Hornsby Shire Historical Society

06/10/2026

01/10/2026

BOBBIN HEAD INN

As early as 1924, the Trust for Ku-ring-g*i Chase National Park considered constructing an accommodation house with a restaurant, at Bobbin Head.

In 1926, Mr Joseland, a Trustee and architect by trade, produced plans and estimated the cost of a suitable structure at approximately £5,000. However, problems arranging a lease and urgent repairs required on the bridge, delayed finance for construction.

In 1935 the Trust accepted a tender for £3,321 for the construction of a Road House and Refreshment Room in the old quarry on the western side at Bobbin Head.

“Modern Roadhouse, New Feature at Bobbin Head” was the headline for an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald of 29 December 1936:

“The trustees of Kuring g*i Chase have erected a road-house at Bobbin Head, which is distinguished by many of the most modern features associated with this class of building.”
The refreshment room was 50ft by 30ft, the log fireplace had a 9ft long stone lintel, the upper floor was made of tallow-wood “specially provided for dancing”. Kitchens were on both levels and accommodation was provided for the family of the lessee. The entrance is described as “imposing” with “flanking stone flower boxes and lantern brackets”, and a “flagpole fixed to the top of the doorway by bronze stirrups”.

Both the roadhouse and new boatshed at Bobbin Head were designed by architect Colin Henry Smith. The roadhouse was built by LJ Whittal.

The total cost for the new boatshed, roadhouse, new wharf and shelter sheds was £12,000 and provided work for 70 to 80 men.

The foundation stone was laid by the Trust member, Richard Orchard on 28th August 1936 and the official opening of the premises, that became known as Bobbin Inn, was performed by the Premier, the Honourable Bertram Stevens on 10th March 1937.

From the start, because of the remoteness of Bobbin Head, problems were experienced by the lessee in retaining staff. In 1939 the Trust converted the old powerhouse structure into a cottage for the chef.

To cope with increased demand, additions were made to the building in 1950 to provide seating for meals and the cabaret upstairs.

In 1951 a block of staff quarters was constructed to house the Inn staff. Then in 1954 the ballroom was extended to accommodate up to 200 diners and the external patio was added.

Bobbin Inn became very popular for many activities and after the War it had a period as a busy and trendy, dancing night spot with live music.

By the 1970s business had slowed and it closed in 1975 due to lack of patronage. It didn’t reopen until the early 1990s. In 1996 it was extensively renovated inside, and ag*in in 2001.

Today, the Bobbin Head Inn building operates as a kiosk, run by a private operator and a gift shop that also offers visitor’s information.

25/09/2026

24/09/2026

Waitara District Guide Hall - 1964 to 2026

We you part of the Waitara Girl Guides?

1st Waitara Brownie Pack opened in 1958, with early meetings held in the Waitara Public School Assembly Hall. The pack moved to Willow Park using one of the rooms in the old house (Wallarobba) with games being played in the grounds of the park.

As the girls progressed, they had to move to Hornsby Guides as there was no space for them to use at the house & they were in desperate need of their own guide hut.

The Waitara Guide Hut was built on land that had been granted by Hornsby Council in Willow Park & they took out a loan of £500 to build the hut (paid off over many years). The Hornsby APEX members turned up in force, as volunteers, to build the hall in a single day, in February 1964, under the supervision of licensed builder Jim Flint.

The hut at that time had a log cabin exterior and the tiled roof. Concrete floor & windows.

Located at 25 Edgeworth David Ave & in Willow Park, the Waitara Girl Guides Hut was officially opened on Saturday 20 June 1964.

Guides started meeting at the hall soon after, with 4 Guide patrol leaders forming the 1st Waitara Guide Unit in 1965.

Waitara Girl Guide Local Association added lights & blinds at the beginning of 1965 for the Guide Meetings to be held were held at night. A Fete was held at Willow Park to raise funds to line the inside of the Guide Hut.

The Brownies had 4 small tables & toadstool shaped stools in red, yellow, green & white, made by one of the dads. These were replaced at a later stage by another father. Not quite big enough for older Guides, new chairs were purchased in early 1970’s. Benches/pews were acquired in 1966.

Waitara Girl Guide Local Association celebrated their 25th Birthday of the Guide Hall on 20th June 1989. Hornsby Council donated a tree that was planted near the hall & Westfield donated the sign “YARRAWONGA", meaning of WELCOME.

In September 2002, the Lifestyle show on Channel 7, “Room for Improvement”, transformed the hall from drab unpainted masonite to a beautiful mural with trees & sunrise. Later, a stage/storage boxes was built & further storage seats added.

Earlier this year, the Waitara Guides were devastated to learn Hornsby Council have plans for an expanded Visual Arts Centre that requires the area where their guide hut has stood for 62 years.

This has forced the Waitara Girl Guides to search for a new home to continue their Girl Guide activities with the hall having to be vacated by December.

17/09/2026

WISEMANS FERRY PUNTS DANGEROUSLY BREAK AWAY – MARCH 1978

March 1978, in the week before the Easter Holidays, 350mm of rain poured in the Nepean Hawkesbury River Catchment, over a 3-day period. This caused a dramatic rise in the river level around the Wisemans Ferry area.

On the evening of Monday 20th March, the storm was ferocious.

There is a well-established practice during large storm events to take precautions by securing the ferry vessels at Wisemans Ferry.

The Webbs Creek ferry was on its way to the flood moorings on Monday morning, 20th March, when it was caught in the rapidly rising flood waters about 60 metres from shore.

Flood debris in the river caught on the vessel’s driving rope and it broke. Unsuccessful attempts were made to maneuverer the vessel using a large tow truck. With the pressure of a large amount of built-up debris, it finally broke away at 11am, with one man on board.

The torrent of flood waters washed the Webbs Creek punt around the bend in the river to Wisemans Ferry where it collided with the two Wisemans Ferry punts that were moored in deep water on the northern bank. The collision caused the two Wisemans Ferry punts to break free, with two men on board, and all three vessels were carried out of control, downstream in the floodwaters.

At about 5pm the Wisemans Ferry vessels had come to a stop and were lashed together. They were secured at the old Couranga Point wharf, about 24 kilometres downstream from Wisemans Ferry. At night fall these punts were reached by the Berowra Waters RFS boats, with RFS volunteers staying on the ferries to provide onsite radio communication.

The Webbs Creek ferry was later found on the bank of the river at Haycock Reach, below Couranga Point, where its anchors held & it was further secured to the mangroves.

At 8.30am on Tuesday, the mooring pile failed at Couranga Point & the two Wisemans Ferry punts were ag*in being washed downstream. The vessels were lashed together & this formed a V shape that became packed with a huge amount of debris.

As the vessels travelled down the river several unsuccessful attempts were made to secured them to large trees on the riverbank.

Eventually a decision was made to guide the punts into the calmer waters of Berowra Creek where they could be safely secured. To assist with this plan a small Mooney Mooney based fishing boat was used to tow & give directional pull across the strong current.

In addition, two tugs from Church Point were eventually provided with specialist equipment & sent up the Hawkesbury River to assist on Tuesday morning & they met the ferries at Mangrove Creek (Spencer).

All was going to plan but as they approached the mouth of Berowra Creek the tow rope broke causing the ferries to break away uncontrolled. The weight of the large ferries & the built-up island of debris, around & under the vessels, made it impossible for the tugs to reg*in control as they were swept past Milson Island.

As they approached the Hawkesbury River road bridges, that were packed with holiday traffic. Authorities had serious concerns that the ferries had become a dangerous battering ram & could badly damage the bridges.

The current swept the mass of vessels & debris, with combined weight estimated at 650 tonnes, towards the bridges & things became desperate.

Authority was given to scuttle the vessels however, there is no effect way that this could be done. Consideration was given to setting explosives on the ferries to destroy them before they smashed into the road bridges.

Desperate attempts are made to maneuverer the ferries behind Peat Island and this was successful.

The larger vessel was tied to the island & fortunately the lines held on that ferry. However, around midnight the smaller ferry broke away & continued to be washed towards the road bridges.

It was a great relief when progress of the runaway ferry was finally permanently halted when it ran aground on the mudbank, just 50 metres from the Freeway bridge.

17/09/2026

Hornsby's 140th anniversary

10/09/2026

ABORIGINAL PATHWAYS

There is evidence to say that the Aboriginal people were living in the Hawkesbury River area at least 25,000 years before Europeans arrived.

It is understood that the first Australians organized themselves into clans of around 25 to 60 members and lived together as an extended family group. They were highly mobile hunter-gatherers and utilized different resources when available seasonally, necessitating movement and trade.

Before European settlement, many Aboriginal people who lived in modern-day Hornsby Shire, lived much of their life on the banks of the Hawkesbury River and its tributaries. Therefore, they used the river and creeks to move around, sometimes for long distances.
There were, and still are today, networks of overland Aboriginal pathways called muru all over the Hornsby Shire. Aboriginal people often traversed the landscape using these pathways to get between campsites, to access seasonal food, trade and to participate in ceremonies. They knew this pathway network just as we today know our local road network.

It is known that Berowra Creek was a meeting place where trade was regularly conducted between clans and tribes. On and around Berowra Creek various clans would have fished, traded and socialized together and even held corroborees. Many would sometimes travel a significant distance from their traditional area to trade, feast and participate in song and dance.

A Garigal man’s kit would be made up of several spears, a spear thrower (woomera), a shield, club, boomerang, hatchet, shell scraper and net bags. Only the hatchet and shell scraper were stone. As most of the stone indigenous the local area was soft sandstone, the hard stones needed for hatchets and scrapers were acquired from outside the area or traded in. These hard stones generally originated from places such as Richmond, the Nepean or Hunter regions.

The path network mostly follows the top of the ridges because of the nature of the environment. Crossing or following a valley could mean the traveller became trapped in the area making it much more difficult to move around and a much longer walk.

These original paths were about a metre wide and were maintained by hand or by burning back the scrub. Along the muru were and in many cases still are today, water catchment areas and significant carving sites that many believe acted as directional signs.

In 1796 use of these paths was mentioned in the colony’s records. A group of fishermen was shipwrecked north of Broken Bay. The survivors received assistance from local Aboriginal people who welcomed, fed and guided the men as they walked back to the settlement in Sydney, using their network of pathways.

Many of the main roads in the Hornsby Shire are based on the traditional tracks and pathways created and used by Aboriginal people thousands of years ago. These include the Pacific Highway, Pennant Hills Road, Somerville Road, Beecroft Road, the Comenarra Parkway, Castle Hill Road, Old Northern Road, Beaumont Road, as well as parts of both Galston Road and Berowra Waters Road.