Boatsheds All Around” Page 2
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“Boatsheds all Introduction Berrys Bay takes its name from Alexander Berry, around” business partner and brother-in-law of early land grantee Edward Wollstonecraft. The whole of A walking tour of eastern Berrys present day suburbs Wollstonecraft and Bay Waverton were part of the large Wollstonecraft land grant (524 acres). Edward Wollstonecraft Distance: 3 km and Alexander Berry were business partners Approximate time: 3 hours who settled on this side of the harbour and built Grading: medium to high Crows Nest Cottage - from which the suburb of Crows Nest takes its name. The Berry/Wollstonecraft partnership also received land on the South Coast at the Shoalhaven River. Alexander Berry was married to Elizabeth Wollstonecraft (Edward's sister) and after Edward's early death in 1832, the partnership was shared by Alexander and Elizabeth. Elizabeth died in 1845 and their impressive pyramid shaped tomb stands as a memorial to her in St Thomas' Rest Park. Upon Alexander Berry's death in 1872 the land at Coolangatta (on the Shoalhaven) and in North Sydney passed to David Berry - the town of Berry bears his name. This walk takes in the western half of McMahons Point fronting Berrys Bay and opposite Balls Head. In 1817 Governor Macquarie gave a grant of 80-acres of land on the North Shore to ex- convict William Blue and he named this area, encompassing the present day suburb of McMahons Point, „Northampton Farm‟. This was a working farm on which he and his family cultivated vegetables and fruit for the Sydney market. Prior to receiving his land grant he was living in the Rocks and had started the first ferry service across the Harbour from Dawes Point to Blues Point in 1807. After Blue‟s death in 1834 Northampton Farm was divided up amongst his children William, Robert, John, Susannah and Mary. And contrary North Sydney History Walk : “Boatsheds all around” Page 2 to his will, the family began to subdivide and sell Our walk begins at the Commodore portions of the property from as early as 1836. Hotel In 1859 William Chuter, second husband of Proceed west along Union St; walk on Blue‟s daughter Susannah, auctioned the Chuter left side of street towards Berrys Bay. Estate. In 1882 John Blue subdivided and sold Turn left into Dumbarton St his land north of the Chuter Estate. South of the Chuter Estate was Mary French‟s estate and this Dumbarton is a Scottish word, believed to have was also subdivided and sold between the come from a ship of that name. It was the 1850s and 1880s. ancient capital of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, now Scotland. The northern end of the street Berrys Bay was home to a thriving maritime used to be known as LITTLE BLUE STREET. industry from the 1870s to 1930s. Boatsheds and wharves stretched from Blues Point in the Cross over. Continue along south to the edge of present day Waverton Park Dumbarton St and turn right into at the head of the bay. Well established John St boatbuilders such as William Dunn, Walter Ford and William Langford moved their yards here in Named for John Blue, eldest son of Billy Blue the 1870s. Joining the boatbuilders on the and located on the parcel of land he inherited waterfront in the 1880s was the wood stacks and from his father in 1834. John subdivided the steam mills of John W Eaton‟s timberyard. property in 1884. During the 1970s and 1980s, increasing property John Blue was born in 1815 and was the values, especially of prime waterfront land, youngest of Billy Blue‟s children. He was an coupled with the rezoning of waterfront land from alderman of the Borough of Victoria from its industrial/commercial to residential, spelt the inception in 1869 until the 1880s and prior to the death of many harbourside industries including amalgamation of the three local councils to form slipways. Berrys Bay has not been immune from North Sydney. He was also landlord of the "Old this trend. Commodore Inn" in 1850-1866. Later he kept two other hotels and was variously described as The John W Eaton timberyard site off West a lighterman and towards the end of his life as a Crescent Street was partially rezoned residential shipowner. in the 1980s and built upon with apartments, whilst the remainder of the site was converted Towards the end of his life John lived at Aston into the Sawmiller Reserve. Further north along Villa (no. 111 Union St ) which he had built in the Berrys Bay foreshore, the former Groom 1884. He lived here until his death in 1891 aged Bros. Boatyard was sold by Stannards and the 76 years. site was rezoned whereupon the buildings were demolished and apartments built on the site. Continue walking along John St Whilst the remainder of the Stannards site noting railway bridge between Munro and John Street was reconstructed as the North Sydney Marine Centre. North Sydney History Walk : “Boatsheds all around” Page 3 The North Shore line was extended from St from W. Waterhouse. He seems to have moved Leonards to the ferry wharf/tram terminus at away for a period from this site after 1884. Milsons Point in 1893. The railway bridge and Charles Dunn died, aged 41 years, in 1891 at line here is part of the original railway line which the French St residence of his brother-in-law operated before the construction of the Sydney George Reynolds. He was buried in St Thomas‟ Harbour Bridge in 1932. The railway line was Cemetery. diverted after Waverton Station via a tunnel below Bank/Ancrum/Euroka Streets to new Apart from William and Charles Dunn, there was stations at North Sydney and Milsons Point. This a Charles E Dunn and a William A Dunn. The former railway line services the stabling yards Dunn Family constructed at least 61 known behind Luna Park in Lavender Bay. vessels before 1940, ranging through tugs, ferries, launches, trawlers, schooners, lighters and steam yachts. They are particularly known for ferries; “The directors of the Sydney Ferries Limited have accepted the tender of Messrs Dunn of Berrys Bay…for the building of two steamers for the north shore ferry” (1901) Occupying the site of Dunn‟s boatshed is the present boatyard complex (North Sydney Marine Centre) owned by the Stannard Brothers Group, through a private company Launches and Realty Pty Limited. Some of the North Shore railway line above Berrys Bay, boatyard facilities are operated by other c.1893. (Courtesy Art Gallery of NSW) Stannard companies, e.g. Stannard Bros, Slipway Engineering Pty Ltd and the Note on right the entrance to North Dreadnought Trading Pty Ltd. There are also Sydney Marine Centre. The section of many individual tenants (e.g. a sailmaker, a waterfront between here and Munro Street has diesel mechanic, a ship designer, several boat had an extraordinarily complicated history of builders, and a charter boat operator), who lease ownership and occupancy by numerous various sheds, slips, etc. from Stannards, but boatbuilders since the 1870s. Complicating who operate independently. matters is the duplication of names, even within families such as with the Dunn‟s. The present Stannards marina site evolved “like topsy” with numerous operators in an The foreshore site south of John St was agglomerate of mostly makeshift buildings. probably the location of the first commercial The present marina was totally rebuilt and boatyard in the bay in 1877. Boatbuilder rationalised in the 1990s with the northern William Dunn moved his operations from portion of the site sold for residential Lavender Bay to this site in Berrys Bay in 1877. redevelopment. At the foot of the southern side of John Street Stannard connections to North Sydney go back Charles Dunn established a boat building to the 1930s when Allan Stannard‟s father shed and wharf in the 1878 leasing the yard North Sydney History Walk : “Boatsheds all around” Page 4 moved back to the north shore in 1937 Thomas Dibbs, the first motor boat built in purchasing William Reginald Holmes property in Sydney (the „Marionette‟ for Mark Foy), and East Crescent St, Lavender Bay. Due to site dozens of sailing boats and motorboats. Ford restrictions at that location they looked for and also built colliers, missionary ships, large steam found this site in Berrys Bay and relocated here ferries (including „Kulgoa‟ of 338 tons), and soon after. about 500 flat bottomed boats for loading phosphate at Nauru and Ocean Islands Stannard‟s yard survived relatively untouched until the early 1990s, partly because the railway line to Milsons Point had isolated the boatyard site from the nearby pressure of residential development. In 1993, the Sydney Morning Herald lamented: “At Berrys Bay, behind North Sydney, only the last in a long line of marine sites to fall victim to the high price of harbourside real estate, a barge, a floating dry dock, ferry, fishing vessel; and 14 launches have been given eviction notices”. Stannards at this time sold the southern portion of the site and redeveloped and modernised the boatyard facilities immediately off John St. W.M. Ford‟s ramshackle and primitive boatyard in the 1880s. (North Sydney Heritage Centre, PF Another occupant of the site between John and 906/1) Munro Sts was Bjarne Halvorsen Limited who operated from this site for a brief period In 1921 architects Ross and Rowe designed a from 1958 to 1963 as Australian Fishing shed for Ford‟s shipbuilding yard (1921) at which Industries. The site, comprising land, wharves time the site comprised two slipways and the and buildings, was bought that year by proposed building plus adjoining property below Stannards.