Freshwater Beach
Encyclopedia
Freshwater Beach is a beach located in Freshwater
, New South Wales
, a suburb of Sydney, Australia
. Freshwater Beach is the first beach north of Manly
, New South Wales, on the Peninsula
. The beach is flanked by a headland
at each end and can produce excellent surf
. There is a large rock pool at the northern end. The beach is patrolled by lifeguard
s and has its own surf lifesaving club.
, possibly because of a freshwater stream running between what are now Wyuna and Wyndora Avenues.
The place remained virtually uninhabited until land sales in the 1880s. A subdivision of the land became known as Harbord after Margaret Cecilia Harbord, wife of governor Lord Carrington.
From the 1900s, Freshwater was a popular working-men-only camp
. Tents soon gave way to huts with names like "The Ritz" and "Shark Bait". Female visitors were only allowed on Sundays. After the First World War, working class families
came to the camps and built new dwellings and lodges.
The original camps were owned and operated by people such as a Mr Lewers who built, in 1908, what is Harbord's oldest building (now a restaurant). In 1909 it was the location of the local post office
.
What is now called the Wormhole (the tunnel
linking Manly
and Freshwater beaches) was built and blasted out by the owners of some of the Freshwater camps. Wishing to link Manly and Freshwater, they created a cave and a walkway which is still used today, although the pathway requires some climbing, due to rock falls. Remnants of the old pathway still remain.
The Freshwater Beach campsite became a place of disrepute. With the growing colony
of Sydney
, the Shire Clerk of Warringah, Mr. Jamieson, wrote to the Post Master General's Department in 1923 about changing the name of the community. It is recorded that this was because of the doubtful and riotous characters who frequented the place at weekends in the summer. The buses going there at the time had a sign on the destination board saying "Camp City". Local police supported the change, so Harbord became the official name of the suburb. It was not until 1980 that the beach regained the name Freshwater Beach.
The community grew when the district was developed for housing. In the 1930s, the Warringah Council
declared that only brick house
s could be built there and some of these still exist today.
At the back of the beach is the Freshwater Restaurant, and a hundred meters from there is the Harbord Beach Hotel and pub, known as the "Harbord Hilton" to the locals.
Freshwater, New South Wales
Freshwater, is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Freshwater is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, a suburb of Sydney, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Freshwater Beach is the first beach north of Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
, New South Wales, on the Peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
. The beach is flanked by a headland
Headlands and bays
Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment.- Geology and geography :Headlands and bays are often found on the same coastline. A bay is surrounded by land on three sides, whereas a headland is surrounded by water on three sides. Headlands are characterized by high,...
at each end and can produce excellent surf
Ocean surface wave
In fluid dynamics, wind waves or, more precisely, wind-generated waves are surface waves that occur on the free surface of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and canals or even on small puddles and ponds. They usually result from the wind blowing over a vast enough stretch of fluid surface. Waves in the...
. There is a large rock pool at the northern end. The beach is patrolled by lifeguard
Lifeguard
A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
s and has its own surf lifesaving club.
History
In 1818, 50 acres (202,343 m²) were given to Thomas Bruin by Governor Macquarie. The estate became known as FreshwaterFreshwater, New South Wales
Freshwater, is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Freshwater is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region...
, possibly because of a freshwater stream running between what are now Wyuna and Wyndora Avenues.
The place remained virtually uninhabited until land sales in the 1880s. A subdivision of the land became known as Harbord after Margaret Cecilia Harbord, wife of governor Lord Carrington.
From the 1900s, Freshwater was a popular working-men-only camp
Campsite
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in the outdoors. In British English a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the...
. Tents soon gave way to huts with names like "The Ritz" and "Shark Bait". Female visitors were only allowed on Sundays. After the First World War, working class families
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
came to the camps and built new dwellings and lodges.
The original camps were owned and operated by people such as a Mr Lewers who built, in 1908, what is Harbord's oldest building (now a restaurant). In 1909 it was the location of the local post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
.
What is now called the Wormhole (the tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
linking Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
and Freshwater beaches) was built and blasted out by the owners of some of the Freshwater camps. Wishing to link Manly and Freshwater, they created a cave and a walkway which is still used today, although the pathway requires some climbing, due to rock falls. Remnants of the old pathway still remain.
The Freshwater Beach campsite became a place of disrepute. With the growing colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, the Shire Clerk of Warringah, Mr. Jamieson, wrote to the Post Master General's Department in 1923 about changing the name of the community. It is recorded that this was because of the doubtful and riotous characters who frequented the place at weekends in the summer. The buses going there at the time had a sign on the destination board saying "Camp City". Local police supported the change, so Harbord became the official name of the suburb. It was not until 1980 that the beach regained the name Freshwater Beach.
The community grew when the district was developed for housing. In the 1930s, the Warringah Council
Warringah Council
Warringah is a local council area in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Australia. Warringah Council overlaps with a number of suburbs from the Manly Council area to the south and the Pittwater Council area to the north...
declared that only brick house
Brick House
-Properties in the United Kingdom:* Brick House , listed for the 2006 Sterling prize for architecture-Properties in the United States:* The Brick House, Louisville, Kentucky...
s could be built there and some of these still exist today.
At the back of the beach is the Freshwater Restaurant, and a hundred meters from there is the Harbord Beach Hotel and pub, known as the "Harbord Hilton" to the locals.