| Historical notes: | Early History (1)
The earliest people to have enjoyed North Beach were the Aboriginals who inhabited the Illawarra district. The five tribes that lived in the region favoured the coast because of its abundant resources of food. Although relationships between the Aboriginal people and early European settlers were peaceable, by the I830s they had deteriorated as a result of the latter laying claim to land and clearing it. As a result the Aboriginal population declined sharply - by 1846 it was reported there were less than one hundred indigenous people remaining (2). Descendants from this small proportion of survivors still live in the area (Howard, 2001).
Prior to European occupation of the Illawarra, the area around North Wollongong and the surrounding coastline was used by the Dharawal people as a natural harbour and sheltered area for all manner of cultural and ceremonial activities for more than 20,000 years and possibly as many as 40,000 years. The natural bay of the harbour was protected from direct ocean currents and south-easterly winds by the sand dunes and Flagstaff Hill. The lagoon and creeks provided fresh water and there was an abundance of food from the combined marine and riparian environment. Archaeological evidence of this extended occupation by Aboriginal people is found in middens located in dune systems along the Harbour and Osborne Park as well as known burials in the area (Thompson and Boag, 2022, 15).
To the north of the study area, Stuart Park and Fairy Lagoon have been identified in historic records as a key burial site on the opposite side of Cabbage Tree Creek following the 'Battle of Fairy Meadow', however the exact locations of the burials are not clear. Recent archaeological investigations undertaken in Stuart Park have uncovered significant densities of stone archaeology, which provides strong evidence of the intensive use of the area by the local Aboriginal people. Additional work is being undertaken in consultation with the local Aboriginal community to investigate the cultural significance of Stuart Park (ibid, 2022, 15).
Although the existence of coal in the area was recognised by the end of the 1790s, the development of a coal industry had to wait for about fifty years, early forays into coal mining were to have an effect on the physical character of North Beach. The first but short -lived coal mine was opened up at Mt Keira in 1849 by James Shoobert. In 1857 a second and vastly more successful mine was opened, and in the following years mining began at Woonona, Bellambi, Coalcliff and Mount Pleasant (3). The Mount Pleasant Colliery began production in July 1861. The construction of a tramway that gave direct access to Wollongong harbour was a crucial element in the success of the mine, and it was decided to route it from the mine incline east to Fairy Creek and then into a reserve where it turned south and ran along the coast past North Beach and along the base of the cliff to Belmore Basin. It was built under the provisions of the Mount Pleasant Tramroads Act 1862 which enabled the Illawarra Coal Company, which owned the colliery, to construct the tramway through the coastal reserve. The tramway was to be open for public use on the payment of a toll and was opened for use in December 1862 (4). It was upgraded in the early I880s to accommodate locomotive haulage, and the company took delivery of its first locomotive in 1884 (Howard, 2002, 5).
Industry came briefly to North Beach the following decade when an English pharmacist, Courtney Puckey established an experimental saltworks at the southern end of the beach adjacent to the railway cutting which still forms a prominent landmark. The saltworks operated for about ten years from the middle of the l890s onwards (5). (Rod Howard, 2002, 5). Although short-lived and 'commercially inconsequential' it is significant as the only Australian example of a 'tea-tree framework' . . . Presently known to be recorded pictorially' (Rogers, 1984, 70).
During the 1920s Wollongong Council expressed some interest in the possibility of acquiring the land between Stuart Park and the Illawarra Coal Company's wharf and requested meetings with the Company to discuss the issue (6). In April 1932 a meeting was held at the Public Works Department in Sydney which included delegates from Wollongong Council to discuss the removal of the tramway from the foreshores, but apparently little or no action was forthcoming (7). The Mount Pleasant colliery closed in 1933 as a result of the depression and went into liquidation the following year. It was acquired by The Broken Hill Pty in December 1936 (8). In the meantime, Wollongong Council had been persistently 'endeavouring to secure the removal of the Mt. Peasant Railway Line . . . And the conversion of the site of the line into a promenade' (9) but with little success' (10). Then, on 16 November 1937 representatives of The Broken Hill Pty met with members of Council. They advised that the company had decided to abandon the Mt Pleasant and Mt Keira railways and donate the land to Council, and expressed the hope 'that the company's action will be useful to the Council in clearing up and beautifying the foreshores of Wollongong' (11). In 1938 the land was finally given to Wollongong Council (12)(ibid, 2002, 6)
A Tradition of Sea Bathing
Early bathing facilities were established in Wollongong not long after its foundation. Bathing facilities for ladies and men were in place at Brighton Beach by 1839. In 1856 public baths were established at Flagstaff Hill and the following year the Brighton Hotel introduced bathing machines to improve its seaside amenity (14)(ibid, 2002, 6-7)
Despite its apparent popularity, however, sea bathing was heavily proscribed. In 1870 it was forbidden to bathe between the hours of 8 am. and 7 pm. Furthermore, men and women were segregated and made to bathe at different locations. During the 1880s men bathed at Clarke's Hole and Gibson's Hole while women were confined to Flagstaff Point, but as the decade moved on restrictions eased a little, and sea bathing was only forbidden between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. However, in 1888 it seems that crowds of recalcitrant men bathed from 3 p.m. onwards in defiance of the regulations, thus rendering the areas that they frequented unfit for the presence of women. Around the same time work began on upgrading the various bathing facilities in Wollongong, which at this period was frequently described as the 'Brighton of NSW' (ibid, 2002, 6).
In March 1894 the first moves towards organised beach activities came about with a meeting held at the Brighton Hotel to form a mens' swimming club. This almost coincided with the first incursions into surf life saving in New South Wales when a member of the St George Swimming Club suggested that life saving classes be started up in 1893 (15)(ibid, 2002, 6).
After surf bathing hours were relaxed in 1902 there was a notable surge in the popularity of ocean bathing, but the dangers of the surf soon became very apparent. A public meeting was held in Wollongong Council Chambers on 11 January 1908 'for the purpose of forming a surf bathing and life saving club' with almost one hundred people in attendance. The mayor of Wollongong presided, and mentioned discussions that had taken place between a 'visitor from Manly' and himself (ibid, 2002, 7)
The Wollongong Surf Bathing and Life Saving Club:
The popularity of surf bathing, its attendant dangers and necessity for a life saving club were raised. So were more some tangible benefits associated with the surf- 'during the past four or five years the population of Manly, Bondi and other places had increased to a marvellous degree through surf bathing . . . [s]urf bathing was not only a pleasant and healthy pastime, but was the means of bringing a large number of tourists to the town' (16). As a result of the meeting the Wollongong Surf Bathing and Life Saving Club was formed, with the immediate enrolment of 57 members. It is indicative of the nature of the surf life-saving movement at this time that the nascent club was offered support and encouragement from a number of clubs in Sydney, most scarcely a few years old themselves (17)(ibid, 2002, 7).
At the club's first practice session, held on 19 January 1908, some 600 spectators looked on at the activities. This was an impressive figure given that the population of Wollongong was then just under 3,000 (18), and indicates the amount of interest that with surf bathing held for the local populace (ibid, 2002, 8).
Though the Wollongong Surf Bathing and Life Saving Club was the first such organization to be formed in the Illawarra region, there were several others founded very shortly afterwards. For instance, the Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Life Saving and Surf Bathing Club commenced operating on 11 February 1908, Kiama Surf Bathers Club was founded on 14 March 1908 and a Club was established in Thirroul around August l908 (19)(ibid, 2002, 8)
Dressing Sheds:
In April 1908 a meeting was held concerning the erection of dressing sheds on North Beach. It was agreed that the Club and the Wollongong Municipal Council would raise a quarter of the required amount each while the balance would come from a pounds for pounds subsidy from the State Government. The Club set to work and staged fund raising activities such as dances, but it still took a year for it to accumulate the required sum of money (20). Still, by the end of 1909 a timber dressing shed for men was standing on what is now the site of the present North Beach Bather's Pavilion and it was opened by the mayor at a surf carnival held on 30 November to celebrate the jubilee of the Municipality of Wollongong (21)(ibid, 2002, 8).
Indeed, the Club was promoted as one of Wollongong's prime assets in a booklet that was published by the Council to promote the jubilee - 'As a seaside resort Wollongong offers every attraction to the tourist. The surf bathing is of the best and is under the management of a most efficient club' - and a photograph of the new dressing shed took up an entire page (22). Should it be thought that the locals were demonstrating excessive pride in this matter, the Surf Bathing Association of NSW made it known that 'accommodation provided at Wollongong for surf-bathing, thanks to an energetic Council and Life Saving Club, is probably the best on any of the beaches in the State, and in recognising the need for such, the Council have taken a step which could be followed with advantage by many other seaside municipal bodies' (23)(ibid, 2002, 8)
Women's Dressing Shed and Kiosk:
Public facilities were expanded shortly afterwards. On 2 December 1910 a special Sand and Sport Day was held to celebrate the completion of a dressing shed for women and a kiosk. This too was officially opened by the Mayor of Wollongong. The new dressing shed was located near Stuart Park while the kiosk, which was leased out, was located between it and the men's shed. Further improvements in the form of fencing and seats had also been constructed along the cliff above the beach (24)(ibid, 2002, 8-9)
While the amenities for the public at North Beach may have been improving, the situation within the Wollongong Surf Bathing and Life Saving Club was certainly not. A group calling themselves the Water Rats, which took an intense interest in life saving, broke away from the Club in 1911. The Water Rats also began their operations on North Beach and friction between the two clubs inevitably developed because both wanted control of the beach. The Water Rats decided to change their name to the North Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club in September 1914. At a Mayoral conference held on 28 December 1914 attended by members of both clubs it was moved that a unified North Wollongong Surf Bathing and Life Saving Club be formed. This motion was carried unanimously, thus resolving the awkward situation (25)(ibid, 2002, 9)
Over the next few years a number of improvements were carried out or proposed on and around North Beach. Extensions to both sheds so that children could be accommodated were made in 1912. A room for the Surf Club was built several years later. It was funded jointly by the Club, the Council, and also the North Wollongong Progress Association and was officially opened on 19 December 1917. A proposal for a lookout station on the beach was put forward in 1920, while the pleasures of a visit to the Beach were enhanced by the installation of a soda fountain in the kiosk (26). Wollongong Municipal Council maintained its involvement in the running of North Beach by employing a lifesaver in November 1921. It handed over control to the tenant of the Kiosk in the second half of 1922 and the tenant ended up employing the lifesaver and attending to the dressing sheds (27)(ibid, 2002, 9).
The site has been used for major surf life saving events throughout the twentieth century. The first annual combined surf carnival, organised by the South Coast Surf Lifesaving Association (founded in 1917), was held at North Beach during March 1922 (ibid, 2002, 9).
North Beach Bathing Pavilion and Kiosk
It would appear that around ... 1924 proposals were put forward for ... replacement of the dressing sheds with a new pavilion, and repairs were carried out on the sheds pending ... construction of the new building the following year (28). This did not ... eventuate, but the Surf Club gained some additional space when Council gave it at least a part of the boys' dressing shed towards the end of 1929, owing to the destructive activities of recalcitrant children towards the shed (29). However, the issue of replacing the dressing sheds did not go away. Wollongong Council's Parks and Baths Committee received correspondence at the beginning of 1931 raising the matter. Its response, given the economic depression of the period, was understandably negative - '[t]he matter of drainage and the erection of new surf sheds will be dealt with in any beach improvement scheme to be considered, but the costs of the work are too great for immediate action' (30)(ibid, 2002, 10).
At the end of May 1935 Council's Parks and Gardens Committee received a deputation from the Surf Club to discuss proposed improvements to North Beach. The Club submitted two proposals, one for a new clubhouse and the other for a 'club house and public dressing sheds with kiosk combined'. The Club was seeking guidance from Council as to whether it could proceed with either of the schemes and also some assistance in obtaining funding from the state government's Unemployed Relief Council to cover the cost of building. The Club had already managed to raise (Pounds)800. The Council, however, did not commit itself (31). The Club approached Council again the following June in an effort to arrange a meeting to discuss the proposals (32). The Parks and Gardens Committee did meet with representatives of the South Beach Surf Club place in the first half of July, at which a proposal for new facilities for that beach were favourably received. At the same time the committee 'proposed' to meet with North Beach 'with a view of arriving at a definite proposal also from this body' (33)(ibid, 2002, 10).
At the end of August representatives of the Council and the two Surf Clubs met with the Minister for Local Government, Mr Spooner, to discuss loan funding for 'surfing' accommodation at North and South Beaches (34). The Minister visited Bulli Shire and Wollongong on 28 September 1935 and announced that the sum of (Pounds)8,750 was to be made available for dressing sheds at South Wollongong Beach and a club house at North Beach This enabled the North Beach Surf Club to build a new clubhouse. Tenders were called for the clubhouse and were opened at the end of October 1935. The foundation stone for the building was laid by the Mayor of Wollongong on 25 January 1936 and it was officially opened by Adrian Curlewis, President of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia on 2 May 1936. The clubhouse was designed by J Hugh Britten (36), who had also prepared the earlier, unsuccessful scheme that included dressing accommodation and the kiosk (ibid, 2002, 10-11).
In August 1936 Council's Parks and Gardens Committee recommended demolition of the old surf pavilion and recycling the timber from it to repair other buildings at North Beach (37). While the old dressing sheds and kiosk continued in use, there were now some pressing problems associated with them, not the least of which was that the Surf Club 'was unable to use its balcony at present owing to its overlooking the lady's dressing sheds' (38). However, it was going to take a little more time for new facilities to eventuate, despite Council having (pounds)7,000 in funds ready to build new dressing sheds in November 1936. One of the aldermen, with an eye to economy, suggested that surfers using the beach preferred 'an open shed as at present with perhaps a brick wall' (39)(ibid, 2002, 11).
Soon after its construction, a free-standing boat shed was built just north of the building. This expanded the club's facilities but did not modify the (clubhouse) building itself. In fact, the club building remained mostly unchanged until the late 1960s (GML, 2019, 11).
North Wollongong Bathers' Pavilion and Kiosk & Residence:
Once again, the Club submitted plans describing the layout of new facilities to Council for its consideration early in 1937. A Council committee visited North Beach on 27 February 1937 and held discussions with members of the Club and the caretaker about these improvements. It was resolved that members of the committee, that is the Health Inspector and Engineer, inspect facilities on some of the 'more important surf beaches in the Metropolitan area' on 13 March following (40). The result of this was that at the beginning of April a recommendation was made to Council that the pair be requested to prepare a scheme for new facilities (41). The Health Inspector duly prepared a scheme and at the end of May was instructed to work in collaboration with Council's Engineer and architect Hugh Britten on the final documentation for dressing sheds and a kiosk (42). What eventuated was two schemes prepared by Hugh Britten. One consisted of three separate pavilions, while the other combined all of the facilities into one building. Council moved to accept the second proposal at its meeting on 15 July 1937 (43). But it was far from over. It appears that the Surf Club had problems with the proposal because of privacy issues relating to the dressing sheds and the location of the kiosk (44). Despite a special meeting held shortly afterwards, the design of the new dressing sheds and kiosk remained unresolved for some months. The Club requested a meeting with Council to reopen discussions at the end of July, but in the middle of October Council was still deferring consideration of the dressing sheds and kiosk (45). At the end of the year there was some discourse within Council concerning the possibility of holding a competition for the beautification of the oceanfront extending from the northern to the southern end of its eastern boundary. This included North Beach (46)(ibid, 2002, 11-12).
Notwithstanding all this, Council directed Harvey B Gale, Council's long serving Health Inspector, to prepare documentation for dressing accommodation and a kiosk and residence at the end of December 1937 (47) and in the second half of January 1938 Gale was able to submit plans for approval. Accordingly Council requested completion of the documentation and tenders for the construction of the buildings were invited at the beginning of February (48). Five tenders were received by the beginning of March, including one from J H Britten. It was the lowest tender and duly accepted (49). However, this decision was rescinded about two weeks later and fresh tenders were called. That of W.J. Anderson was accepted around 21 April (50). At last, construction could begin (ibid, 2002, 12).
The new dressing pavilion, designed to accommodate the needs of 2,000 persons (51), and the nearby refreshment kiosk were opened on 12 November 1938 in front of several hundred spectators by the Minister for Works and Local Government, E S Spooner. The new buildings were described fulsomely in The Illawarra Mercury (ibid, 2002, 13):
'The modern design of the new buildings adds a distinct beauty to the beach and the composite picture is one that would be hard to equal in Australia . . .
The dressing pavilion is 250 feet [76.2 metres] in length, and 34 feet [10.36 metres] wide. It is set at the base of a grass covered cliff amongst terraced lawns. The bricks are a warm red on a cream facing, and the design is unique. Sweeping lines enhanced by a cloister effect along the front elevation of the building are the outstanding features. Fibro cement screens surmounting the walls of the building give an extremely modernistic tone. The rear of the building has a different treatment and is equally simple and effective.
'Designed to give the maximum of light and sunshine, the interior of the building is attractive. Both the men and women's sections are spacious and open. The women's section has 34 cubicles in addition to the usual facilities. In both places mirrors and washbasins are provided. A block of four showers in each section has an unusual feature. The flooring in each shower block has been built of brick which have a non- slippery surface and are porous. A great deal of attention has been paid to the drainage, which is carried well away from the beach. There are ten modem tiled lavatories in the building.
'The design and supervision was carried out by Mr H Gale, chief inspector for the Wollongong Council. He said the designs were his original designs and they were to give the minimum service with the maximum sunlight and fresh air. . . '(52) (ibid, 2002, 13).
A number of extra items were included during construction, including plumbing for hot water and the construction of additional brickwork, screens and lattice to prevent the public seeing into the dressing areas from the cliffs behind the building (53). However, the Kiosk, if not the Bathing Pavilion, was suffering from a number of aggravating problems less than ten years after it was built. In 1946 it was reported that the roof was leaking, causing stains on the ceilings of the kitchen, laundry and shop, while termites were infesting floor joists, skirting boards and doors (54)(ibid, 2002, 13- 14).
The two buildings formed an important adjunct to a major event during the 1949-50 season when the Illawarra Branch of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia and North Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club hosted the first State Championship Carnival to be staged by a country branch of the Surf Life Saving Association in New South Wales. This necessitated the destruction of trees and bulldozing part of the beach to form a car park. The two organizations then went on to conduct the Australian Championships at North Beach in March 1952 (55)(ibid, 2002 14)
The first State Championship Carnival staged by a country branch of the Surf Life Saving Association in NSW was held there during the 1949-50 season and then the Australian Championships in March 1952.
The Bathing Pavilion and Kiosk enjoyed a close association with the North Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club in the post war years because of leasing arrangements with the Council. At this time a number of lessees had direct associations with the Surf Club because of their membership, and their wives would manage the Kiosk while they would look after the Pavilion. The lessee's duties included supervision, control and guarding the beach and its buildings (other than the surf club) and keeping the beach, reserve and Bathing Pavilion clean. One of the lease conditions specified that the interior and the exterior of the Kiosk were to be painted at least once during the term of the lease. At least two modifications to the Kiosk were documented at this time - the timber lattice screen and gate enclosing the porch on the western side of the building and fencing on its northern side were in place before the end of 1955 (56)(ibid, 2002, 14).
An application to extend the Surf Life Saving Club building was made in 1954 but rejected by Wollongong Council. This would have added several recreation rooms and a small residential flat to the north of the building. The club building remained mostly unchanged until the late 1960s. The first substantial change to the club building occurred in 1969-70, when it was extended on its north side to accommodate a committee room, gym and a junior club house (with facilities). The next year another round of works began, adding a first floor to the new extension which extended the original hall and added a bar and viewing balcony. The boat shed had a gear room built above it. For the next decade only minor modifications occurred, mainly to update the aging toilet and shower facilities, except in 1977 when the timber floors were replaced with concrete (GML, 2019, 11).
The most substantial alterations to the Bathing Pavilion for which documentation exists took place at the end of the 1960s. They comprised replacement of the seating within the dressing sheds and reduction in the number of benches, construction of solid masonry partitions between w.c. cubicles in the male dressing area and replacement of early stairs on the eastern side of the building with new flights of concrete stairs. New concrete floor slabs were documented for the dressing areas as well Such expenditure indicated that the Pavilion was still well patronised, perhaps not surprising given that North Beach was reputedly the most popular beach on the Illawarra coastline (58). Several years later, documentation for the replacement of a large section of concrete floor slab in the central section of the Bathing Pavilion was prepared during 1976 (59)(ibid, 2002, 14-15).
From the 1970s particular groups of youth subculture such as 'surfers' and 'revheads' have used this area extensively, adding more informal and unofficial usages and meanings. The beach and its associated buildings have been increasingly important also to older Australians, offering sites for gatherings of informal groups of friends and relatives, often made up of retired people from nearby suburbs.
The Surf Club reinstated its role in the management of the Kiosk when it purchased the lease of the Kiosk in 1980 (or 1981) but sold it two years later after being unable to make a profit (60)(ibid, 2002, 15).
The special character of North Beach was brought to the attention of a national audience in 1983 with the publication of an article on Wollongong's interwar architecture in the journal Heritage Australia:
'Where once upon a time a railway line ran along North Wollongong Beach to the boat harbour, now pedestrians stroll past pavilions, dressing sheds and Continental Baths built in the interwar years. Just past the paths are the North Wollongong dressing pavilion and the Surf Life Saving Club's premises. Together these buildings, with their spectacular ocean setting, make an architectural and aesthetic precinct of considerable grace. Permanent conservation orders should be placed on all the items in this pedestrian precinct' (61)(ibid, 2002, 15)
Ironically, it was during this decade that a threat to the buildings emerged with the construction of the North Beach International Business and Leisure Resort, which opened in December 1982 (62). After the building changed hands in 1987 its new owners called for the demolition of the Bathing Pavilion (63), provoking a defensive reaction amongst some sections of the community (64). In July 1989 Council decided to seek expressions of interest for the renovation of the Bathing Pavilion, adapting it into multi-use facility incorporating a cafe or kiosk, a shop and new changing facilities (65). The following April North Beach was the centre of national attention when it set the scene once again for the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships (ibid, 2002, 15-16).
In the late 1980s another round of major modifications to the Surf Life Saving Clubhouse occurred. The hall was refurbished in 1987-88, followed by cement rendering the exterior in 1989, which was justified by concerns over the mismatch between the bricks of previous construction phases. In 1989-90 a two-storey addition was made to the Surf Life Saving Club building, which included a large ground floor storage area, and a bar, viewing area and toilets on the floor above. Since the 1990s the club building has remained largely unchanged (GML, 2019, 11).
In 1993 Council received two expressions of interest for the reuse of the Pavilion. The proposals were both for restaurants. One was received from the local cafe proprietor and ex footballer Michael Bolt, while the other came from the Queensland based Alben Holdings Pty Ltd restaurant chain. The proposal put forward by the chain, the design of which was prepared by the architectural firm of Jones Brewster Regan, described modifications to the building that would have altered its appearance and character - new roofs over much of the dressing areas, new stairs on the eastern side of the building and removal of portions of the eastern walls enclosing the dressing areas to open up views across the beach. Council approved the application on 24 May 1993. However, the approval met with opposition from members of the community, the other applicant and the South Coast Labour Council, which quickly imposed a black ban on the redevelopment of the site. Council conducted a community survey in the second half of 1993 which apparently favoured the proposed development (66) but the union ban remained firmly in place. In 1995 the Surf Club put forward its own proposal, which was to turn the building into a cultural and community centre (67) and the following year the Pukapuka Cook Island Community Group submitted an expression of interest for a cultural centre that was rejected by the city's Lord Mayor, David Campbell (68). (ibid, 2002)
The Architecture of Beach Pavilions
The interwar period was significant in that it witnessed the construction of architecturally considered surf and bathing pavilions along the coast of New South Wales. This reflected the important place that recreation on the beach held for many people across the country during the interwar period: 'Surfing and sunbaking . . . Were almost obligatory for young people on the coast . . . Bondi was a national symbol; in Perth Cottesloe proclaimed itself 'the Bondi of the West'. On weekends and public holidays people flocked to the beaches to anoint their bodies and be immersed, the newspapers duly estimating the size of the crowds attending each resort' (69). The importance of beaches in the life of Australians was noted by overseas commentators as well. For instance, both life on the beaches and the exceptional activities of the surf lifesaving movement were brought to the attention of American readers in an article on Australia's capital cities appearing in The National Geographic Magazine for December 1935 (70)(ibid, 2002, 42)
Apart from the convenience and amenity that they furnished, one important reason for the construction of a number of pavilions during the 1930s was the provision of much needed work for the unemployed, and many were funded out of the state government's Unemployment Relief Council (71). A large number of bathing pavilions and surf clubhouses were built along the coastline of New South Wales. They were new building types that appear to have reached a definitive form by the end of the l920s (ibid, 2002, 42)
Wollongong certainly appears to have established a respectable tradition of beach related architecture during the interwar period, much of which has been lost. Demolished buildings include the Continental Baths Pavilion and Baths, which were operating at the end of 1925 and officially opened by the Mayor on 6 March 1926, Woonona Baths Pavilion (1928), and the Austinmer Bathing Pavilion, promenade and Surf Club (1930). The buildings at North Beach were relatively late additions to the genre (72) as was the South Beach Pavilion which was opened on 9 October 1936. This building was designed by C.D. Leake and consisted of a central two storey pavilion flanked on either side by attached wings housing men and women's dressing areas. The central pavilion included a kiosk, ladies' club room, residence for the kiosk lessee and an assembly hall for the surf club The South Beach pavilion is due to be demolished in the near future. Another extant beach pavilion from the interwar period is located at Thirroul. It was officially opened by E S Spooner on 20 January 1940. It consists of a central single storey pavilion containing a kiosk and residence. The eastern facade of the pavilion has a simple though effective Art Deco character, and is flanked on each side by attached male and female dressing pavilions. The surf clubhouse is a separate building located to the immediate north of the complex. An Olympic sized swimming pool was also built as part of the complex, which was funded by the state government on a pound for pound basis (74). The other pavilions and clubhouses located along Wollongong's northern beaches are all relatively recent structures (ibid, 2002, 42-43).
There were a number of surf pavilions erected at the beaches included in Sydney's metropolitan area. Perhaps the most grand and elaborate of all was built at Bondi Beach. Designed by the influential architectural firm of Robertson and Marks, it was designed to accommodate the extraordinary number of 12,000 visitors and opened in 1930. Numerous facilities were provided within one large building. The ground floor contained dressing areas, shops, Turkish baths, a gymnasium, auditorium and the manager's residence, while a ballroom, dining rooms and office space were located on the first floor. At the opposite end of the 1930s the Manly Surf pavilion (completed in 1938) represented the acme of functional architectural modernism. This building, shaped like a boomerang in plan, combined dressing areas over which sunbathing decks were located and quarters for the surf club. The building won the Sulman Medal for 1939, partly for its harmonious relationship with its setting (75). It has since been demolished (ibid, 2002, 43)
The Cronulla Beach Surf Pavilion is another notable building, and was completed during 1940. It was designed by architect A.B. Polin in a rather severe Interwar Stripped Classical style. Here men's and women's dressing areas were separated by a central two storey pavilion - 'In the men's section there is cubicle accommodation encircling a large area, while the centre is taken up by blocks of lockers under hoods of curved corrugated asbestos cement roofing. The floor here is of the orthodox batten type . . . In the ladies' section accommodation is on similar lines with more cubicles. These are arranged in two tiers, the upper ones being approached from the sun-baking area on the upper level' An adjacent surf clubhouse was completed at the same time (ibid, 2002, 43)
Few interwar pavilions remain on Sydney's northern beaches. There is an lnterwar Mediterranean style pavilion containing dressing and surf club accommodation at Newport Beach. It was opened by the Minister of labour and Industry, J M Dunningham, on 30 September l933 (77). The pavilion at Freshwater Beach is also a Mediterranean style building and was designed by club member Lindsay Scott. It was opened by Eric Spooner on 8 September 1935 (78). Scott held the positions of vice president and honorary architect to the Surf Life Saving Association during the 1930s and also designed surf pavilions for Palm Beach, South Curl Curl and Harbord beaches (79). Palm Beach is also graced by a fine Interwar Functionalist dressing pavilion that was constructed around 1936. Although its designer has not been ascertained, this may be the building designed by Scott. The pavilion contains a central circulation space with changing spaces on either side (ibid, 2002, 43-44)
Some fine surf pavilions were erected in Newcastle. Nobby's Beach Surf Pavilion was designed by the City Architect F.A. Scorer and opened on 1 December 1934. It was designed as a central pavilion with attached flanking dressing sheds in the Interwar Mediterranean style. Bar Beach Surf Pavilion was designed by architects A.J. Brown and S.F. Coleman in association with Newcastle architects F.0. and A.C. Castleden. It was completed in 1933 and was considered to have no equals in the district and to be comparable to any in Sydney. The building contained facilities for the surf club, a refreshment kiosk, an office, lavatories, the caretaker's residence, sunbathing accommodation, and changing areas - 500 lockers and 50 cubicles were provided for men and 100 lockers and 250 cubicles for women. The exterior of the building was designed in an idiom that combined the Interwar Spanish Mission and Art Deco styles. The Merewether Surf Pavilion was completed in 1937. It was designed by the architectural firm of Pitt and Merewether in a restrained Art Deco idiom and consisted of a central two storey pavilion containing a caretaker's flat and surf club room on the first floor, flanked on either side by attached dressing pavilions. The building was officially opened by E S Spooner (ibid, 2002, 44).
Distinctive pavilions were also erected in other parts of the state. For instance, an elegant Georgian Revival building consisting of a high central pavilion flanked by lower attached pavilions was erected at Forster (ibid, 2002, 44).
Other Interwar beach pavilions still exist within the Illawarra Region. They include the 1936 City Beach pavilion (soon to be demolished) and the 1940 beach pavilion and surf life saving club at Thirroul (ibid, 2002, 45)
The beach pavilion at Palm beach . . . Shows some similarities to the North Beach Bathing Pavilion, including curved ends and a prominent central entry pavilion. The 1933 pavilion at Newport Beach . . . Has since been compromised by extensive and unsympathetic alterations and additions (Jennings, 69). [There is a ] Georgian Revival style beach pavilion at Forster's Ocean Baths. (ibid, 2002, 46-48)
References (Rod Howard, 2001)(NB: almost identical text in the 2002 version, by the same authors).
1. This historical account of the site has been taken verbatim from: Rod Howard Heritage Conservation (2001) North Beach Bathing Pavilion and Kiosk, Wollongong Draft Conservation Management Plan, commissioned by Wollongong City Council.
2. Alison Gibbs and Catherine Warne, Wollongong. A Pictorial History, pp.3-4.
3. Gibbs and Warne, pp.28-30.
4. Gifford Eardley, Transporting the Black Diamond, pp.22-25.
5. Anne Wood, Tales From Our Streets, pp.28
6. Wollongong Council Baths and Gardens Committee Minutes 1 January 1926.
7. Wollongong Council Minute Book 1932/33, Items 186 and 288.
8. Eardley, p.34.
9. Illawarra Mercury 26 November 1937.
10. For instance, in June 1937 it received correspondence from the company advising that it could not accede to Council's request in regard to the abandonment of the North Beach railway (Illawarra Mercury 11 June 1937)
11. Illawarra Mercury 26 November 1937
12. Hutton, p.48.
14. Meredith Hutton, Conservation Study for Belmore Basin Conservation Area, Wollongong, NSW, pp.11.
15. Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Royal Surf Life Saving Society N.S.W Head Centre, p. 14.
16. Illawarra Mercury, 7 January 1908.
17. John Palmer, The Corfu Lifebuoy, p.8.
18. Palmer, pp. 1
19. Ron Middleton and Allen S Figtree, The History of/he Growth ofSuefL Clubs on the Illawarra Coast of New South Wales, p.8ff.
20. Middleton and Figtree, p.5; Illawarra Mercury 28 August 1908.
21. Hutton, p.23.
22. Jubilee of Wollongong Municipality 1909, no pagination.
23. The New South Wales Surf Bathers' Guide, Season 1910-11, p.13.
24 Middleton and Figtree, p.6; Palmer, p.15.
25 Middleton and Figtree, pp.7-8; Palmer, p.24.
26 Palmer, p.37.
27 Palmer, pp.38-39. According to the Minutes of the Baths Committee (4 October 1921) the lessee of the Kiosk had the 'privilege' of collecting and retaining the prescribed charges for his own use but also the responsibility of acting as a caretaker for the entire area.
28. Illawarra Mercury 18 November 1938.
29. Wollongong Council Parks and Gardens Committee Minutes 8 October 1929.
30. Wollongong Council Parks and Baths Committee Minutes 27 January 1931.
31. Illawarra Mercury 31 May 1935.
32. Illawarra Mercury 28 June 1935
33. 12 July 1935.
34. Illawarra Mercury 23 August 1935.
35. Illawarra Mercury 4 October 1935.
36. J Britton (rather than Britten) was listed as an architect in the 1936 and 1937 editions of Wise's New South Wales post office commercial directory. There was no reference to a Wollongong builder having the same name in the directory
37. Illawarra Mercury 28 August 1936.
38. Illawarra Mercury 23 July 1937.
39. Illawarra Mercury 13 November 1936.
40. Illawarra Mercury, 5 March 1937.
41. Illawarra Mercury 2 April 1937.
42. Illawarra Mercury 28 May 1937.
43. Illawarra Mercury 16 July 1937.
44. Illawarra Mercury 23 July 1937.
45. Illawarra Mercury 9 July 1937, 3 September 1937, 15 October 1937.
46. Illawarra Mercury 10 December 1937 and 24 December 1937.
47. Wollongong Council Minutes 21 December 1937.
48. Illawarra Mercury 21 January 1938. A tender notice appeared in The Illawarra Mercury for 11 February 1938.
49. Illawarra Mercury 4 March 1938.
50. Illawarra Mercury 18 March 1938 and 22 April 1938.
51. South Coast Times 18 November 1938.
52. Illawarra Mercury 18November 191R
53. Wollongong Council Minutes 24 November 1938.
54. Parks and Gardens Committee Minutes 27 August 1946.
55. Middleton and Figtree, p.52; Palmer, p.74.
56. Valuation by Frank Bevan and Sons Pty Limited dated 28 October 1955 held at
Wollongong Council.
57. Wollongong City Council SA 38/2. The drawing is dated July 1967.
58. Express 1 March 1967.
59. Wollongong City Council SA 3 8/2. The drawing, by Planner West & Partners, is dated 2 December1976.
60. Palmer pp. 112 and 114.
61. Rosemary Auchmuty and Peter Spearritt, 'Surf and Steel: interwar buildings in
Wollongong', Heritage Australia Volume 2 Number 1, p.21.
62. Illawarra Mercury 26 October 1982.
63. Joseph Davis, 'Building a Culture: Architecture and Art in the Illawarra', in Jim Hagan and Andrew Wells (editors), A History of Wollongong, p.229
64. Illawarra Mercury 15 April 1989, p.22.
65. Illawarra Mercury 12 July 1989.
66. Illawarra Mercury 18 February 1994, p.9.
67. Illawarra Mercury 2 September 1995.
68. Illawarra Mercury 7 June 1996, p.4
69. John Rickard, 'For God's Sake Keep Us Entertained!' in Bill Gammage and Peter Spearritt (editors) Australians 1938, p.348.
70. W. Robert Moore, 'Capital Cities of Australia', The National Geographic Magazine, December 1935, pp.675-680.
71. Illawarra Mercury 8 May 1936.
72. Davis, p.227
73. Illawarra Mercury 1 March 1936 and 9 October 1936.
74. South Coast Times, 26 January 1940. The designer of the complex was not named.
75. 'Form and Colour Dominate Design of New Surf Pavilion', Decoration and Glass, February 1939, p.20; Andrew Metcalf, Architecture in Transition, p.70.
76. 'Surf Clubhouse and Pavilion: Beach Buildings at Cronulla, N.S.W.', Decoration and Glass, November 1940, p.21.
77. Guy Jennings, The Newport Story 1788-1988, pp.67-69.
78. Gwen Gordon, Harbord Queenscliff and South Curl Curl 1788-1978, p.54
79. 'Who's Who', Decoration and Glass, November 1938, p.53. |