At the time of European settlement the Canada Bay area was part of the traditional lands of the Wangal clan of Aboriginal people. The Wangal were a clan of the larger Darug language group or Aboriginal nation. Their lives were strongly focussed on the harbour and its foreshores, especially in food gathering.
Aboriginal people also hunted animals, harvested plants and gathered raw materials in the bushland fringing the harbour. The Hen & Chicken Bay area, along with Homebush Bay, was traditionally a major meeting place for Aboriginal people from Port Jackson and the wider Sydney region.
Before the arrival of white settlers, Cabarita Park was a typical rocky outcrop along the shores of the Parramatta River. Cabarita may have been derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘by the water’ or may have been derived from a place in Spain where Surveyor-General Mitchell worked under Wellington.
Correy’s Gardens Picnic Group
Cabarita Point was first sighted by the first European settlers in February 1788 – by Captain Hunter on his journey up the Parramatta River. The park was reserved as a recreation area in 1856, and first accessible by steamer in the 1850s.
Cabarita Terminus 1907
Early in its history the park was popular for picnics and watching boat races on the harbour. Part of the suburb was originally granted in 1795 to David Anderson, a private soldier in the NSW Corps. The grant was described as being at ‘Cabarita Point, at the upper part of the harbour’. Cabarita Park, a picnic area on Cabarita Point was known as Correy’s Gardens in the 1880s. This part of the river was the venue for early regattas, including the GPS schools ‘Head of the River’ before these races were moved to the Nepean River.
Cabarita Pool c1923
The park was dedicated for public use in 1880. Cabarita was linked to Burwood station by tram, and the park was popular with families for picnics. There was a segregated swimming pool, with one half for men and boys, the other for women and girls. Husbands and wives, as well as lovers, would lean on the dividing fence for a chat as the water swirled around their legs.
France Bay, Exile Bay and Canada Bay, adjacent to the park, commemorate a group of 58 French-Canadian exiles. After an 1838 rebellion in Canada these prisoners were sent to NSW and held in the Longbottom Stockade in Concord, at which time the 3 bays received these names. Cabarita Park was proclaimed a public park under the Public Parks Act 1912
The Blue Bird Sewing Machine Bebarfalds, a retailer of home furnishings and manufacturer of furniture, traded for many years from its landmark location opposite the Sydney Town Hall on the corner of George and Park Streets. They are best remembered for their sewing machines, introduced around 1917, and branded as ‘Blue Bird’ from about 1926….
Cabarita Road has been variously referred to as Cabarita Park Road or Cabarita Point Road. It has had several spellings including “Cabareta” as well as “Cabaritta”. By whatever name it has remained one of the districts most significant thoroughfares and been witness to the changing character of the locality and more broadly of the city…
The Legend of the Patrol In 1920 the horse and cart were still a predominant means of transport. Many roads were not fit for cars, and ferries were often a preferred means of transport where available. Back then the roads were a disaster. When it rained a car could almost disappear into a pothole, and…
While chatting recently about possible displays for our City of Canada Bay Museum, it was mentioned that there are many commemorative coins out there in circulation, The question was asked – “Why haven’t we been collecting these?” The only answer we could come up with was that we hadn’t thought of it. I know we…
As previously explained, the Bailey and Cashman families took over the crossing service from about 1832 or soon after – both families competed for customers, each having a boat ready at any time. Old timers tell us that when a boat was required on the northern side, a hurricane lamp would be lit and slowly…
Peter Whittaker was born in 1868 in Altrincham, Wilmslow, England. He arrived in Brisbane in March 1891, where he joined the Royal Australian Artillery the following year. In 1904 he resigned with the rank of Corporal. He married Blanche Bushell in 1898. They had four children – two sons, Eugene and Norman, and two daughters,…