The Como Heritage and Environment Trail is a four-kilometre circuit walk around Como, which starts and ends at Como railway station. The trail, which meanders through suburbia & follows a rugged bush track along part of its route, features signage that highlights historic features & other curiosities. More on Cronulla By ALEC SMART Interface between Woronora and Georges Rivers, Sutherland. Photo: Alec Smart The eastern course, from the station down to Scylla Bay and north to Como Pleasure Grounds and the historic Como Rail Bridge, is a relatively easy descent suitable for wheelchair users and the elderly. However, the western course involves many stairs, steep suburban streets, and a bushwalk through Paruna Reserve that involves clambering over boulders and accessing a set of timber steps that have been eaten away by termites. This route is definitely for the more agile. Navigating the Como Heritage Trail: Markers, Missteps, and Wildlife Wonders On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I followed the trail in an anti-clockwise direction, which allowed me to take photos of the historic Como Hotel and the Old Rail Bridge bathed in the afternoon sunlight and pause for a coffee at the marina. Foolishly, I took a bicycle, and that proved a major problem when I reached the end of Central Avenue because the off-road section through Paruna Reserve bushland was completely unsuitable for cycling. Whilst descending the aforementioned termite-eaten stairs and carrying the bicycle, they buckled beneath me and I toppled forward, nearly breaking my neck! Advice: don’t take a bicycle! The Heritage-listed Como Hotel. Photo: Alec Smart The trail is, for the most part, well-signposted with yellow markers. The intermittent notice boards, with historic photos and captions, include a map to indicate where you are along the route. I deviated off-course twice when I couldn’t find markers, but a copy of the Heritage Trail route on my phone helped me back to the correct bearing. The Paruna Reserve bushwalk, which runs parallel to Woronora River below, is interesting, and if you’re lucky you may see a variety of wildlife. Thereafter the route from Paruna to the station is mainly roads, although it deviates through a small park with a children’s playground known as Henry Lawson’s Reserve. Lawson, the infamous bush poet, rented a cottage beside the Woronora River during WWI and for several years afterwards (before relocating to the North Shore); the foundation stones of the cottage are located within the bushland of Paruna Reserve. Como Marina. Photo: Alec Smart Some points of interest: Como Hotel, the Pleasure Grounds, and the Old Rail Bridge. The tracks of the Old Rail Bridge were removed in 1972 when a new double-track railway bridge was built alongside. The bridge structure was adapted to carry freshwater pipes from Woronora Dam, and the former rail corridor was paved. In 1985 it reopened as a shared cycle/walking path across Georges River, which you can access from a path adjacent to the Como Marina. See the accompanying Establishment of Como history article (link here) for some background on these points of interest. Como Heritage Trail map + markers Como Heritage Trail Old Como Bridge, seen behind boats on dry dock in Como Marina. Photo: Alec Smart =================================================

We caught up with Pete Helliar ahead of his show at The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre on July 6th. More on Cronulla Pete Helliar's journey into comedy began in the suburbs of Melbourne. Reflecting on his early years, Helliar recalls, "I had a very happy, suburban childhood. I grew up in a red brick, white bread, sport-loving community in Melbourne’s northern suburbs. We valued laughter in our family; we love making each other laugh." This foundation of humour was enriched by a steady diet of comedy films and television, with shows like The Big Gig igniting his ambition to perform stand-up comedy. Helliar's first foray into stand-up comedy happened almost serendipitously. Initially contemplating a start in London while traveling in 1994, he postponed his debut until his return to Australia. "I came home and began working on material and booked into The Espy in St. Kilda for an open mic spot. That was October 26th, 1996," he recalls. Stepping onto the stage for the first time, Helliar's nerves were tempered by a sartorial choice meant to create a persona distinct from his off-stage self. "I wore a suit with no tie. I wanted to feel not like me, a separation between me off stage and on stage," he explains. Despite this conscious distinction, he admits that there's little difference between his on-stage and off-stage personas. His first performance was a success, which only fuelled his passion. "The gig went well, second gig even better, then the third gig was a cold, hard death. That was sobering. It felt like your worst heartbreak tenfold. Luckily there were way more good gigs than bad ones." Helliar has since worn many hats in the entertainment industry—comedian, producer, podcast host, and presenter. However, his heart remains firmly in stand-up comedy. "I think stand-up is the ultimate test. That’s why stand-ups are mostly impervious to trolling. We are means tested by audiences, actual people, paying customers in real-time giving us feedback. I also love that stand-up comedy involves zero meetings," he says with a laugh. Expanding his creative repertoire, Helliar ventured into writing children's books, a passion rooted in his childhood love of reading. "The Magic Faraway Tree was a big influence and inspired my Frankie Fish series. Having parents tell me Frankie Fish was the book that got their kids reading is perhaps the best compliment I could ask for." Despite his success, not every performance has been smooth sailing. "Anytime the audience doesn’t connect with you feels disastrous and personal, but I could count using my fingers that’s happened over 28 years," Helliar admits. His inspiration for comedy is drawn from the world around him. "Life. Life around me, life inside of me. What am I thinking about? How is it interesting and entertaining? Each show I do is reflective of my life over the past year or so." Helliar's ambition continues to drive him toward new creative ventures. After leaving The Project, he has thrown himself into various projects, including an animation, a horror film, a dark comedy satire, and a dramatic series. "I am excited about all of them and the people I’m working with," he shares enthusiastically. Taking part in I'm a Celebrity offered Helliar a unique blend of highs and lows. The best part? "The people. I got to make lifelong friends with people and share in a pretty unique experience. Also, taking time away from social media, phones, and the news cycle was genuinely brilliant." The worst part was the lack of contact with his family, which weighed heavily on him. At the moment, Helliar is touring his new show, Pete Helliar Gives Zero Flips. "I have been loving touring it around Australia. I was very keen to come back to The Pavilion because I performed at the opening night for it and had a great time. The show is reflective of where I am at, approaching 50, getting used to a CPAP machine, learning about my family history. I really love this show," he says. Reflecting on his career, Helliar fondly remembers performing in Montreal just before the pandemic at the iconic Just For Laughs Festival. "I got to perform in a 4,000-seat theatre. It was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. Wanda Sykes MC’d and introduced me. The gig went great. Because I’ve been lucky enough to have TV jobs in Australia from Rove Live to The Project they have kept me home for most of my career so to be invited to perform at the iconic Just For Laughs Festival was an honour." Through the highs and lows, Pete Helliar's journey in comedy is a testament to his resilience, creativity, and never-ending love for making people laugh. Book tickets to see Pete Helliar's Gives Zero Flips at The Pavilion HERE!

By ALEC SMART More on Cronulla Como, where Woronora River meets Georges River, is renowned for the historic, National Trust-registered Como Hotel. This majestic building, with its distinctive three-tiered white lacework balconies, pre-dates the suburb, but contributed to the area becoming a major tourist attraction after the Illawarra Railway was built (1885). The historic Como Hotel, facing Scylla Bay. Photo: Alec Smart From the hotel’s initial construction in 1878, when it transitioned from the site of a German migrant hostel to railway workers’ accommodation, the building evolved over time and a few rebuilds into a popular holiday destination and wedding venue. Throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century, the grand resort complemented the nearby Pleasure Grounds and Scylla Bay, popular with boaters and picnickers. Sutherland Shire Council have established a Heritage and Environment Trail circuit walk through this district, which visits key sites associated with the region’s development as a leisure resort as well as natural charms. The route includes 24 sites of interest ranging from wildlife observation points to historic properties. Como Hotel c1890-1900. Photo: William Easdown Prior to European settlement, the Woronora district was populated by the Gweagal Aboriginals, who fished from nuwi (bark canoes) and gathered seafood like bithinga (oysters) and yaxa (crabs) along the shorelines. The region was known to them as Illawong, a Dharawal word meaning between two waters, referring to the Georges and Woronora Rivers. Hence why the neighbouring suburbs are named Illawong and Oyster Bay. The Dharawal-speaking Gweagal clans inhabited the southern shores of Kamay (Botany Bay) and inland along the southern banks of the Tucoerah (Georges River). To the north, the Dharug-speaking Kamaygal also utilised this tidal estuary, and the neighbouring clans would have traded, intermarried and shared resources. Como, c1894, with Como Hotel to the left, the rail bridge in the distance and Scylla Bay (centre) Thomas Holt finds Como Between 1861-62, British importer, property tycoon, gold trader, Newtown politician, Colonial Treasurer and the founder of superannuation, Thomas Holt, purchased 4640 acres of dispersed allotments in Sutherland Parish and Holsworthy followed by another 5500 acres in Sutherland. Much of it was purchased from bankrupt John Laycock, who inherited his father’s original land grant. These allotments Holt cleared of ‘useless’ timber and poisoned the dingoes with strychnine, before subdividing the land into farming estates. On these he grazed alpacas, sheep and cattle, and also implemented oyster farming in the bays. By the end of 1862 Holt’s Sutherland Estate comprised 12,000 acres from Cronulla west to the Georges and Woronora Rivers and south to Hacking Rivers. However, it was a loss-making venture: oysters fouled, sheep contracted footrot, cattle strayed, and the surviving dingoes repeatedly preyed on his stock. The principle gain was from all the timber he felled. In 1878, Holt offered his Sutherland tenants 21 year leases with the right to purchase the allotments they were farming, and the rest of his estate was sold apart from 700 acres on which he built a mansion, Sutherland House. In 1880 he relocated to Sutherland House, the property he constructed on the shores of Sylvania, but the following year he emigrated back to England never to return. (Sutherland House was destroyed by arsonists in 1918 and eventually demolished.) Como Rail Bridge c1905, Como township in the distance. Photo: State Library NSW The Como Rail Bridge From 1883-85, the Como Rail Bridge, a single track steel lattice girder bridge (the longest in NSW) was constructed and linked to the expanding Illawarra railway from Sydney to Wollongong and Bomaderry. The bridge opened on Boxing Day, 1885. During this period, scores of railway workers moved into the area, many of whom stayed at the newly-opened Woronora Hotel, which eventually fell into disrepair, to be succeeded by the Como Hotel nearby on Cremona St. Como was the first settled township and railway station in Sutherland Shire, thanks to the public transport (trains) and its attractive environs. To cater to the growing population, in May 1883, the NSW Government proposed the construction of Woronora Public School on the hillside south of Scylla Bay, which accepted its first students in April 1884. Also In May 1883, the Woronora Post Office opened adjacent to the Woronora Hotel. In July 1883 the postal district was renamed ‘Como’ following a proposal by James Murphy, the manager of the Holt-Sutherland Estate Land Company (Thomas Holt died in 1888). He chose this because the topography of the region reminded him of Como, a lake district in north-western Italy near the Swiss Alps. Como Railway Bridge and JH Wills Boatshed at the interface of Woronora and Georges Rivers, 1880s Throughout the 1880s, boat hire businesses established themselves on the Georges and Woronora River foreshores along with picnic grounds, attracting day-trippers from Sydney and new settlements around Cronulla. To capitalise on the influx of tourists, the Murphy brothers, James, John and Michael, opened Murphy's Pleasure Grounds on the promontory north of Scylla Bay (east of Como Rail Bridge) where they owned a boat house. Controversially, they fenced off the land, which included a raised dome lookout (nicknamed Como Mountain, upon which they constructed a rotunda), and charged visitors an entrance fee. Eventually the promontory was reclaimed for public use but it is still known as the Como Pleasure Grounds. In 1914, Como was sub-divided into housing allotments along newly-built urban streets and the suburb was quickly populated. During the 1930s, the silted-up tidal sandflat of Scylla Bay was in-filled and converted to sports fields. Como subdivision land sales, January 1914 ==========================

Who said the Shire’s music scene was dead? We beg to differ! Check out these epic weekly live music events happening in and around Cronulla. More on Cronulla The Deck @ Cronulla RSL Enjoy the perfect blend of live music and unbeatable drink specials at Cronulla RSL's Deck bar! Every weekend, the deck comes alive with vibrant performances: Fridays from 6-9pm, Saturdays from 2-5pm then 6-9pm, and Sundays from 2-5pm. Coinciding with the unbeatable Deck Happy Hours, you can dig into $5 vodka, Canadian Club, Market Hall Prosecco, and $10 selected cocktails. Happy Hours run on Fridays 6-9pm, Saturdays 6-8pm, and Sundays 2-5pm. Whether you're winding down after a long week or kicking off your weekend festivities, The Deck offers a perfect setting to enjoy great music, stunning views, and fantastic drinks. Don't miss out on the ultimate weekend experience! Cronullarsl.com.au/livemusic The Pavilion Arts Southern Sydney’s newest home for entertainment and live music, the Pavilion Performing Arts Centre was built on the site of the former Sutherland Entertainment Centre at 30 Eton St Sutherland. Featuring state-of-the-art equipment, and capacity for up to 686 patrons, it is the ideal space for enjoying live music in an intimate setting. Featuring everything from your favourite local bands, to Australian music legends, all the way to international touring acts, there is something for everyone to enjoy at The Pavilion. For the full list of upcoming shows, visit: thepavilionarts.au Upcoming gig highlight: The Animals (UK) 60th Anniversary Farewell Tour - June 12th Cronulla Record Fair at Gunnamatta Pavilion Sat 1st June | 10am - 4pm Geoff Trio (Code One) and Martin Carr’s (Timewarp Records) history stretches way back to the early 90's when Geoff was booking the Caringbah Bizzos Club and Martin was playing there regularly. Keeping in touch over the years, they saw a need to inject more music culture into The Shire; this is when they launched the Cronulla Record Fair. The Cronulla Record Fair started in 2017 and is now a bi-annual event bringing some of the finest Record Dealers and Record Store owners in Sydney to The Shire, all under one roof. 1000's of vinyl records and CDs will be on offer, covering most genres from Punk/New Wave, Jazz, Blues, Dance, Metal and so much more. Held at the Gunnamatta Pavilion, Cronulla (only a short walk from the Cronulla Station) this is the place to be!   Next Event: Saturday, June 1st | 10am to 4pm, $2 entry with kids under 15 free. Sunday Sessions @ Cronulla Golf Club Head down to Cronulla Golf Club for an afternoon of relaxed tunes with an incredible line-up throughout June. Treat yourself and dig into a succulent Sunday Roast while you soak up the atmosphere. June 16th: Michael Giglio June 23rd: Blake Wiggins Check out the full gig guide online: Cronullagolf.com.au/cms/clubhouse/entertainment/ Heaps Normal Presents: Gymea Hotel Open Mic Night Heaps Normal, in collaboration with Gymea Hotel, is thrilled to be a part of the Gymea Hotel Open Mic Night, which showcases an array of talented local performers each Tuesday throughout the year. Since February, the stage has seen 14 bands, 21 soloists, 20 comedians and 8 duos, with a wide and diverse range of talent presented each week. The evening promises not only an electrifying showcase of musical talent but also a chance to enjoy the warm atmosphere of Gymea Hotel. Performances commence promptly at 7:00 PM, with $18 rump steaks available on the night!  Head to the event listing on the Gymea Hotel Facebook page to sign up to perform: Facebook.com/gymeaopenmicnight/ The Brass Monkey Cronulla  An intimate, basement-level live music venue, restaurant and bar established in 1999. As you descend the stairs you are removed from the hustle of street level and enter a space that feels like you could be anywhere in the world. Framed pictures line the walls and show the legacy of the extraordinary music that has taken place in this special room. The venue has played host to a range of incredible local and international artists, such as Vince Jones, Missy Higgins, Abby Dobson, Sarah Blasko and Marcia Hines - just to name a few! The food is delicious and the bar is well-stocked with an extensive range of beer, wine, cocktails & spirits. Brassmonkey.com.au/livemusic/

Read more on Newtown Australia’s most loved design market, The Finders Keepers, is returning to Carriageworks this May 3-5, bringing over 160 of Australia's best designers and makers back to their original market home. 2024 is their 16th year of making market magic and they’ve got a stellar line-up of Australia’s craftiest cats just waiting to show you what they’ve been working on. It’s more than Australia’s favourite design market - The Finders Keepers is growing the mindfully made, thoughtfully bought revolution, with you. Take a break from scrolling and start strolling the market aisles, boogie to live local DJs, eat fresh food, sample the bars and support Australia’s creative best, the weekend before Mothers’ Day from Friday, May 3 - Sunday, May 5, 2024. Founded in Sydney in 2008, The Finders Keepers has grown to become a catalyst for empowering small businesses and spreading the joy of creativity. Their festival-style markets are the ultimate creative day out supporting new and established designers, artists, makers, musicians and foodies all in one jam-packed event. The Finders Keepers envision a mindful marketplace that fosters a community of passionate shop-small supporters. They work to bring to life the "third place" concept - a communal space where connections flourish, and the joy of discovering unique and handmade is shared. They are committed to empowering creative entrepreneurs to thrive, offering year-round support and resources. They aspire to grow their creative community, providing a real-life hub for genuine connections, a place to celebrate the artistry behind each creation. Debuting at the Sydney Design Market this May 3-5 you’ll find Sydney-based cult scrapbooking crafter Martina Calvi with her label Martina’s Tiny Store, in a rare market appearance with her nostalgic stickers, zines and more. This season’s Indigenous Program recipient is 10-year-old Wiradjuri and Palawa change-maker Penelope Towney, aka Towney Time, with her film content, art, and handmade jewellery. Ceramics collectors will rejoice in new wares from favourite Sydney makers Public Holiday and Bea Bellingham, quirky planters from debut seller Monika Lencse, sculptural pieces from Issy Parker, unique illustrated vessels by Melbourne’s Throughgood Pottery, and many more clay makers. There will be plenty of foodie winter warmers, with award-winning hot chocolate and sticky chai from Mixed Bag, a taste of India with Dahl By Devina, build-your-own waste-free ramen kits by the Naked Asian Grocer, fire & spice tonic from SISUU, and DIY cocktail helpers from LISTO Margaritas, and botanical aperitif from TANICA. Treat the mother figure in your life to some self-care time, with nourishing masks, soaps, soaks and more handcrafted by The Finders Keepers stallholders. Stock up on natural plant-based soaps from Melbourne’s Calico Soap Bar, natural perfumes by debut seller Betweenlines, ocean-friendly hair care products from Eco Ocean Hair, pampering gift packs from In The Buff Body Stuff, to name just a few. Meet your new favourite slow fashion labels from debut fashion sellers including reinvented military and vintage denim from Bossa & Co, pastel garments by Clownette and upcycled shirts by Myrtle & Dove, alongside leather accessories by Cinder Projects. Everyone is welcome at The Finders Keepers, and they can’t wait to welcome you back to Carriageworks this May 3rd - 5th for a long weekend of market magic and a true celebration of creativity. Tickets are $6 plus booking fee, and kids under 13 are free. The Finders Keepers Sydney Design Market, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street Eveleigh, Gadigal Land Friday 3rd May 4pm - 9pm Saturday 4th May 10am - 5pm Sunday 5th May 10am - 5pm For more information and the full stallholder line-up, head to www.thefinderskeepers.com/sydney-markets Stay updated on all things The Finders Keepers on Instagram (@finders_keepers) and Facebook (@theFindersKeepers) READ MORE ON NEWTOWN

More on Cronulla By ALEC SMART In part 2, (Cronulla History part 1) we chronicle the arrival of Europeans, from the First Fleet to the first settlers, via French sailors, runaway convicts, explorers and surveyors. Abandoned boat, Woronora River, Woronora. Photo: Alec Smart The Cronulla First Settlers On 26 January 1788, just six days after the first of 11 ships of the First Fleet sailed into Botany Bay from Britain, Governor Phillip ordered the 1373 survivors of the arduous eight-month journey from Portsmouth to set sail again, to a different harbour. The water sources in Kamay/Botany Bay were insufficient to sustain the garrison of marines, settlers and 732 convicts - despite Captain Cook’s assurances in his 1770 journal that Botany Bay was well provisioned with freshwater streams and meadows. And so, after felling a few trees in Kurnell, the 11 ships relocated north to a great harbour Captain Cook never entered, Port Jackson... Coincidentally on 24 Jan 1788, French naval captain and explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse and his crew sailed into Botany Bay in two ships. On a scientific circumnavigation of the world, the French anchored at what is now known as La Perouse in Frenchman’s Bay. They maintained cordial relations with the British during their six-week stay, with officers meeting formally on at least 11 occasions. During that time they pitched tents on the beach, restocked provisions, constructed a longboat, built an observatory from which they took astral measurements and erected a timber stockade (they endured several hostile attacks from the Indigenous Kamaygal, keen to see them depart). Convicts Helped by the French Meanwhile, numerous free-roaming convicts implored the French to take them on board when they left. Colonial Secretary David Collins, in his 1798-published An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, recorded: Robert de Clonard, the Franco-Irish captain of the Astrolabe “informed us that they were daily visited by the convicts, many of whom solicited to be received on board before their departure, promising (as an inducement) to be accompanied by a number of females. M. de Clonard at the same time assured us, that the general (as he was termed by his officers and people) had given their solicitations no kind of countenance, but had threatened to drive them away by force.” After replenishing supplies the French expedition departed on 10 March 1788. Sadly, both ships were wrecked on the reefs of Vanikoro Island in the Santa Cruz group of the Solomon Islands during a cyclone in April or May 1788. The crews were never seen again by Europeans. Thankfully, Lapérouse had already dispatched his journals and letters to Europe with the British First Fleet flagship HMS Sirius. Captain Cook's landing at Kurnell, 29 April 1770. Lithograph: unknown, 1872 Captain Cook Lands in 1770 The first Cronulla settler to die on Australia’s east coast was Forby Sutherland, a poulterer on The Endeavour, who succumbed to tuberculosis on 30 April 1770. He was buried in Kurnell on the headland Cook named Sutherland Point in tribute – from whence the regional name Sutherland was derived. After Sydney Cove/Warrane was settled, many years elapsed before the Cronulla first settlers ventured in an official capacity to the southern shores of Kamay/Botany Bay. Although free-roaming and escaped convicts wandered south to Botany Bay, and whalers traversed eastern waters (sometimes coming ashore and clashing with Aboriginals), the British penal experiment now called ‘Sydney’ expanded west and north. (In order to deter convicts from ‘going bush’, British authorities spread rumours that Indigenous Aboriginals were cannibals). Cronulla First Settlers, Explorers and Surveyors Flinders & Bass Matthew Flinders, the explorer-cartographer who famously circumnavigated the Australian continent with Garigal leader Bungaree and a cat named ‘Trim’, initially undertook two exploratory voyages south of Sydney. The first, in Oct 1795, was 32km up the Tucoerah/Georges River with naval surgeon George Bass and his 14yo assistant William Martin, reporting on arable lands (which led to the foundation of Bankstown). This was accomplished in a tiny (2.5m long!), single-sailed boat without cover called Tom Thumb. On 25 March 1796 the trio set sail again in a similar small boat named Tom Thumb II, seeking a ‘river south of Botany Bay’ unmarked on Cook’s charts. However, the mission ran into trouble when strong currents carried them too far south and they were eventually dumped ashore near present-day Wollongong. Two Wodi Wodi Aboriginal men rescued the explorers by guiding them to fresh water and introducing them to their clan. Flinders repaid the kindness by trimming their beards and characteristically dread-locked hair with scissors. Flinders also learned that several escaped convicts were living in the vicinity growing corn and potatoes. Thereafter, the two Wodi Wodi piloted the Tom Thumb II to the entrance of a tidal lagoon to better launch into the sea. Historians debate whether Tom Thumb II ran ashore at the southern end of Towradgi Beach, and the Indigenous rescuers took the trio to a tidal inlet since named Tom Thumb Lagoon. Or whether the troubled trio were found near Red Point on Fishermans Beach and guided to Lake Illawarra (from Dharawal ‘elouera’, meaning ‘pleasant place’). Sailing north again, a fierce gale forced the explorers to seek overnight refuge at Wattamolla. The following day, 30 March, they coasted into the inlet they sought, which they charted and named Port Hacking (after convicted murderer and pilot Henry Hacking, who previously came across it during “kangaroo-hunting excursions”). The trio explored and charted the region for the next two days before sailing back to Sydney Cove. At Bass & Flinders Point, on Gowrie St at the southern tip of Cronulla, a sandstone monument commemorates this trek at the point where they came ashore. Incidentally, Flinders is credited with promoting the name ‘Australia’. In his journals he preferenced it over ‘New Holland’ and ‘New South Wales’, then in common usage for the two halves of the continent. After his death the term was formally adopted. Bass, Flinders and Martin in Tom Thumb. Engraving: Ralph and Chandos Temple, 1870 Robert Dixon In 1827 Robert Dixon was appointed to survey the districts south of Botany Bay with the aid of a small sailboat. Dixon gave the name ‘Cronulla Beach’ to the stretch of coastline between Botany Bay and Port Hacking, which was formalised on NSW Govt maps in 1834. The name ‘Cronulla’ is derived from the Dharawal word ‘karanulla’, meaning ‘place of small pink shells’, which the Indigenous Gweagal people named the foreshores east of the region they called ‘gunamatta’ (sand dunes). The word karanulla was adapted by the British for both the Kurnell peninsula and the beach to its south, although gunamatta was reappropriated and given to a narrow bay near the entrance to Deeban/Port Hacking – beside present day Cronulla. Alternative spellings Cooranulla, Kurranulla, Krenulla and Koorungnulla appeared in journals and the media for several decades until the official name entered the common lexicon. Woolooware and Burraneer were also named by Dixon from Dharawal words meaning ‘muddy track’ and ‘point of the bay’. Caringbah was derived from the Dharawal word for the smallest member of the wallaby family (the pademelon). Cronulla Land Acquisition From 1861 Thereafter, through a series of land grants (James Malone, John Connell and James Birnie), one of which was never formally approved (Malone) and land purchases, plus a mental breakdown (Birnie) and a bankruptcy (Connell’s grandson John Laycock), most of the Sutherland region came into the ownership of Marrickville property tycoon and Newtown politician Thomas Holt. Between Aug 1861-75, Holt (who named ‘Sans Souci’ after the summer palace of Prussian Emperor Frederick the Great and built the sandstone obelisk at Kurnell in 1870 to commemorate the centenary of Cook’s landing) purchased large swathes of what is now Cronulla district for Cronulla first settlers. These properties, which eventually encompassed 12,000 acres (4,856ha) including most of the region between Botany Bay, Georges River, Woronora River and Port Hacking, Holt divided into 11 farming estates, primarily livestock. Holt also founded oyster farms in Gwawley Bay and Weeney Bay. The land not included in Holt’s Sutherland estates the Crown Land Authority began subdividing and selling in 1854. However, fearing naval invasion from Russia (due to the Crimean War), the NSW Govt annexed the east coast from Cape Solander to the Cronulla peninsula for possible defence fortifications. Thomas Holt's Sutherland House, 1868, at Holt’s Point, Gwawley Bay (now Sylvania Waters) Inset: after it was destroyed by arsonists in 1918 Holt’s stock and oyster farming were economic failures, despite his becoming extraordinarily wealthy through other ventures and investments. He also built Sutherland House mansion at Holt’s Point overlooking Gwawley Bay in 1875 (destroyed by arson Dec 1918). The only profit he turned on his estates was timber from the forests that were clear-felled of native blackbutt, cedar, ironbark and mahogany and sold to lumber merchants in Sydney for house frames, fencing and furniture. The sheep were preyed upon (over 300 dingoes were shot or poisoned) before 1300 of them were killed after developing footrot. The cattle excessively grazed the native grasses and imported buffalo grass to sand dunes before many strayed; and the tidal bays were too muddy for commercial oyster production. In 1878, acknowledging that the forests he denuded to sandy pastures were unsuitable for raising stock, Holt sub-divided his failed farmlands and offered 21-year leases to tenants.The subdivisions for the village of Kurnell were surveyed in Aug 1882, followed by ‘Gunamatta’ in Nov 1899 (renamed Cronulla in Feb 1908). In 1879 the National Park was established, the first in Australia (renamed Royal National Park when British queen Elizabeth II visited in 1955). Train Access Creates Growth For many years the Cronulla region was only publicly-accessible by punt across George’s River from Tom Ugly’s Point (now the site of Tom Ugly’s Bridge) to Horse Rock Point. A rail line to Sutherland was opened for Cronulla first settlers in 1885, crossing the Georges River at Como. A single track steam tram operated between Sutherland and Cronulla from 1911, replaced by the electric railway extension to Cronulla in 1939. However, it wasn’t until April 1929, when an iron truss bridge crossing Georges River was constructed at Tom Ugly’s Point, that vehicular traffic could drive from Sydney. The Oriental Hotel, Cronulla’s first commercial hotel, was built in 1888 (now the site of apartments behind North Cronulla Hotel). In 1891 Cronulla Beach post office first opened. It closed two years later then reopened in 1907 when the name ‘Cronulla’ was formally adopted for the growing town. In 1907, initially utilising an old tramcar, the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club opened, reflecting the increasing popularity of surf swimming in the region. Cronulla public school opened in 1910, six years after Cronulla School of Arts. Cronulla Beach, 1920s Port Hacking – origin of place names http://www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au/names-geo-hacking.html Neighbourhood Media has written histories of several suburbs in Sydney. Read more on Balmain history here, Cronulla history here, and history of Sydney ferries here. ==========================================

More on Crows Nest Unleash your musical potential at Big Music School & Studios in Crows Nest. Discover the transformative power of music education for all ages. “Music education is not for the talented,” said neuroscientist Dr Anita Collins in her TEDxCanberra talk on the benefits of such. “It is essential.” Collins’ research underscored the positive effects of studying music on cognitive function, memory, language learning, and even emotional regulation, with the greatest benefits for those who start learning by the age of seven. It’s something Richard Berkman, co-founder (with brother David) and managing director of Big Music, has seen time and time again with the students who attend the music school. “I've had parents say that they can't believe the change in their child since they started to come to Big Music. They walk up the stairs, they get into the studio with their coach or with their bandmates and everything else gets left behind. They're absorbed in the music and the music's good for you, and you go home feeling refreshed.” Since 2008, Big Music has occupied the corner of Alexander and Ernest Streets in Crows Nest as two arms: the space that hosts the school, studios and a live performance venue on Level 1, and the instrument retailer on the ground floor. After renovations in late 2023, it has now reopened as the Big Music School & Studios, which boasts state-of-the-art facilities for lessons and rehearsals, with the former retail spot now run by Mannys Music and Store DJ. The new retail owners have retained the team and stock and added DJ and electronic equipment to keep up with demand. The decision to separate the arms meant Big Music could focus on education, says Berkman, who was an accountant in his former life. “My brother and I started the business and it was his idea – he was very musical and he had the idea to create a place that was integrated where you could buy an instrument and learn how to play it and join bands and everything. And we researched it and no one seemed to be doing it,” he recalls. “The tuition business was a small, relatively sideline thing. We had a couple of hundred students and now we've got over 800.” The popularity of the school is partly driven by its ethos: to have fun. Learning is student-led, with learners choosing an instrument, a teacher and a musical style. It focuses on contemporary music – largely rock ‘n’ roll and pop – with guitar, drums, bass and piano as the main instruments taught, with a side of brass. There are no exams (unless the student wants to do them) and the end goal is performance. Students range from a five-year-old learning the piano to an adult learning to play a song on the ukulele for their 50th birthday, to a septuagenarian bass player. Another contributing element is the quality of the teaching staff, a team of 30 – “they're cool and they're fun and they're active musicians,” describes Berkman – which includes ARIA Hall of Fame guitarist Bob Spencer (Skyhooks, The Angels). One further factor is, ironically, increased screen time. “Kids and adults spend a lot of time on their devices and I feel we've become popular partly because we're seen as an antidote to that,” says Berkman. “Parents like to see their kids doing something that's essentially ‘hands-on, screen off’. It's analogue, it's real, but the kids are happy doing it.” He feels the same way playing guitar with his band, Out of Bounds. “All my bandmates are English and so we end up playing mostly English pub rock. I find that when we have band practice, I go home feeling good, like I've been to the gym, and wake up the next morning still feeling like I've had a benefit. So it's actually quite a physical and mental and possibly even spiritual thing.” Big Music is on Level 1, 85 Alexander Street (corner of Ernest Street), Crows Nest. For details on programs, teachers and venue hire, see bigmusic.com.au. Which instrument should you learn? “I think the instrument finds the person more often than not,” says Richard. “We never tell them what to learn. We are often asked, ‘What's the easiest instrument to learn?’ And look, for little kids a keyboard's great, because it's really visual. “They love the drums because it's gratifying. Ukulele is good because it's nice and small and they can get their hands around it. It depends on age and stage and even the size of the kid. But we normally find that you just give them time on an instrument. “We ask them all at the end of a holiday camp, ‘What instrument did you love?’ And you go right around the room and every kid is different.” Local Favourite Big Music’s Richard Berkman shares his local haunts. “I'd probably start the day with a coffee at Café 107. [Owner] Tony's been there as long as we have. If you want to meet the locals, go to Café 107,” he recommends. A visit to the park at Ernest Place is “good for people-watching”, then pick a café along Willoughby Road for lunch as there are plenty to choose from. “And then maybe finish with a beer at the pub. We had our Christmas party at the Crows Nest Hotel, but there are lots of other great little bars.” By Adeline Teoh

More on Crows Nest When you’ve been around for a couple of decades, it can be hard to keep things fresh, but that’s what Garfish Crows Nest has done both in the kitchen, with its fresh seafood promise, and at the table with its warm and friendly service. Garfish's combination of food & service has proved to be a winning one, leading to its recent success at the 2023 Restaurant & Catering Association’s Awards for Excellence where it took out the top honours for Best Seafood Restaurant – Informal at the national level. “From a business point of view, it is always good to be recognised by your peers in the hospitality industry, so we are always humbled when we get that recognition,” says restaurant manager Jakob Jonsson-Williams, who has been with the business since 2017. “Managing Garfish is an honour. I carry the baton passed on by previous managers and the one thing we pride ourselves on is consistency with regards to both product and service.” He admits the role can be very challenging – “especially in these current times” – and explains: “I am responsible for everything front of house, from staffing to stock, but most importantly ensuring every service runs smoothly and all our diners leave happy. This in itself can be a challenge as every service is different. I work very closely with our head chef and one of the keys to our success is communication both with our customers and within the business.” Along with Jonsson-Williams, the team also looks to veteran area manager Carole Dunn, who has been with the restaurant since the beginning. She says its longevity has secured its place in the suburb. “I think the community regards Garfish as an asset. We are a stalwart in the area,” she remarks. At the end of January the restaurant celebrated its 20-year anniversary, “no mean feat these days,” she adds. Having a long history means the restaurant and staff have shared many memorable moments with customers over the years, and they’re now beginning to see the next generation come in, says Dunn. “We are a ‘go to’ restaurant. We are part of the family, having seen babies and young children grow into adults that now bring along their partners and young families. We are consistent and familiar.” Because the restaurant sources its seafood fresh, its menu is seasonal and you’re likely to see the blackboard specials change regularly. Having said that, there are certainly popular options that people come back for. “We definitely have favourites on the menu, dishes that we could never take off, like the salt and pepper squid, snapper pie, fish and chips,” says Jonsson-Williams. However, he recommends the sharing seafood platter as “a great way to navigate our menu” and try a little of everything. “It offers a selection of our most popular entrees along with chargrilled shellfish, fish from our daily blackboard selection, plus additional side dishes.” And if you’re after a degustation tip, he says a classic won’t go astray. “In terms of pairing you can never go wrong with freshly shucked [Sydney rock] oysters from East 33 and a glass of Champagne or aged Leogate semillon from the Hunter Valley.” Want to create your own pairing? Garfish offers BYO ($8pp) on Saturday lunch and Tuesdays. You’ll find Garfish Crows Nest at 6/29 Holtermann Street. For bookings and menu details, see garfish.com.au. (There is also a Manly restaurant if you’re travelling to the Northern Beaches.) Coming in to roost Garfish manager Jakob Jonsson-Williams says newcomers to the Crows Nest area are likely to unearth more than they might think when they visit. “Visitors and first-timers to Crows Nest are constantly surprised by what’s on offer, from great shopping, lots of cafes and eateries to small wine bars. The parking is easy, and of course we would love to see you at Garfish.” By Adeline Teoh

If you’re looking for things that go bump in the night, you’re barking up the wrong tree. We’re talking about Bathsheba Ghost, Matron of Sydney General Hospital (1852 - 1866). Read more on Newtown. Christened into the Church of England on 25 December 1809 in Somerset, England, Bathsheba Dominey was the eldest of six children. In 1838, aged 29, she lived at 338 Oxford Street, London, with her husband Thomas Ghost and their three-year-old son Thomas. She had been working very successfully as a ladies’ nursery maid. However, on May 19th, 1838, the Central Criminal Court of the Old Bailey in London, found Bathsheba guilty of receiving stolen property. She was sentenced to 14 years and ordered to be transported to the colony of New South Wales. After four gruelling months at sea, Bathsheba arrived at Port Jackson in March 1839 aboard the Planter with 170 other female convicts. Thus began her solitary exile, separated from both child and husband. After working as a Domestic Servant for six years, Bathseba was finally rewarded with her Ticket of Leave - this allowed her to work as a free woman, so long as she remained in the district of Sydney. It’s thought that soon after this event, she began working as a nurse at the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary. Two years later, in 1847, she was granted a conditional pardon and was free, but she could not return to Britain. Just five years after her conditional pardon, In 1852, Bathsheba was appointed the Matron of the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary. She was awarded an initial annual salary of £80, as well as provided with board and lodging. By 1854 this salary had increased to £100, and finally £120, one of the highest salaries recorded for a female in New South Wales. The hospital’s annual reports regularly praised her exertions in maintaining order and cleanliness, and for taking a leading role in training nurses under her care. Bathsheba worked during a period of significant change in medical practices – including the first use of anaesthetics. Bathsheba never remarried, and we don’t know what happened to the husband. Towards the end of her life, her son Thomas migrated to Australia and she came to know her granddaughter Eliza. Other family members migrated voluntarily - her brother Thomas, wife Lydia and their two sons arrived in Victoria under the Bounty System in 1843. She also sponsored her brother Solomon and wife Harriet, her sister Bethia and husband John Fry and the two couples’ nine children as free settlers. They arrived just months before her death, some of them working and boarding at the hospital. Fittingly, Bathsheba died at her workplace in August 1866, the place of her reputable re-emergence into society. The cause was a lingering and painful disease of the uterus, relieved only by significant doses of drugs such as opium and alcohol. In her will Bathsheba bequeathed £100 to the hospital, a significant sum in 1866. She was buried in Camperdown Cemetery. In 1953 the then Matron Elsie Pidgeon unveiled a memorial stone to mark the gravesite in honour of Bathsheba. READ MORE ABOUT NEWTOWN

Read more on Newtown Dear 2042 Locals, I’m Jenny Leong, the Greens MP for the electorate of Newtown and your representative in the NSW Parliament. As the NSW Greens spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness, so much of the work our office and I do is centred on making sure everyone has a safe, affordable, accessible and secure place to call home and on expanding protections for renters across the state. With the housing affordability crisis worsening daily and too many community members in public housing or private rentals alike struggling to keep a roof over their head, this work is more important than ever. Yet despite unending stories of young people being kicked out of their homes in retaliation for requesting basic maintenance, or single mothers for whom a drastic price hike is a de facto eviction notice, and more older people struggling in our city, Labor has done nothing to expand protections for the 2 million people who rent statewide. One year into the Minns NSW Labor Government’s first term, we are still yet to see progress on their election promise to finally end unfair no grounds evictions in NSW. Under current NSW law, landlords do not need to provide a reason for evicting people from their rental home. Housing security for tenants is at the whim of their landlord - regardless of how long they have lived in a home, how they have treated it, and whether they have always paid rent on time. According to data from Fair Trading, one tenant is evicted every 18 minutes in NSW. This grim picture is compounded by the Tenants’ Union of NSW’s Evictions Map, which shows that across the state 13,011 landlords applied for an eviction through the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in 2023 - the actual number of evictions is likely to be much higher, given that not every landlord progresses evictions through NCAT. As no doubt so many of you know, renters who are evicted from their homes face an incredibly bleak rental market in which vacancy rates are at all-time lows and rents continue to rise unchecked. It’s clear that action must be taken now to protect them from this dire reality - and if the NSW Labor Government won’t move to do this, the Greens will. With all the focus on building new homes to address the housing crisis, we also need to be doing everything we can to ensure people can stay in the homes they are already in, without the risk of being evicted for no reason. At the last Parliamentary sitting in February, I introduced a Greens Bill to finally end unfair no grounds evictions for all tenancies in NSW - like both the ACT and South Australia have already done. The Bill would establish clear grounds on which tenancies could be terminated, alongside penalties for landlords who claim to be evicting a tenant so they themselves can move into a rental home or to renovate it but do not actually do so. We will be progressing the Bill through Parliament as soon as possible, and urge all members of Parliament to listen to the renters in their communities and urgently pass this overdue reform. Watch my speech introducing the Bill here. Yours sincerely, Jenny Leong MP Member for Newtown P.S. - Whether or not you rent, if you’re concerned about a local issue or if our office can assist with a specific matter, don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling us on 9517 2800, emailing newtown@parliament.nsw.gov.au, or visiting our office at 383 King Street, Newtown. READ MORE ON NEWTOWN

By ALEC SMART More on Dee Why, more on Turramurra Emmeline ‘Freda’ Du Faur was a pioneering mountain climber and avid bushwalker, who spent the last years of her life in Dee Why and Collaroy. Freda Du Faur, pioneering mountain climber, during her ascent of Aoraki / Mt Cook, Dec 1910. Photo: George Mannering Freda climbed at least 18 peaks and was the first woman to ascend to the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook (New Zealand's highest mountain). She even had a peak in Kosciuszko National Park, Mount Du Faur (2,159m, Australia’s 8th highest pinnacle), named after her. Despite breaking international climbing records in an era when women were discouraged from such pursuits, for 71 years she was left in an unmarked grave in Manly Cemetery and only honoured with a memorial in 2006. Born 16 September 1882 in Croydon, western Sydney, she was the daughter of Blanche Woolley and (Frederick) Eccleston Du Faur. Her father Eccleston, a keen environmentalist, was also a distinguished explorer (he co-founded the Royal Geographical Society of Australia). In 1874 Eccleston helped finance the last expedition in search of traces of the lost explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, who disappeared in 1848 somewhere along the Maranoa River in south-west Queensland. The Du Faur Rocks, Du Faur Creek, Du Faur Creek Canyon and Du Faur Lookout, all in the Blue Mountains, were named after Eccleston, as well as Du Faur St. and Du Faur Pl. in Canberra, Du Faur St. in North Turramurra and the Du Faur Wetland in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. As a draughtsman for the NSW Government, over a 10-year period Eccleston mapped the state of NSW. Tragically his original cartography was incinerated in the Garden Palace fire of 22 September 1882 – just six days after Freda’s birth – an act of arson that destroyed countless Aboriginal relics, survey maps and priceless artworks. The Garden Palace fire in Hyde Park, Sydney, September 1882. Illustration: National Library Australia Freda Du Faur Ku-Ring-Gai connections In 1888, when Freda was six, the Du Faur’s settled on 10 hectares of land near Eastern Rd on the Upper North Shore in a new district Eccleston persuaded the authorities to call ‘Turramurra’. The suburb was named after the Dharug Aboriginal word for ‘big hill’ (and the Indigenous Durramuragal clans that occupied the region prior to British colonisation). Turramurra is one of only four suburbs in the Upper North Shore region that adapted existing Aboriginal names, including neighbouring suburbs of Warrawee (‘stop here’ – eg, a campsite) and Wahroonga (‘our home’), and nearby Killara (‘permanent place’). Ecclestone employed distinguished Canadian architect John Horbury Hunt to design his house Pibrac, named after a commune near Toulouse in south-western France. Hunt combined the North American architectural trend of Shingle Style with the then-popular Federation Queen Anne that has since characterised Heritage houses in Warrawee and Turramurra. The Du Faur’s family property is still standing at 11 Pibrac Avenue, Warrawee. Later, Freda was to name a mountain peak in New Zealand after her childhood home: Mount Pibrac. ‘Pibrac’, the Heritage-listed house built in 1888 by Frederick Eccleston Du Faur. Freda's childhood home still stands at 11 Pibrac Ave Warrawee, Sydney. Photo: Alec Smart From Turramurra, Eccleston oversaw the construction of a road through the bush to Bobbin Head on Cowan Creek, and explored the foreshores extensively. It was here young Freda nurtured her sense of adventure, roaming with her dog, and she developed her incredible climbing skills clambering up the rocky escarpments. Eccleston lobbied the Minister for Lands to preserve the region as a national park. Initially unsuccessful, he invited the Governor of NSW to visit, and, with his support, in December 1894, the bushland around Cowan Creek (and its tributaries), were proclaimed the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. Australia’s second national park (after the Royal National Park in Sutherland Shire, created 1879), the park status protected its native flora and fauna from rapidly expanding European settlement and Eccleston Du Faur was appointed managing trustee. According to NSW National Parks and Wildlife, “Ku-ring-gai Chase is the second oldest national park in Sydney and the second oldest continuous national park in Australia. It was established largely through the work of one man, Eccleston Du Faur, who was concerned about the destruction of the bush by collectors of wildflowers and timber getters. “As such, it was the first national park in Australia to be established primarily for nature conservation (earlier parks such as The (Royal) National Park and Centennial Park were established primarily for recreation, and modifications to the environment including extraction of natural resources were permitted on these reserves).” Freda Du Faur enjoying camping New Zealand’s Southern Alps beckon Freda, who was educated at Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School in Darlinghurst, initially went on to study nursing, but found it unsuitable. Although she had spent summer holidays in New Zealand on the North Island, on her first trip to the South Island to see the New Zealand International Exhibition at Hagley Park, Christchurch in November 1906, she was captivated by photographs of Mount Cook. Freda travelled to the area, staying at the Hermitage Hotel in the alpine village below Mt Cook. She then set her heart on climbing the snow-peaked Southern Alps, which run along a geological boundary plate almost the entire length of New Zealand’s South Island. After she was gifted an inheritance of $2000 from her aunt, composer Emmeline Woolley, in March 1908, Freda, aged 25, had an independent income that enabled her to pursue her passion of travelling and climbing. Later that year, back at The Hermitage Hotel, Freda was introduced to the district’s premier mountaineering guide, Peter Graham, who had made 13 ascents to the peak of New Zealand’s highest mountain. Graham reportedly called her a “blessed cat”! Aoraki / Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki. Watercolour by John Gully, 1872 According to Explorersweb, “More than just a keen student, Du Faur was determined, strong, and capable. First, Graham tested her ability with a 10-hour traverse of Mount Wakefield and Mount Kinsey, at the southern end of the range. He quickly recognized Du Faur’s competence. Building on her rock-climbing experience, he added ropework and snow and ice climbing to their sessions…. “In 1909 [December 19], with Graham guiding, Du Faur achieved her first significant ascent, 2,627m Mount Sealy. Despite the pair’s climbing competence, social customs dictated that an unmarried woman should not camp alone overnight with a male guide. They were forced to invite a chaperone to join them. “Two days later, Du Faur ascended The Nun’s Veil (2,736m). Within a week, she completed the first female ascent of the west ridge of Mount Malte Brun, crossing the famous Cheval ridge to the summit with Graham and another client.” The obligatory chaperone, a hotel porter, proved a hindrance – at one stage he slipped down a rock face and his life was saved thanks to Freda’s adroit knot-tying skills on the rescue rope that retrieved him. She dispensed with him for future climbs and thereafter ignored the malicious gossipers. Freda commented, “For about ten minutes I almost succeeded in wishing that I possessed that useful appendage to a woman climber: a husband!” Freda Du Faur with her guides, the Graham brothers, Peter and Alec. Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, 1910. Photo: James McDonald The fact that Freda was a single woman sharing a tent with a single man wasn’t the only thing that got the scandal-mongers talking. Her attire was also subject to scrutiny. In a time when women were expected to wear ankle-length modest skirts, hers were trimmed, for practical purposes, at the knees, although there were no clothes specifically made for male or female mountain climbers in the early 1900s (and the safety equipment was primitive). An article in Lotl revealed: “Though her family’s money and inheritance made some aspects of her chosen pursuit easier, it couldn’t make Du Faur’s bucking of established social expectations palatable to her peers. Her style of clothing caused some consternation, for while she wore skirts while climbing, she opted for a knee-length style with long-line underwear and high socks (puttees) to protect her skin from the harsh conditions.” Furthermore, Freda was homosexual during a time when it was illegal. Society saw lesbianism as a social stigma and a psychological disorder that needed psychiatric treatment to cure. This public attitude later impacted dramatically on her life partner, Muriel Cadogan (more on that below). Aoraki / Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki. Photo: Krzysztof Golik / Wikimedia Cloud Piercing After her first major climbs, Freda set her sights on conquering Mt Cook, known to the Indigenous Ngāi Tahu Maoris of the South Island as Aoraki. New Zealand Tourism’s official website states: “According to Ngāi Tahu legend, Aoraki and his three brothers were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father. While on a sea voyage, their canoe overturned on a reef. When the brothers climbed on top of their canoe, the freezing south wind turned them to stone. The canoe became the South Island (Te Waka o Aoraki); Aoraki and his brothers became the peaks of the Southern Alps.” There is an alternate legend that Aoraki means ‘Cloud Piercer’, derived from the Ngāi Tahu words ao (world) and raki (sky/weather), which describes the earth cutting into the sky. Captain John Lort Stokes named New Zealand’s highest mountain ‘Mount Cook’ in 1851, in honour of Captain James Cook, whilst undertaking hydrographic surveys of New Zealand. Although Cook surveyed the South Island from his ship The Endeavour 81 years earlier (Jan-Feb 1770), prior to anchoring at Sydney’s Botany Bay, it’s probable he never saw the Southern Alps’ highest peak. It wasn’t until 1998, as part of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act, that the mountain was officially renamed Aoraki/Mount Cook to incorporate its historic Māori name. In preparation for her ascent of Aoraki/Mount Cook, Freda returned to Sydney in 1910 and spent three months at the Dupain Institute of Physical Education and Medical Gymnastics in the city (founder George Dupain was the father of celebrated photographer Max Dupain). Here she met Muriel ‘Minnie’ Cadogan, a fitness trainer and co-editor of the art, music and literature magazine Dupain Quarterly, who became her lover and life partner. Freda Du Faur with the Graham brothers, Peter and Alec, in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. After sailing back to New Zealand, on 3 December 1910 Freda became the first woman to climb to the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook, accompanied again by mountaineer-guide Peter Graham with his brother Alec. They reached the 3,724m (12,218ft) summit in a record six hours (beating the previous record by 2 hours). During her descent, Freda was photographed in front of a boulder, clutching a long-handled ice axe, to commemorate the historic climb [see main photo above]. The boulder, located 200m into the Hooker Valley Track, is now known as ‘Freda's Rock’. Regarding her monumental achievement, Freda recalled, “I was the first unmarried woman to climb in New Zealand, and in consequence I received all the hard knocks until one day when I awoke more or less famous in the mountaineering world, after which I could and did do exactly as seemed to me best.” Over the next three climbing seasons (summer months), at the peak of her fitness, Freda immersed herself in her passion and focused on scaling all of New Zealand’s highest peaks – 15 in succession! Immediately after Mt Cook (just a few days!), she climbed Mt De la Beche (2,950m) followed by Mt Green (2,692m) and she was the first person, male or female, to reach the summit of Mt Chudleigh (2,966m) in the Chatham Islands. Freda Du Faur with the Graham brothers, Peter and Alec, climbing Mount Nazomi, 1912. The following season she tackled an unnamed peak, since officially named Du Faur Peak (2,330m), followed in March 1912 by the first known ascents of Mt Nazomi (2,925m) and Mt Dampier (3,440m, New Zealand’s third highest peak), again with the Graham brothers. The trio also ascended Mt Tasman (3,497m, New Zealand’s second-highest peak) and Lendenfeld Peak (3,194m), becoming the second team of climbers to reach the apex of these two pinnacles, and Sebastopol (2013m). In her final climbing season before relocating to England, Freda and the Graham brothers made the first-ever ascents of two unnamed peaks that she personally deputed: Mount Pibrac (2,541m) – named after her family home in Warrawee, Sydney – and Mount Cadogan (2,449m) – named after her beloved girlfriend Minnie. In January 1913, with Peter Graham and Darby Thomson, they achieved what has come to be known as the Aoraki Mount Cook Grand Traverse, ascending all three peaks of New Zealand’s highest mountain in succession, now a popular challenge for international climbers. Freda Du Faur sat atop a boulder in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park. On 10 February 1913, Freda, Peter Graham and Darby Thomson reached the pinnacle of Mt Sefton (3,151m) in what was to be Freda’s last-ever summit in an astonishing record, although she didn’t intend it to be her final. Britain… from triumph to tragedies In early 1914, Freda and her partner Muriel Cadogan sailed to England and settled in London. Some reports state they emigrated late 1913, but Muriel was in Sydney in February, having founded the Feminist Club. A news item in The Daily News (Perth), dated 5 December 1914, states: “The Feminist Club founded in Sydney last February by Miss Cadogan, began with a membership of 12, and has only been open for general membership for the last three months. Its members now number 20. In September it affiliated with the Workers' Educational Association, and the association now sends a lecturer once a month…” In Britain, the couple had plans to undertake mountain climbing treks along the Alps, the European mountain range that extends across eight countries, and the Himalayas, the Asiatic ridge separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan plateau. Given her confidence and extraordinary fitness, it is highly probable Freda would have eventually attempted Mount Everest, Earth’s highest mountain, which is approachable from either Nepal or Tibet. If she’d achieved this monumental feat, she would have beaten Hillary by almost 40 years. Like Freda, world-famous New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary also trained in the Southern Alps. He ascended the crest of the south ridge (highest of the three ridges) of Aoraki/Mount Cook in January 1948, his first major climb, 37 years and one month after Freda. On 29 May 1953, Hillary became the first climber to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest, accompanied by Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953 In 1914, no one had yet ascended to the 8,848m summit of Everest, 2.37 times the height of Aoraki/Mount Cook, but one can speculate that Freda was among only a few people on Earth at the time capable of making the attempt. However, on 28 July 1914, the First World War global conflict started when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Travel across Europe was severely restricted as the international bloodbath began, effectively terminating Freda’s cloud-piercing climbing ambitions. When hostilities broke out, Freda and Muriel were staying in a village in the Brittany region of western France. In her introduction to the reprinted edition of Freda’s autobiography, KL Weber wrote, “In an interview with The Sun, Du Faur’s father reported … in order to return to England, and relative safety, the women walked 20 miles throughout the night to a nearby port, risking being challenged for their passports, in order to make a 5.00am boat.” Whilst based in London, Freda wrote a memoir of her mountaineering achievements, The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs: An Account of Four Seasons' Mountaineering on the Southern Alps of New Zealand, published 1915 by George Allen and Unwin. A dedication in the forward of her memoir read, “To My Friend Muriel Cadogan, Whose Love and Sympathy have Never Failed Me, I Dedicate This Book.” The Conquest of Mount Cook - first edition of Freda Du Faur's climbing memoir (published 1915) It’s highly likely the pair socialised with the Ladies' Alpine Club, the first British mountaineering club for women, which was founded in London in December 1907 and had over 100 members by 1914. The organisation challenged negative gender stereotypes and endured a lot of chauvinism, especially around women’s attire, as they promoted female mountaineers. The all-male Alpine Club, founded 1857, refused women members, a prejudice they maintained until 1975. In Elisa Rolle’s live journal, part of her Days Of Love: Celebrating LGBT History series, she revealed the couple eventually “moved from London to Bournemouth, living in the suburb of Boscombe. Freda and Muriel had their own property at 28 Sea Road, Boscombe from the autumn of 1922, and were living there until 1925, but let the property out from 1926-1928. They were back at Sea Road in 1929, and following Muriel's death Du Faur lived there alone in 1931…” 28 Sea Road, Boscombe, near Bournemouth, England, where Freda and Muriel lived in the 1920s Muriel's decline Whilst living together in Bournemouth after the war, something triggered a decline in Muriel Cadogan’s mental health. After seeking medical help, the couple’s then-illegal lesbian relationship was discovered and they were kept apart. KL Weber wrote, “Sometime in 1929, following what may have been a breakdown in Cadogan’s mental or physical health, Cadogan and Du Faur admitted themselves to hospital. “When the nature of their [lesbian] relationship was comprehended, Du Faur was prevented from visiting her partner, and she left the hospital, whilst Cadogan continued treatment. Cadogan’s family arrived to take her back to Australia. She died on the voyage home on 6 June 1929, from causes never explained.” An article in Wild magazine declares, “Muriel’s family disapproved of their relationship and had her committed to an asylum, back then a terrible yet somehow acceptable punishment for homosexuality. Virtually imprisoned, Muriel wasted away, mentally and physically, and eventually died, aged 44.” Muriel, released into the custody of her family, travelled aboard the steamship SS Port Huon for the journey home to Sydney. However, Muriel declined rapidly and died onboard, and was buried at sea. She was 44 years of age. A notification in the Sydney Morning Herald deaths column, dated Saturday 15 June 1929, states: “CADOGAN.—June 6, at sea, Muriel, beloved eldest daughter of the late W. H. and Mrs. Cadogan, 131 Ourimbah-road, Mosman.” The steamship Port Huon, on which Freda Du Faur’s partner, Muriel ‘Minnie’ Cadogan, sadly died on 6 June 1929 during a voyage home to Sydney. She was buried at sea. Freda Du Faur Returns to Australia In 1931, Freda returned home to Australia. Her parents had already passed - her mother, Blanche Du Faur, died in 1906; her father, Eccleston Du Faur, died at the family home in Warrawee on 24 April 1915 and was buried in the Anglican churchyard at Gordon. Freda initially stayed with her brother’s family, then set up home in a property called The Haven on Cumberland Avenue. (Although most biographies state this was in Dee Why, Cumberland Ave is just inside the geographical boundary of Collaroy.) She spent much of her time exploring the surrounding bushland, reportedly withdrawn and unhappy. The Australian Dictionary of Biography states, “Saddened by the death of her great friend in June 1929, she returned to Australia to live at Dee Why, initially with her brother's family and then in a cottage of her own. Her main interest was walking in the bush behind Dee Why and Collaroy; she was noticeably withdrawn and lonely…” This was echoed in an article on Tales from the Grave website dated Oct 2021: “Freda spent time walking in the bush behind Dee Why and Collaroy and appeared noticeably withdrawn and lonely.” The Elisarole website recorded: “In June 1929, Cadogan died and Du Faur returned to Australia where she lived in Dee Why, Sydney. At first, she lived with her brother's family. Then, she lived in a cottage of her own. Her main interest was bush walking in Dee Why and Collaroy. But she suffered severely from depression at the loss of her beloved friend, Cadogan, and on or about 11 September 1935, she committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.” In September 1935, Freda, overcome by depression, took her own life (quite likely by inhaling vehicle exhaust). She was 53 years old. A notification in the Sydney Morning Herald deaths column, dated Friday 20 Sept 1935, states: “DU FAUR.—September 13, 1935, at her residence, The Haven, Cumberland-avenue, Deewhy, Freda Du Faur, aged 53 years. Privately interred.” The final resting place of pioneering mountain climber Freda Du Faur, Manly Cemetery. For 71 years it remained an unmarked grave. Photo: Alec Smart, Freda’s body was interred in the Church of England section at Manly Cemetery in plot number COE-H-654. For unknown reasons she lay in an unmarked grave for seven decades, until a group of admirers honoured her incredible achievements in December 2006 with a plaque and a marker made of New Zealand greywacke stone. In her introduction to Freda’s biography, KL Weber wrote: “Until 2006, her grave in Manly General Cemetery was unmarked, except for a small rock cairn erected by Ashley Gualter. In December 2006, a small group of people from the Australian and New Zealand communities arranged for the installation and dedication of a memorial plaque for Freda Du Faur, complete with a stone from Aoraki/Mount Cook.” Among the mourners on 3 December 2006 who installed the headstone and the memorial plaque, was Sally Irwin, the author of Freda’s biography, Between Heaven and Earth: The Life of a Mountaineer, Freda Du Faur. In December 2015, a film script on the life of Freda Du Faur, titled Cloud Piercer, made it to the second round of the Sundance Screenwriter’s lab and was accepted into the Stowe Story Labs in Vermont, USA. Written by Anita Ross, actress, writer and founder of the New Zealand chapter of Film Fatales (a collaborative community of women feature film and television directors), the screenplay tells Freda’s story from triumph to tragedy. In an online interview with Wellywood, Anita explained: “Freda’s story has everything: an independent spirit, light years ahead of her time and breaking barriers by sheer force of will and tenacity. It has love, friendship, tragedy, adventure, beauty… “Here was a woman, who also happened to be gay, in the early 20th Century, who didn’t ask for permission to live the life she wanted. She climbed every major peak in New Zealand, in a skirt(!), before crampons and nylon rope, and despite almost everyone telling her that she can’t and she shouldn’t. What Freda did was radical and bold and I loved that.” Aoraki / Mount Cook and Lake Pukaki. Photo: Bernard Spragg / Wikimedia Anita kindly gave permission to use the title of her screenplay for this article. When I asked Anita about the current status of her film project she replied, “Such a fascinating life story, wrapped up in so many interesting places and events. The film is currently parked as there’s no production company attached yet...” Hopefully someone takes on this overdue project soon. Hollywood has for many years charmed us with tales of triumph overcoming adversity, with films featuring underdogs and outsiders achieving tremendous goals, despite often overwhelming odds stacked against them. Yet most of them are about men… The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs by Freda Du Faur Five-part abridged audio reading by Radio New Zealand: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thereading/collections/readings/the-conquest-of-mount-cook-and-other-climbs Downloadable PDF version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GmjADsgxH7yVQqRjeCw2VaDAh3cSE_-V/view?pli=1 Digital online version: https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-FauConq.html Kindle E-book edition: https://www.amazon.com.au/Conquest-Mount-Cook-Other-Climbs-ebook/dp/B073HMN6GW/ref=sr_1_1 The grave of pioneering mountain climber Freda Du Faur, marked with a piece of greywacke stone from Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Manly Cemetery, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Alec Smart, =========================

More on Dee Why Lachlan Pike, President of the Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club explains the group’s reach beyond the beach. Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club Nippers While many members of Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club grew up in the suburb and began their relationship with the club as Nippers, Lachlan Pike was actually a “Nipper dad” for his then-six-year-old before he underwent training at the club. “I turned up just as a Nipper parent and then I saw all the fun that people were having in the water,” he recounts. “To get in the water and assist with Nippers’ safety, rather than stand on the beach, you need to have done the Bronze Medallion. So I thought, ‘why not?’” That turned into a role as Head of Water Safety for Nippers, and then a stint helping to rewrite the club constitution. Fast forward a few years and the “Nipper dad” is now club President with three Nipper children. Forgivably, the ‘late bloomer’ hails from the North Shore rather than the Northern Beaches, but has made the role his own over the past year, dedicating a portion of every day to the volunteer role. “The surf club interacts not just with our own members, but we are involved with many other different organisations such as the council, other volunteer organisations, other safety organisations, corporates [sponsors] in some way linked to the club. “Part of my role is making sure the logistics of all that work; doing things for the benefit of the club so we’re the best club we can be,” Pike explains. Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club History Established in 1912, Dee Why SLSC has more than a century of surf lifesaving in its history. Located at one of the more accessible beaches in Sydney, it provides services well beyond the immediate suburbs, even extending to regional and rural NSW, where the club runs its beach safety awareness program. There is even, Pike notes, a Bush Nippers program. “If you were down here over the Australia Day weekend, it’s more than likely the people patrolling have driven all the way from Orange in Central West NSW.” Patrolling may be one of the more pedestrian services offered by the club, but Pike says it’s his favourite activity. “I really like patrols. There's something about getting down to the beach early in the morning. You're one of the first people there. “You look out, have a look at the surf, have a look at what's going on. You set up the beach, get it all ready. The flags go up with assistance from the council lifeguards. It's just a fun way to get out and about and speak to people in the community.” And that’s how he sees the club, as the heart and hub of the northern beaches, with a membership “as diverse as Dee Why has become” both in age – from six to over 90 – and heritage. “We have members from all over NSW, also from all over the world: everywhere from the Americas to the Middle East, to Asia, to every continent bar Antarctica,” he says. Dee Why SLSC boasts a membership base of nearly a thousand people, with about 180 of them patrolling the beach from September to April, 9 am to 7 pm, every weekend and holiday. There are also a handful who volunteer their skills to keep the club running, for which Pike is grateful. “When we need volunteers who have specific skills, we typically have that within our membership. It's usually someone in the club who has experience from pretty much every profession you can imagine. A big shout-out to our members, who should be well regarded as great members of the community.” Pike also reminds people that they can support the club without becoming a patrolling member. “I welcome calls from people to discuss how they might look to be part of the club or help the club, or what the club can do for them or what they can do for the club. It's a win-win.” Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club on Dee Why Beach has a range of courses and events throughout the summer and the off-season. Check out dyslsc.org.au and its Facebook page for updates. Local favourite It’s no surprise that Lachlan Pike, Dee Why SLSC President, recommends Dee Why Beach as the place to go for visitors. “It's a beautiful beach to walk on,” he says. “You do an amazing walk from Dee Why down to Long Reef and back. You can stop midway and see the lagoon, and you might be lucky enough to see the black swans that often are there. They’re part of our club logo.” By Adeline Teoh