The boat shed at the bottom of Hilly Street, looking towards Green Point, taken from the top of Montgomery’s Palace Hotel c1920s. The Mortlake-Putney Punt now crosses the Parramatta River from this spot. Nearby is a small beach, known as Fairmile Cove, where naval boats were assembled during World War II.
In the middle distance is Green Point, previously called Bachelor’s Point, which was refurbished in 2019 and renamed Wangal Reserve, in recognition of the traditional owners whose lands stretched along the southern shore of the Parramatta River (Burramattagal) from Blackwattle Bay to Silverwater.
At the northern end of the reserve was a community dance hall, a popular venue on a Saturday night. In the distance can be seen the Dutch-style gatehouse marking the entrance to “Rivendell”, formerly Thomas Walker Hospital, completed in 1893 by Dame Eadith Walker in memory of her father.
In the opposite direction, taken from the same vantage point is Tennyson Road, formerly Wharf Road and once part of Burwood Road that snaked its way across country to link with the current Burwood Road. At the top of the hill the AGL works can be made out with one of its gasholders visible on the left.
Cows can be seen grazing near the tramway about halfway up the hill. The village of Mortake is scattered about with houses and a few stores well-spaced out. Many of the workers at the gas works came to work on the tram that ran between Enfield and Mortlake via Burwood.
Schooling: Schooling has changed a lot since our grandparents were kids. These days we have computers, detention, graphics calculators and learning software to teach us. Back in the early 20th century, teaching was done with a book, a slate, an inkwell and the cane. Schooling was simple, but effective. It concentrated on the ‘Three R’s….
Most residents of Mortlake-Cabarita and Breakfast Point know the Palace Hotel in Tennyson Road. Opened in 1926, the Palace has been synonymous with the changing character and fortunes of the district. Some residents might also be aware of an earlier Palace Hotel – the only reminder of which is Palace Lane, a pedestrian thoroughfare between…
A documentary, which follows the unknown and untold story of 58 Canadian patriots from Lower Canada, sent into exile in the penal colony of Australia from 1840-48, was to have been released in May this year with three particular ceremonies: May 18, Bayview Park, 50th anniversary of the unveiling of the memorial in Concord; May…
On 10th April 1912, the Titanic set off from Southampton on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Already a month behind schedule, the luxurious ocean liner bound for New York was due to complete the crossing in just six days. However, tragedy struck four days into the journey. The sinking of the Titanic is still one of the biggest…
Flivver – made by Cyclops, Leichhardt, NSW, 1924-1929. A child’s ride-on toy called a Flivver. It was made in Leichhardt, Australia, by Cyclops between 1924 and 1929. The term ‘flivver’ originated as American slang for a cheap car or aeroplane. It also refers to a railway handcar or trolley car. By the 1920s flivver was…
What do bloomers and bicycles have in common? While today’s models parade the catwalk in panties and other underwear, this would have been unthinkable in the 1800s. So too would the wearing of panties themselves. Today’s panties originated from the various “bifurcated” undergarments known popularly in the 19th century as bloomers, knickers, drawers, pantaloons and…
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