Know your Mosman History

 The proposal for boundary lines to carve divide Mosman into five suburbs was voted against in council as reported in the Mosman Daily Nov 21 2013. 

One of the reasons for the proposal was to protect the  historical names of localities which brings up the subject of the history of the area.  Below is a summary taken from 'Mosman Meanders & foreshore flavours'  which features walks around the area and its rich history.  Claire

 

 The history of  Mosman had its beginnings at Mosman Bay where the HMS Sirius of First Fleet fame was careened in 1789.   It was named after Archibald Mosman, who in 1831, established a whaling station there.

 Sirius Cove Reserve was one of the Aboriginal picnic places evidenced by shell middens in the area.  Along the track to the zoo, a sign points to Curlew Camp, the site of one of the many Artists’ camps in the 1890’s.

 Taronga Zoo  features Australia’s finest selection of  native animals and is one of the nation’s most popular attractions.

 Bradley’s Head Point was named by Governor Hunter to commemorate the assistance given by William Bradley of the First Fleet, Sirius. The mast of the cruiser, HMAS Sydney, is now a monument to all Australian ships and sailors lost in conflict;  the celebrations around the International Fleet review will be held there on October 5.

 Taylors  Bay walk is through remnant Sydney bushland and is also the site where one of the  submarines, from the1942 Midget Japanese Submarine Attack, was  attacked with depth charges by Naval Harbour Patrol.

  Chowder Bay named after the favourite dish which the American whalers made in the 1830’s.  Clifton Gardens was an early playground featuring huge amphitheatre baths, until the 1980’s when a base was built at Chowder Bay for the Submarine Mining Corp.  Today SIMS facility is located in several of those historic buildings.

 Middle Head is the most easterly point of the Mosman peninsula between Middle Harbour and Port Jackson.  A dramatic historical site, the Middle Head forts complex contains one of the oldest surviving colonial fortifications, the 1801 fort above Obelisk Beach.

 Georges Head is a spectacular location with the edge of the escarpment rising 65 metres above the harbour and from the gun emplacement a commanding 270 degree view over the entrance to the harbour.  The old gun emplacements are still in position, with their arcs of fire explained in the signs nearby.

Balmoral was named after Queen Victoria's Scottish Castle, meaning 'magnificent place'.
 It remained relatively remote, due to the difficult topography of the land, until 'The Pleasure Industry' resulted in the opening of Balmoral Gardens in 1862 by John Edwards, (elder son of Captain John Edwards, known as Balmoral's first permanent resident.)

It was dedicated as a Public reserve in 1878, despite much protest from landowners.  More public space was needed for the gentlemen and ladies of the era to indulge in their recreation and so ‘Balmoral Park’ was created in 1886, followed by repossession of private land.

Chinamans  Beach, situated in Shell Cove,  is known for its white sand and the last remaining sand dunes in Sydney Harbour.   The beach is well inside the harbour and has clear calm waters which slope into deep water so is popular with boaties and swimmers alike.

 

Middle Harbour reaches its narrowest point at The Spit, which the Aborigines knew as Burrabra. The first Spit Bridge, a timber opening structure, was originally built in 1924 to replace the punt service, but this was soon inadequate.  The current Spit Bridge, a steel and concrete girder bridge, was built during the 1950's as a bascule lift span, that is, its middle section can be raised to allow tall ships through.
However, this does stop traffic on a major arterial road, which has caused the bridge to be the centre of some controversy, especially when proposed changes to the opening times have pitted yachties against motorists
"Boats don't have handbrakes.  There's nowhere to stop and park;   you have to continue to manoeuvre until the bridge opens. There's not that much space to do that, especially if there's bad weather."