History of Bowral
Encyclopedia
Bowral
is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales
, Australia
. It has a history spanning nearly 200 years.
. However, no permanent aboriginal settlement occurred because of the area's cool climate.
The name of Bowral is debated to be derived from the Aboriginal word "Bowrel" which loosely translates into the word "High".
to explore south of the new colony of Sydney
.
After Wilson's expedition a series of expeditions followed decades later by John Warby and Botanist George Caley
(an associate of Joseph Banks
), the Hume
brothers and later famous pioneer explorers John Oxley
and Charles Throsby
.
In 1817, Charles Throsby was given land by Governor Lachlan Macquarie
of the New South Wales
colony. Throsby established a small township named Bong Bong
which today is located 7 km north of Bowral. Throsby is known famously for building Old South Road. A road that lead from Stonequarry (Picton
) and Sydney
to Goulburn
and southern plains of New South Wales.
Governor Macquarie had also given 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) to John Oxley
in a land grant. This land would one day be present-day Bowral. John Oxley never lived in the area but he sent his sons to live in the area as sheep and cattle ranchers. Oxley's sons named the area around Bowral "Wingecarribee"; the current name of the local government area of the Southern Highlands.
In 1831, 3,000 acres (12 km2) had been granted to what is known today as East Bowral
to a Sydney business man,
Edward Riley
whose son, George took residence on the land.
services. The homestead is currently privately owned.
It is during this period in time that Henry had also given his younger brother John land. John had subdivided 200 acres (0.81 km2) for a proposed railway which in the next few decades would lead to development of Bowral from a private village into a township. Henry also subdivided the land for farms which in the future lead to growth in Bowral.
, blacksmith
, newsagency, general store
, hotels and post office
. It was during this time that Bowral had a substantial growth of residency due mainly to the building of the railway line from Sydney
to Melbourne
.
was built on land that covered 43 acres (174,015 m²). This land was set aside by John Oxley Jnr. It was located near the present day Bradman
Museum. It had 100 enrollments upon its opening. The students were mostly children of railway workers.
In 1863, a permanent stone building was built for the church. However, the building would be replaced by the first Anglican church of St. Simon and St. Jude. The church and chapel had been designed by Edmund Blackett and was built on the glebe in 1874. The churches would once again be subject to rebuilding in 1887 because the churches had been deemed to small for the growing town. Today, only Blackett's belltower remains on the current St. Simon and St. Jude.
During the 1880s, a school and hall had been built and extended on the church's ground. However, due to Henry Parkes
' Public Education Act, the school went under state education. The school remains today as the local primary school across the road from the church.
The new Bowral Public School in 1898 had constructed on a few buildings including a 2 storey building to cater for secondary education. Bowral's school had been used as a combined primary and secondary educational institution until the construction of Bowral High School
(in 1928) leaving the original buildings as a primary school.
In 1864, Wesleyans or Methodists had built a chapel on Bendooley St. However, in 1881, they demolished
the original chapel and built a church. Nearly 40 years later, in 1926 with the formation of the Uniting Church of Australia, the church was demolished and rebuilt.
Notably, in 1883, a famous religious event occurred in Bowral when the Salvation Army
famously preached, performed and paraded in Bong Bong St.
The first Catholic Church of Bowral was built in 1891 on Banyette St. This was the first movement of the Catholic Church into Bowral. Bowral had long been considered a "Protestant" town unlike its neighbouring towns Moss Vale
and Mittagong
which had a Catholic presence. This original church on Banyette St. was sold to the Evangelical
Church in 1986 and rebuilt next to St. Thomas Aquinas School and presbytery
on the same year.
of Bowral was built in 1862 named the "Wingecarribee Inn". The building was built on the corner of modern day Boolwey and Bong Bong St (where the current Royal Hotel is). The second hotel was built in 1887 named "The Grand Hotel & Motel". The building had 35 rooms. The original Hotel building remains but only a quarter of the building is used as hotel. The building is now known as "The Grand Bar and Brasserie".
", however the name was changed to "Bowrall" and then at the turn of the century its modern spelling "Bowral". (For more information, see Bowral Railway Station
)
In 1876, milk was shipped from Bowral Station and during the 1880s due to the railway shipping to Sydney and Goulburn, a tannery was also built. The tannery had operated where the current Commonwealth Bank stands today.
Before the construction of the Grand Hotel, the site was where the first School of Arts
was built. The building was rebuilt to its current position in Bendooley St in 1884. The current Police station was built 3 years later next to the School of Arts on Wingecarribee St and 1896, the Bowral Court house was built next to the police station.
In 1886, Bowral established itself as its own municipality
. The "Bowral Municipality" was 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) with a population of 1,000. The Victorian Imperial-style
town hall
of the municipality was built in 1890 next to the police station.
The town of Bowral had to rely on the Berrima
District Hospital in Berrima for the towns health needs until 1863 with Jacob Ward becoming Bowral's first doctor.
Gardens and European plants flourished from 1887 when citizens started planting European and English deciduous trees to make the area look more British
.This legacy still lives on throughout Bowral. Notably, the Oaks
at the start of Bong Bong St are a characteristic which makes Bowral distinctive from other rural towns.
A signal of Bowral's significant growth into a town was established when in 1889 Bowral's lamps were lit by gas. The demand of gas paved way for Bowral's first private gas-works in 1890.
and St. Thomas Aquinas.
In the 1920s-30s, Bowral developed a reticulated water supply, the construction of Bowral Hospital and the installation of electricity into Bowral from Port Kembla in 1925, as well as the installation of a town sewerage system in 1935.
It is also during this time in 1923 when Robert Loseby gave away some land behind Bowral Hospital for a local park and Bowral High School
. The local park had become a major sportsground with 2 ovals and later a greyhound track. Currently, the park is divided into a skatepark, tennis court, youth centre and sporting field known as "Loseby Oval".
Bowral's quick development and population during this time was evident when in 1909, the glebe
where the Anglican Churches stood was subdivided into residential land. This land includes the land where the current Bradman Museum is located. However, a large portion of the land was reserved as a large park known as "Glebe Park" which remains until this day across the road from Bowral Hospital.
. Belmore Park today serves as a park and function centre.
During World War II, a stronger Catholic presence was felt with the construction of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School was built with a new presbytery in 1943 and just 3 years later in 1946, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
buy a large property in Burradoo
and establish it as Chevalier College
which one day will become the largest secondary schools in the Southern Highlands and Wollondilly Regions. The college is established as a day and boarding school for boys. However, in the 1970s, Chevalier had ceased to become a boarding school and became co-education upon the closure of the girls convent school in Moss Vale.
In 1928-30, Bowral High School
was built. It served as a tribute building to the ANZACs of the Great War. Its original building remains until this day. The school served as the prime high school for the
area from Picton
to Moss Vale until Moss Vale's Primary School was upgraded into a High School.
in Australia.
Milk had been shipped from Bowral since the 1870s and this paved way in the 1930s for the construction of Bowral's Old Milk Factory. This milk factory dominated the dairy industry around Bowral. The Old Milk Factory remains until this day.
Corbett Gardens would in 1958 put Bowral on the map with its planting thousands of tulip
s that would spring up in flower in September. This tradition became annual until it was known as "Tulip Time".
In 1919, 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of Mount Gibraltar
was decreed as a nature reserve.
Bowral, New South Wales
-Attractions:Bowral is perhaps the best known of the towns and villages of the Southern Highlands, and in recent years has become the commercial centre of the Wingecarribee Shire. Bowral is known for its boutiques, antique stores, gourmet restaurants, and rich coffee culture.Bowral is home to the...
is a town in the Southern Highlands of 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...
, 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...
. It has a history spanning nearly 200 years.
Pre-colonial times
The Bowral area during pre-colonial times was a part of land that belonged to the Tharawal Aboriginal TribeTharawal people
The Tharawal people were the Aboriginal inhabitants of southern Sydney and the Illawarra region in 1788, when the first European colonists arrived. The Tharawal people lived in the areas from south side of Botany Bay, around Port Hacking to north of the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown...
. However, no permanent aboriginal settlement occurred because of the area's cool climate.
The name of Bowral is debated to be derived from the Aboriginal word "Bowrel" which loosely translates into the word "High".
European discovery and early settlement: 1780 - 1830s
The area of Bowral was first traversed in 1789 by ex-convict John Wilson and his search party. Wilson's search party had been commissioned by Governor HunterJohn Hunter (New South Wales)
Vice-Admiral John Hunter, RN was a British naval officer, explorer, naturalist and colonial administrator who succeeded Arthur Phillip as the second governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1795 to 1800.-Overview:...
to explore south of the new colony 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...
.
After Wilson's expedition a series of expeditions followed decades later by John Warby and Botanist George Caley
George Caley
-Early life:Caley was born in Craven, Yorkshire, England, the son of a horse-dealer. He was educated at the Free Grammar School at Manchester for around four years and was then taken into his father's stables. Coming across a volume on farriery, he became interested in the herbs mentioned in...
(an associate of Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
), the Hume
Hume and Hovell expedition
The Hume and Hovell expedition was one of the most important journeys of explorations undertaken in eastern Australia. In 1824 the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane, commissioned Hamilton Hume and former Royal Navy Captain William Hovell to lead an expedition to find new grazing land...
brothers and later famous pioneer explorers John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
and Charles Throsby
Charles Throsby
Charles Throsby was an Australian explorer, pioneer and parliamentarian. He opened up much new land beyond the Blue Mountains for colonial settlement. He was a grazier, and became a prominent member of New South Wales society.- Early life :...
.
In 1817, Charles Throsby was given land by Governor Lachlan Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
of the 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...
colony. Throsby established a small township named Bong Bong
Bong Bong, New South Wales
Bong Bong was a small township in the Southern Highlands in New South Wales, Australia. It is also the name for the surrounding parish.The site was chosen by Governor Macquarie in 1820 close to the ford on the Wingecarribee River...
which today is located 7 km north of Bowral. Throsby is known famously for building Old South Road. A road that lead from Stonequarry (Picton
Picton, New South Wales
Picton is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. The town is located 80 kilometres South-west of Sydney, close to Camden and Campbelltown. It is also the administrative centre of Wollondilly Shire....
) and 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...
to Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
and southern plains of New South Wales.
Governor Macquarie had also given 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) to John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
in a land grant. This land would one day be present-day Bowral. John Oxley never lived in the area but he sent his sons to live in the area as sheep and cattle ranchers. Oxley's sons named the area around Bowral "Wingecarribee"; the current name of the local government area of the Southern Highlands.
In 1831, 3,000 acres (12 km2) had been granted to what is known today as East Bowral
East Bowral, New South Wales
East Bowral is modern suburb in the town of Bowral of the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, Australia. It is 1-2 km east of the CBD of Bowral.- Attractions :East Bowral is home to a locally reputable Scottish tavern known as the Scottish Arms...
to a Sydney business man,
Edward Riley
Edward Riley
Edward Riley may refer to:*Edward Riley , early Australian settler*Edward Riley , member of the Australian House of Representatives*Edward Charles Riley , his son, also a politician...
whose son, George took residence on the land.
Village: 1840 - 1850s
During 1857- 1858, John Oxley's sons, Henry and John had built the locally renowned "Wingecarribbee" homestead that remains until this day. The homestead held the Wingecarribee (modern-day Bowral) village's Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
services. The homestead is currently privately owned.
It is during this period in time that Henry had also given his younger brother John land. John had subdivided 200 acres (0.81 km2) for a proposed railway which in the next few decades would lead to development of Bowral from a private village into a township. Henry also subdivided the land for farms which in the future lead to growth in Bowral.
Township and railway: 1860 - 1890s
During the mid to late 19th Century (1860 - 1890s), Bowral rapidly grew as a town and by the end of the 1890s it had was a small town that had a bakeryBakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
, blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, newsagency, general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, hotels and 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...
. It was during this time that Bowral had a substantial growth of residency due mainly to the building of the railway line from 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...
to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Churches and schools
In 1860, a church which doubled as a school on a glebeGlebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
was built on land that covered 43 acres (174,015 m²). This land was set aside by John Oxley Jnr. It was located near the present day Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
Museum. It had 100 enrollments upon its opening. The students were mostly children of railway workers.
In 1863, a permanent stone building was built for the church. However, the building would be replaced by the first Anglican church of St. Simon and St. Jude. The church and chapel had been designed by Edmund Blackett and was built on the glebe in 1874. The churches would once again be subject to rebuilding in 1887 because the churches had been deemed to small for the growing town. Today, only Blackett's belltower remains on the current St. Simon and St. Jude.
During the 1880s, a school and hall had been built and extended on the church's ground. However, due to Henry Parkes
Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
' Public Education Act, the school went under state education. The school remains today as the local primary school across the road from the church.
The new Bowral Public School in 1898 had constructed on a few buildings including a 2 storey building to cater for secondary education. Bowral's school had been used as a combined primary and secondary educational institution until the construction of Bowral High School
Bowral High School
Bowral High School is a secondary public school in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. The school is one of two major public high schools in the Southern Highlands, the other being Moss Vale High School...
(in 1928) leaving the original buildings as a primary school.
In 1864, Wesleyans or Methodists had built a chapel on Bendooley St. However, in 1881, they demolished
the original chapel and built a church. Nearly 40 years later, in 1926 with the formation of the Uniting Church of Australia, the church was demolished and rebuilt.
Notably, in 1883, a famous religious event occurred in Bowral when the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
famously preached, performed and paraded in Bong Bong St.
The first Catholic Church of Bowral was built in 1891 on Banyette St. This was the first movement of the Catholic Church into Bowral. Bowral had long been considered a "Protestant" town unlike its neighbouring towns Moss Vale
Moss Vale, New South Wales
Moss Vale is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. It has a population of 7,339 and is sited on the Illawarra Highway, which connects to Wollongong and the Illawarra coast via Macquarie Pass...
and Mittagong
Mittagong, New South Wales
Mittagong is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. At the 2006 census, Mittagong had a population of 7,460 people. The town can be seen as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. The town is close to Bowral, Berrima,...
which had a Catholic presence. This original church on Banyette St. was sold to the Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Church in 1986 and rebuilt next to St. Thomas Aquinas School and presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
on the same year.
Hotels
The first hotelHotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
of Bowral was built in 1862 named the "Wingecarribee Inn". The building was built on the corner of modern day Boolwey and Bong Bong St (where the current Royal Hotel is). The second hotel was built in 1887 named "The Grand Hotel & Motel". The building had 35 rooms. The original Hotel building remains but only a quarter of the building is used as hotel. The building is now known as "The Grand Bar and Brasserie".
Town development and railway
After and during the construction of the railway line from Mittagong to Moss Vale in the late 1860s and 1870s, petitions brought forth by recent settlers to open a station at Bowral. These petitions as well as the increased commerce, agriculture and industry in Bowral lead to Bowral Station opening in 1886. The present Bowral station is where the original station was built. The station was originally called "BurradooBurradoo
Burradoo is a village south of Bowral, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. In 2006, Burradoo had a population of 2,073 people. The village is colloquially known as Burradoo, actually...
", however the name was changed to "Bowrall" and then at the turn of the century its modern spelling "Bowral". (For more information, see Bowral Railway Station
Bowral railway station, New South Wales
-Transport links:Berrima Coaches runs five routes to and from Bowral railway station:*806 - to Bargo.*807 - to High Range.*808 - to Kangaloon.*811 - Between Willow Vale and Moss Vale.*816 - Between Mittagong and Moss Vale....
)
In 1876, milk was shipped from Bowral Station and during the 1880s due to the railway shipping to Sydney and Goulburn, a tannery was also built. The tannery had operated where the current Commonwealth Bank stands today.
Before the construction of the Grand Hotel, the site was where the first School of Arts
School of Arts
School of Arts may refer to:*Art school*Mechanics' Institutes...
was built. The building was rebuilt to its current position in Bendooley St in 1884. The current Police station was built 3 years later next to the School of Arts on Wingecarribee St and 1896, the Bowral Court house was built next to the police station.
In 1886, Bowral established itself as its own municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
. The "Bowral Municipality" was 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) with a population of 1,000. The Victorian Imperial-style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
town hall
of the municipality was built in 1890 next to the police station.
The town of Bowral had to rely on the Berrima
Berrima, New South Wales
Berrima is an historic village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The village, once a major town, is located on the Old Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney. It was previously known officially as the Town of Berrima...
District Hospital in Berrima for the towns health needs until 1863 with Jacob Ward becoming Bowral's first doctor.
Gardens and European plants flourished from 1887 when citizens started planting European and English deciduous trees to make the area look more British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.This legacy still lives on throughout Bowral. Notably, the Oaks
Oaks
-Horse races:"Oaks" is generally used to describe a Thoroughbred horse race restricted to 3-year-old fillies. Among the best-known races using the term are:*Epsom Oaks, The Oaks Stakes, at Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey, England; the original "Oaks" race...
at the start of Bong Bong St are a characteristic which makes Bowral distinctive from other rural towns.
A signal of Bowral's significant growth into a town was established when in 1889 Bowral's lamps were lit by gas. The demand of gas paved way for Bowral's first private gas-works in 1890.
Country town 1900-1950s
Bowral, once an independent municipality during the early 20th century, became part of Nattai Shire based in Mittagong in 1906. It was also during this time where the Bowral population boomed evident in the opening of schools such as Bowral High, Chevalier CollegeChevalier College
Chevalier College is a Catholic co-educational school in Bowral, New South Wales conducted by the priests and brothers of the international religious order, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart...
and St. Thomas Aquinas.
In the 1920s-30s, Bowral developed a reticulated water supply, the construction of Bowral Hospital and the installation of electricity into Bowral from Port Kembla in 1925, as well as the installation of a town sewerage system in 1935.
It is also during this time in 1923 when Robert Loseby gave away some land behind Bowral Hospital for a local park and Bowral High School
Bowral High School
Bowral High School is a secondary public school in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. The school is one of two major public high schools in the Southern Highlands, the other being Moss Vale High School...
. The local park had become a major sportsground with 2 ovals and later a greyhound track. Currently, the park is divided into a skatepark, tennis court, youth centre and sporting field known as "Loseby Oval".
Bowral's quick development and population during this time was evident when in 1909, the glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
where the Anglican Churches stood was subdivided into residential land. This land includes the land where the current Bradman Museum is located. However, a large portion of the land was reserved as a large park known as "Glebe Park" which remains until this day across the road from Bowral Hospital.
Development of schools
Bowral, once considered a "Protestant Town", had since the 1890s a Catholic church. This church, St. Thomas Aquinas, led to a continuation of Catholics into the area and in 1904, the nuns of Our Lady of Sacred Heart bought land known as "Belmore Park" on Centennial Road and established a convent school. Belmore Park would in 1924 become a boys college still under the nuns of Our Lady of Sacred HeartMissionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is a missionary congregation in the Latin Church,one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome...
. Belmore Park today serves as a park and function centre.
During World War II, a stronger Catholic presence was felt with the construction of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School was built with a new presbytery in 1943 and just 3 years later in 1946, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is a missionary congregation in the Latin Church,one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome...
buy a large property in Burradoo
Burradoo
Burradoo is a village south of Bowral, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. In 2006, Burradoo had a population of 2,073 people. The village is colloquially known as Burradoo, actually...
and establish it as Chevalier College
Chevalier College
Chevalier College is a Catholic co-educational school in Bowral, New South Wales conducted by the priests and brothers of the international religious order, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart...
which one day will become the largest secondary schools in the Southern Highlands and Wollondilly Regions. The college is established as a day and boarding school for boys. However, in the 1970s, Chevalier had ceased to become a boarding school and became co-education upon the closure of the girls convent school in Moss Vale.
In 1928-30, Bowral High School
Bowral High School
Bowral High School is a secondary public school in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. The school is one of two major public high schools in the Southern Highlands, the other being Moss Vale High School...
was built. It served as a tribute building to the ANZACs of the Great War. Its original building remains until this day. The school served as the prime high school for the
area from Picton
Picton, New South Wales
Picton is a small town in the Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Wollondilly Shire. The town is located 80 kilometres South-west of Sydney, close to Camden and Campbelltown. It is also the administrative centre of Wollondilly Shire....
to Moss Vale until Moss Vale's Primary School was upgraded into a High School.
The Springett family
The Springett Family had established themselves in Bowral upon the family opening a general store in 1926 and two decades later the Springett Family would expand this general store into a modern bakery and soft-drinks plant. These buildings were the first to distribute soft drinks and sliced bread in the Highlands. The soft drinks plant was the first plant to make the soft drink PassionaPassiona
Passiona is a passionfruit-flavoured soft drink available only in Australia and currently manufactured by Schweppes Australia in Australia....
in Australia.
Industry
In 1920, Bowral's Brickworks was built to supply the booming residential and commercial growth in the Southern Highlands region. Bowral Brickworks remain until this day.Milk had been shipped from Bowral since the 1870s and this paved way in the 1930s for the construction of Bowral's Old Milk Factory. This milk factory dominated the dairy industry around Bowral. The Old Milk Factory remains until this day.
Garden and reserves
Since the late 19th century, the residents of Bowral had been gardeners planting many decorate European trees and plants. This legacy paved the way for the construction of "Corbett Gardens" in 1911. The gardens are named after Ada Corbett. The gardens were established as a public garden with a large band rotunda. The rotunda was dismantled in the 1950s and rebuilt in the 1990s by donation from the Springett family.Corbett Gardens would in 1958 put Bowral on the map with its planting thousands of tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
s that would spring up in flower in September. This tradition became annual until it was known as "Tulip Time".
In 1919, 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of Mount Gibraltar
Mount Gibraltar
Mount Gibraltar is a small mountain between Bowral and Mittagong in New South Wales, Australia-Facts and Figures:The mountain is locally known as 'The Gib', and is in the form of a ridge, rather than an obvious conical peak. The western extremity of the ridge is commonly pointed out as the mountain...
was decreed as a nature reserve.
Hospital and ambulance service
in the 19th century, Bowral had to rely on the Berrima District Hospital for its hospital needs, however in the late 1920s and 1930s, Bowral established its own health-care system with the construction of Bowral Hospital in 1935, which would be expanded in 1959. The hospital's construction paved the way for ambulance station in 1935 in Bong Bong St. The station was later sold off and is currently used as a commercial space.Timeline of recent events
- 1972 - The Springett Family opened the locally renown Springetts' Arcade.
- 1980 - The Nattai Shire or Mittagong Shire incorporated with Moss Vale's Wingecarribee Shire to form the Wingecarribee Shire.
- 1983 - Hot Canary Supermarket, one of the first "no frills" bulk grocery stores established by the Springetts, was closed and made way for the extension of Springetts' Arcade.
- 1986 - St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church was built next to the St. Thomas Aquinas School and presbytery. The old one was sold to the EvangelicalEvangelicalismEvangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Church. - 1980s - Oxley Mall was built.
- 1990 - The state sold unused hospital land next to Bowral Hospital which was then built into Bowral Private Hospital.
- 1990s - Land in East BowralEast Bowral, New South WalesEast Bowral is modern suburb in the town of Bowral of the Southern Highlands, New South Wales, Australia. It is 1-2 km east of the CBD of Bowral.- Attractions :East Bowral is home to a locally reputable Scottish tavern known as the Scottish Arms...
was sub-divided and sold into the modern suburb it is today, nearly doubling Bowral's population.