Freshwater Beach

Last updated
Freshwater beach circa 1900 Freshwater Beach, Manly from The Powerhouse Museum.jpg
Freshwater beach circa 1900

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 lifeguards and has its own surf lifesaving club. Freshwater Beach is one of the most popular of Sydney’s 21 Northern Beaches and is visited by around 3,000 people on weekends and public holidays during the summer months. [1]

Contents

History

Freshwater Swimming Pool Freshwater swimming pool.jpg
Freshwater Swimming Pool

In 1818, 50 acres (20 ha) were given to Thomas Bruin by Governor Macquarie. The estate became known as Freshwater, 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.

Freshwater Beach at sunset Freshwater Beach sunset.jpg
Freshwater Beach at sunset

The Freshwater Beach campsite became a place of disrepute. With the growth 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 houses could be built there and many of these still exist today.

At the back of the beach is the "Pilu at Freshwater" restaurant, and 100 metres from there is the Harbord Beach Hotel and pub, known to the locals as the "Harbord Hilton".

World Surfing Reserve

On 10 March 2012, the four-kilometre (6 mi) stretch between Freshwater Beach and Shelly Beach was declared the "Manly - Freshwater World Surfing Reserve". The Reserve was dedicated in a ceremony at Manly Beach by world surfing champion Kelly Slater accompanied by the Governor of New South Wales, Australia, Professor Marie Bashir. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

Balgowlah, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Balgowlah is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balgowlah is located 12 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Beaches region. Balgowlah shares the postcode 2093 with the adjacent suburbs of Manly Vale, Balgowlah Heights and North Balgowlah.

Avalon Beach, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Avalon Beach is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 37 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Beaches region. The area was previously called Avalon, with the name Avalon Beach being assigned during a change in boundaries and names in the Pittwater region in 2012.

Warringah Council Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

Warringah Council was a local government area in the northern beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed on 7 March 1906 as the Warringah Shire Council, and became "Warringah Council" in 1993. In 1992, Pittwater Council was formed when the former A Riding of Warringah Shire voted to secede. From this point on until amalgamation, Warringah Council administered 152 square kilometres (59 sq mi) of land, including nine beaches and 14 kilometres (9 mi) of coastline. Prior to its abolition it contained 6,000 hectares of natural bushland and open space, with Narrabeen Lagoon marking Warringah's northern boundary and Manly Lagoon marking the southern boundary.

Narrabeen Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Narrabeen is a beachside suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narrabeen is 23 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region. This area was named Broken Bay by James Cook as he sailed by.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Australian rugby league football club

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles is an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). The club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League season and currently host the majority of its home games from Brookvale Oval in Brookvale, while training at the New South Wales Academy of Sport in Narrabeen. The club hold the record of longest period in Australian Rugby League history without a wooden spoon.

Manly Beach

Manly Beach is a beach situated among the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia, in Manly, New South Wales. From north to south, the three main sections are Queenscliff, North Steyne, and South Steyne.

Manly, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 17 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. Manly has a long-standing reputation as a tourist destination, owing to its attractive setting on the Pacific Ocean and easy accessibility by ferry.

Dee Why Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Dee Why is a coastal suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and, along with Brookvale, is considered to be the main centre of the Northern Beaches region.

Mona Vale, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Mona Vale is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 28 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in an area known as the Northern Beaches. Formerly the administrative centre of Pittwater Council, it is now located in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. The traditional custodians of the area are the Garigal people.

Division of Warringah Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Warringah is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

Manly Vale is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, in the Northern Beaches region.

Wheeler Heights, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Wheeler Heights is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wheeler Heights is located 22 kilometers north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region. Wheeler Heights was designated as a separate suburb in 1977 with a postcode of 2097 but was reassigned as a locality within Collaroy in 1984. In 2001, all localities were renamed Urban Places. In 2011, Wheeler Heights, along with Collaroy Plateau, was re-established as a suburb by the Geographical Names Board of NSW, after lobbying by the community, who had never ceased considering it to be a suburb since its loss of that title in 1984.

Terrey Hills Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Terrey Hills is a suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 25 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Forest District and Northern Beaches region.

North Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches region.

North Curl Curl, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

North Curl Curl is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 19 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches region.

Curl Curl Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Curl Curl is a suburb of northern Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches region.

Toowoon Bay, New South Wales Suburb of Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia

Toowoon Bay is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located on a peninsula between Tuggerah Lake and the Pacific Ocean south of The Entrance. It is part of the Central Coast Council local government area.

Surf Life Saving Australia

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services.

Freshwater, New South Wales Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Freshwater is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Freshwater is located 17 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region.

The Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club, established in 1908, is located at Freshwater Beach in Australia. It has become a large volunteer organization with strong community bonds. The club was founded by a push from government to foster safer beach practices. It is a part of Surf Life Saving Australia, a not-for-profit organization committed to keeping the beach safe for patrons and providing beach rescue services. A visit to the club from United States' surfer, Duke Kahanamoku, in 1914 helped initiate the sport of surfing in Australia.

References

  1. ↑ "Freshwater SLSC | Freshie Surf Life Saving Club, since 1908". Freshwater SLSC. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  2. ↑ "Kelly Slater Helps Launch Australian WSR". World Surfing Reserves. 2012-03-10. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-03-11.

Coordinates: 33°46′53″S151°17′27″E / 33.7814°S 151.2907°E / -33.7814; 151.2907

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.