldest Church arose, he decided this was a perfect place to go. St James Church is a beautiful and historic building in the heart of the city, and Rover was enthralled by all of the things he discovered inside!

If you would like to visit St James Church it is located in the heart of Sydney, not far from Hyde Park. The street address is King Street, but parking can be difficult to find. However St James Train Station is very close by if you want to come by public transport. If you wish to make a day of it, there are plenty of other heritage attractions within walking distance, including Hyde Park Barracks and Hyde Park, or you might like to check out the David Jones Christmas Windows and the various decorations around the city.

St James’ is the oldest church building in the city of Sydney and has been in continuous use since 1824 when it was consecrated. The beginnings of the Church date back to 1819 though when the convict architect Francis Greenway was asked to design a series of buildings for Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Greenway was to design a courthouse and a school on King Street and a Cathedral for George Street but Comissioner Bigg who had been sent from London put a halt to some of these plans. The Cathedral was put on hold, the school was moved and the originally planned school became a courthouse. Similarly, the planned courthouse which was already being built on King Street became a Church dedicated to St James – the St James Church we know today.

The first service held in the Church was held in January of 1822 when Reverend William Cowper sheltered his congregation (who were residents of Hyde Park Barracks) from inclement weather inside its walls. This was the only unofficial service to be held before the Church was consecrated as Reverend Samuel Marsden, then the Principal Chaplain, argued that the Church should not be used until it had been legally and properly consecrated. The Church was consecrated by Reverend Samuel Marsden on February 11, 1824 using a service approved by the Archibishop of Canterbury. The same day, the first baptism was held. The Church isn’t just famous and important for the buildings history though. Inside there are a number of rare marble memorials from the 1800s and also a huge collection of beautiful movable heritage artefacts including Church items like crosses. There are also exquisite windows to admire, and Rover will return to find out more about these in the future!

Roaming Roy Is In Suspense - Long Gully Bridge

This week with things so busy in the leadup to Christmas, Roy decided to look through his past trips to see if there was some place he could share with his online friends. Roy takes every opportunity to visit interesting places, and sometimes he discovers somewhere historically fascinating surprisingly close to his home base of Sydney. The Long Gully Bridge (also known as North Sydney or Cammeray Suspension Bridge) was one such place. Roy has countless times driven across the bridge, but had never given much thought to its history, until now.

If you would like to visit the historic suspension bridge it is located in Cammeray, not far from North Sydney. The bridge spans Flat Rock Creek and Tunks Park, and the road which runs across the bridge itself is Strathallen Avenue. The bridge has beautiful towers at either end which are worth a look, but the entirety of the bridge is best viewed from below in Tunks Park. Tunks Park is also a perfect place for a picnic or to run off some energy – Roy thinks it would even be perfect for kite flying.

The Long Gully Bridge has a number of names, including the Suspension Bridge, Cammeray Suspension Bridge or North Sydney Suspension Bridge. Whatever you call it though the bridge is an engineering wonder and an important part of Sydneys history. In the 1880s a new company, the North Sydney Tramway And Development Company was created. It’s business was to sell land and develop the area north of Flat Rock Creek, but of course in order to do this transport would be needed, as well as a crossing of the creek itself. In 1889 construction on a grand new bridge began. The bridge was to be an ornate and handsome suspension bridge over not just the creek, but the entire gully. At the time it would be the largest suspension structure of this type in Australia and the fourth largest in the world! The company was not very successful though and by the 1890s had gone into liquidation. A new company, North Sydney Investment and Tramway was formed and took over the entire project including the bridge.

The bridge was successfully completed and 1892 it opened to with great fanfare and to critical acclaim. It was such an attraction and marvel that it became a tourist attraction in and of itself, and was featured on postcards! Initially, the bridge was open only to pedestrian traffic but in 1909 a tramline was constructed which allowed the area to further develop. The new company was once again not entirely successful though and in 1912 the NSW Government assumed ownership of the bridge when the company collapsed. They opened the bridge to tram traffic in 1914 and other vehicular traffic followed. The bridge was not built for such use though and in 1935 the Deparment of Main Roads discovered some serious problems with the cables and steel work and the bridge was closed. Instead of demolishing the beautiful bridge they built a concrete arch below the structure which supports it – and in essence means that despite the name, this particular ‘suspension bridge’ is no longer a suspension bridge at all! The bridge reopened in 1939.

Roaming Roy Is In A Grave Situation - St Thomas Rest Park

 

This week, with Halloween coming up, Roy decided it was the perfect time to spend some time in a graveyard. Roy actually really loves cemeteries, with their beautiful masonry and wealth of history to be discovered. When he discovered the St Thomas Rest Park, a park which is also an historic cemetery, he knew he had to visit. 

 

 

If you would like to visit St Thomas Rest Park it is located in thel Northern Sydney area of Crows Nest. The rest park is just off West Street, and when we visited we had no trouble finding parking on the street just outside the gates. There is a lovely children’s playground in the park, plenty of room for a picnic or to kick a ball and of course the historic graves and Sextant’s Cottage to explore. 

 

 

St Thomas Cemetery is an important historic site in North Sydney municipality, being the first cemetery established on Sydney’s North Shore. Before European colonisation the land was owned by the Cammeraygal, but in 1821 the area where the cemetery was established was granted to Edward Wollstonecraft. Wollstonecraft died in 1832, leaving the land to his sister, the wife of prominent landowner Alexander Berry. Berry donated the land for the cemetery to the Anglican Parish of St Leonards in 1845 and Wollstonecraft, who was originally buried in Devonshire Street Cemetery was reinterred at St Thomas in the tomb Berry built for his wife. Berry himself is also interred in this tomb. 

 

 

Wollstonecraft and the Berrys are just a few of the important Sydney personalities interred at St Thomas’ Rest Park. Conrad Martens, the famous artist and Bernard Otto Holtermann who discovered the largest specimen of reef gold ever found are also buried there, among many others whose names remain recognisable today. In 1967 the cemetery, which had become overgrown and neglected, was handed over to North Sydney Council by an Act of Parliament and the land was named ‘community land. This allowed the council to readapt the land, creating the rest park. The Sexton’s Cottage which was built in about 1850 was restored and opened as a museum while many of the gravestones and monuments were maintained in site, or moved to other areas of the site to maintain the history of this important area. 

Roaming Roy Falls For History - Willoughby Falls

This week, with all the rain we have been having recently, Roy decided it was the perfect time to visit a waterfall. Roy loves waterfalls, even though in times of drought they can be a little disappointing but with such heavy rain having fallen in the last month, Roy reasoned that there would have to be water to see cascading down the rocks. He had heard about a waterfall, Willoughby Falls, hidden away in North Sydney, in an area which he often finds himself in, yet he had never realised there was a natural wonder there. He had to investigate!

If you would like to visit Willoughby Falls it is located in Primrose Park in Cammeray. You can approach in a variety of different ways, but Roy decided to do a circuit from the park, around the top of the falls and back down again. Head down the grassy playing field area of Primrose Park towards the right-hand side of the tennis courts (the infrastructure here has its own history to tell, associated with the sewerage treatment works - Roy will investigate this another time). You will see steps taking you up to the tennis court level and from there, follow the pedestrian bridge over the creek. Here you will see the bottom of the falls. Continue along the path, turning left and following the sandstone steps up to the street. Continue left into Grafton Street where you will cross the top of the falls. You will come to a grassy park area with a picnic table and from here you can peek through the trees to see the top of the falls. Continue down the bush track to return to Primrose Park.

Once, the area around middle harbour was brimming with waterfalls and cascades, plummeting over rocks and eventually finding their way into the harbour itself. Most of these waterfalls have since disappeared and Willoughby Falls is the only remaining ‘large’ waterfall in the area. Before Europeans arrived in Australia Willoughby Falls and the surrounding area were extensively used by Aborigines. In fact the nearby Folly Point was a place for feasting and there are extensive midden deposits full of shells and bones in the area.

The beautiful falls became a popular picnic spot after European colonisation and there was even a wooden jetty in Willoughby Bay which could be used to bring picnickers to the area. From the jetty they would walk to the base of the falls through the bush, though others local to the area would approach from the top along a bush track (approximately where Cammeray Road is today). When the sewerage treatment works were built the area was all but abandoned by picnickers and the water cascading from the falls was instead used to feed the sewerage treatment works. Over time a stormwater drain replaced the creek which once fed the falls, but the beauty of the area was maintained and after the sewerage treatment works closed the picturesque falls once again became popular with visitors.

Roaming Roy In Quarantine - North Head Quarantine Station Technology

This week, Roy was interested in technology. Roy is fascinated by technology and the amazing ways it has been used in and around not only Sydney, but more widely in Australia. Technology has been adapted to do all sorts of things and to function in all sorts of ways and Roy is always amazed to find some relic of historic technology when he visits a new place. Railways and other forms of transport are something which are of particular interest, and when he visited the Quarantine Station in Sydney, Roy was amazed at the technology they used to make life not only easier for the residents who spent time there, but also safer.

If you would like to visit the Quarantine Station it is located at North Head in Manly, Sydney. To get there you will need to go to Manly. At the Ferry Wharf, turn left and then take the second left (which has a signpost directing you to North Head). Next, turn into Darley Road and drive up the hill. Pass through the stone arch and follow the road until you reach the car park for the Quarantine Station. Park your car and catch one of the shuttle buses (which are free) to the wharf precinct of the Quarantine Station. There is plenty to see and do when you arrive, including a cafe, a restaurant, historic buildings, a beach, museum and various walks.

The North Head Quarantine Station has its beginnings in 1828 when the area was essentially used as a ‘stopgap’ to protect against an outbreak of typhoid. North Head was isolated from more populated areas, making it the perfect location to send people with dangerous contagious diseases. Also in 1828 the Bussorab Merchant ship was quarantined at Spring Cove (North Head)and only four years later in 1832 a formal Quarantine Station was established here. By 1837 the area covered by the Quarantine Station was extended to encompass the whole of North Head, up to the boundaries with other grants and the same year the Quarantine Station was moved from Spring Cove to Quarantine Beach. Permanent buildings were built to house the sick at Quarantine Beach, instead of forcing sick people to remain quarantined onboard their vessels as had been done previously.

Over the years between the first expansion of the Quarantine Station and its eventual closure in the 1970s more buildings were added and improvements were made not only in the accommodations, but also in the conditions and treatment of people who were staying there. Not all people who were in quarantine were actually sick – being in contact with disease would bring on a stay at the Quarantine Station. As time wore on, greater segregation not only of different diseases, but those who were actively sick and those who were simply in quarantine developed. In addition, new technologies were adapted, including the building of a disinfection block and the installation of autoclaves for sterilisation in the early 20^th century. New technology didn’t just ensure better health standards though – technology was adapted to make life easier for those in the Quarantine Station. One example of this was the funicular railway which was built in 1914/1915. The railway was used to transport not only luggage, but also supplies up (and down) the steep incline between the wharf and accommodations. Today the steep incline of the original railway is marked with an enormous set of stairs, but you can see some of the rails which were used near the wharf, or by peeking under the stairs as you walk up (or down!)

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