Henley Pleasure Grounds to Evatt Park

John Boatwright travelled from London to Australia in 1913 to find work and a home for his family. Six months later, his wife, Olivia, loaded their belongings and 4 daughters aboard a ship, excited to be joining her husband. She had left 2 other daughters with her mother while she packed to leave, planning for her mother to bring them to the ship. Her mother never came. Despite sending money twice for her daughters to be sent to join them, her mother refused and they never saw the children again. In early 1917 John Edward Boatwright took over a lease on a boat hiring business in Lugarno. True to his strong English roots he named the home that came with the lease "Henley". Eventually John bought 18 acres of land between Forest Road and Saltpan creek in 1926, and started developing Henley Pleasure Grounds near his boatshed. The land ran from Forest Road to the river and established a picnic area, complete with a stone boatshed, wharf, pontoon, boat hire and flying fox. An old showboat was set up as a kiosk, and at the front of the property were bus sheds for the crowds who came by bus, and a small shop supplying basic commodities, including Olivia's hand-churned butter and ice cream. After the war, the shop was demolished and it became Boatwright's Service Station. In 1929 he started Henley Bus Service Route 147, from the entrance to the pleasure grounds at Forest Road to Mortdale Station. The Pleasure Grounds were a key spot for fishing parties, picnics, and leisure activities, facilitating family-run recreation. The Boatwrights sold off most of their estate in the 1950s, and the boatshed was abandoned. Together with the Henley Pleasure Grounds, it became part of Murdock Crescent Reserve. In the early 1960s, a fire destroyed the boatshed and its remains stood there for a few years. Local residents started taking the sandstone blocks for their gardens until Hurstville Council (now known as Georges River Council) removed all but the stone base which is still there today.

From 1927, John Edmund Boatwright started selling 9 Weekender lots at the end of Blackbutt Avenue, overlooking the Pleasure Grounds. He built a set of steps to the Henley Pleasure Grounds where there were boats for hire and great fishing. These lots are now 56-72 Blackbutt Avenue.

The Lugarno peninsula has Hawkesbury Sandstone vegetation of Sydney Red Gums, Grey Gums, Sydney Peppermint and Blackbutts. Along the foreshore, the landscape conservation area is dominated by Grey Mangrove with some smaller River Mangrove and Swamp Oak. Blackbutt Avenue is named for the Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) trees, a prominent native species in the Lugarno area where they are part of the local ecosystem. These tall, fast-growing hardwoods are recognized by their rough, charred-looking bark at the base and are a significant part of the area's natural landscape.

Prior to the 1800s, Lugarno was heavily timbered with blackbutt, ironbark, turpentine and other giant eucalypts, often towering to over one hundred feet. These trees were a valuable asset to the growing colony. Turpentine was much sort after for Sydney wharves, being almost imperishable in water. Timber-getters opened up the area in the 1800s, seeking to make their fortune. They were said to be colourful, rowdy men, who camped in the bush and lived on a diet of salt beef and damper. Timber was taken to Sydney by bullock dray and used for building construction, coach building, wheelmaking, boat building, the construction of wagons and carts, and firewood which at that time was selling for six shillings a load. The men working in saw pits had the hardest job. The man on top having to lift the saw after each descending stroke, while the man below caught the down draught of sawdust in his face. Early maps of Lugarno show wood carter’s tracks where the timber was carried from Crown land that has now become Lugarno Parade, Elm, Oak and Cedar streets, to the Government Road. Timber was also removed along the Georges River.

Oysters were a staple in the diet of the Bidjigal people and found in abundance on the rocks and mangrove roots in the Georges River. But with the arrival of Europeans to the area, there was excessive harvesting for food, and to use middens for mortar, so the oyster supply soon became depleted. It was then the oyster farming industry was born. In fact, the Georges River became one of the first areas for successful commercial oyster cultivation. John Geddes began farming oysters in Lugarno in 1886. His oyster leases were taken over by the Matthei family who began farming oysters on slabs of sandstone formed in parallel rows as far out as the low-tide mark. Later they used trays constructed of wire mesh mounted on wooden frames and coated in tar. It took 2 to 3 years for a crop to mature. Adolph Peters had a lease in Edith Bay, plus there were leases in the Moons and those owned by the Bowmaker family. Georges River oysters were renowned for their size and flavour and in the 1940s and 50s had a reputation as the finest in the world. Poachers were a constant problem and farmers who had worked all day, had to stake out at night to catch the thieves. In the 1980s Georges River produced most of the oysters sold in NSW, but in 1994 there was a major outbreak of QX virus and oyster leases were removed from Georges River.

There are caves on the lower part of the walk, which were used by the traditional owners of the lands here, the Bidjigal people of the Eora nation. Their land includes Salt Pan Creek and the Georges River. They are part of the Dharug language group. They used the river as a travel route, food source and meeting place, with seasonal fishing and shellfish gathering. The river was also used by early European settlers for timber getting, fishing and oyster leases. Remnant jetties can be found down near the waterline, and many were used by timber getters. There are middens on the lower track nearer the river. You will see the Cave if you branch off to the lower southern track as you walk around the peninsula.

The orchard was located in a natural bowl between surrounding sandstone ridges, caused by an intrusion of basic volcanic breccia. The soil on top of the volcanic intrusion was more fertile than the surrounding ridges. The land in this area changed hands multiple times. Some of the very old fruit trees had been replaced during the period 1900-1905 and some newer varieties planted. The property was not irrigated and had to rely solely upon rainfall for growth. Ella Boyd, inherited the well-established 20-acre orchard in trust on 2 April 1913. At that time it supported a spreading orchard and extensive vegetable garden. Her husband George Stanley ("Stan") Connor worked on the farm which grew to have 40 chickens, 5 horses, 4 bee hives, cows and numerous dogs (to keep pilferers at bay). Plus the waterfront foreshore provided the family with access to oysters and fish. The orchard had Granny Smith and Jonathan apples; Moore Park apricots; St. Michael, White Siletta, Joppa, Valencia and Washington Navel oranges; China pears (for cooking) and Williams pears (for eating); peaches and nectarines; Lisbon lemons; Wickson plums; and mandarins. The Connor family tried growing grapes also but the crops did not survive the hot summers and, eventually, the vines were ripped out. Vegetables were also harvested - cucumbers, rockmelons, tomatoes, beetroot, watermelons, peas, beans, cabbages, and potatoes. Over time, vegetables became the main source of year-round income; the fruit provided seasonal income. The orchard and vegetable garden required constant attention and horsedrawn ploughing. The produce was taken at night along Forest Road to the Haymarket in Sydney. Stan had a cartage arrangement with neighbour Mr. Ernie Webb and some of his market gardener friends on the other side of the George’s River. In the beginning, the produce was carted by horse and dray, but eventually trucks took over. These few plum trees in Evatt Park are a remnant of that orchard, a fragment of history clinging to the past while enlightening the present moment.

Ernie Webb was a market gardener in Menai. In 1927 (the same year that electricity reached Lugarno), he leased the orchard from Ella Connor & George Stanley Connor ("Stan"). By the 1930's the arrival of the fruit fly had caused havoc in local orchards, so Ernie began the back-breaking job of removing the fruit trees. Vegetables rather than fruit were the main income earner. The local volcanic soil produced high quality vegetables. At its peak, the gardens had a turnover of 15 thousand pounds per year. It was one of the few market gardens in Sydney supplying early season vegetables to Sydney markets within a day of picking. During WW2 the gardens provided vegetables for the defence forces. At one stage the army took over the house, Valencia, and a small part of the grounds for repairing troop carriers. In 1948, Ella Connor sold 20 acres of “Valencia”, the orchard part, to Ernie Webb who continued to run the market garden, but moved out of the old homestead. A small dam on the site was enlarged a number of times in order to provide the large quantity of water required for the gardens. By 1957 it contained one million gallons of water and today it is the centrepiece of Evatt Park. Some of the original willow trees, planted by Ernie, at the water’s edge, provide shelter for the myriad of water birds that call the area home.

Evatt Park in Lugarno, NSW, was named in December 1965 to honour Herbert Vere (Doc) Evatt (1894–1965) who was a prominent Australian Labor politician, High Court judge, and diplomat. The park was named following his death, honouring his service as the former Member of Parliament for the local electorate of Barton. Doc Evatt was a significant historical figure who served as Attorney-General, Minister for External Affairs, and was a key figure in the founding of the United Nations. In the 1960s there was pressure for the rezoning of market gardens to permit residential development. Fortunately, with great foresight, the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme had reserved the market garden area for recreational purposes in 1951. Despite being aware of the fact, Shirley Constructions bought the site in 1963, hoping the land would be rezoned. The Lugarno Progress Association, residents, and eventually Hurstville Council agitated for three years until the State Planning Authority resumed the market garden in 1965, and handed it to Hurstville Council who named it H.V. Evatt Park.

The circular impression forming Evatt Park is the eroded crater of a Marr-Diatreme volcano that scientists believe was active between 150 - 200 million years ago. It’s just a portion of the long, convoluted history of this site that’s worth exploring. On January 20, 1788 (a week before Australia Day was founded), Second Lieutenant Philip Gidley King, and his crew from the HMS Supply, set out in a rowboat from Botany Bay, searching for fertile land and fresh water. They landed at Gertrude Point, Lugarno, and walked uphill until they reached the fertile volcanic soils in this area (Evatt Park). However before they could discover the fresh water stream nearby, they were confronted by 12 local indigenous people who threatened them with spears as a warning to go away. Many years later in 1831, the first land-grant made in Lugarno was to Thomas Greenwood Lawrence. Under conditions of the grant, Thomas was required to clear and cultivate 22 acres by 1833. As the grant was 120 acres, he was entitled to apply for convict labour in return for food and clothing. Initially he received two convicts and a third later.

There are remains of a quarry on the southern contact of the volcanic intrusion of Evatt Park (where the sandstone had been baked hard). The quarry was established by George Stanley Connor (aka Stan) during the late 1920s for road metal. The stone was sold to the local council and transported by truck to Peakhurst and Stoney Creek Road where it was mostly used as road base. They frequently had to drill, blast and screen the material, and load it onto council trucks. Another quarry was opened near the river (at the end of what is Allwood Crescent today). Here Llewellyn Jones and Harry Whitwell built a dam, put in a stone crusher and made some barges. The stone was transported down the river by barge, pulled by a boat called the Swift, to Cooks River, where Botany/Bayside Council used it for road base.