31 members and visitors, plus 15 ‘ZOOMers” appreciated a professional presentation from Pam Forbes and Greg Jackson from the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM), staring with the early history of the need for city people to reach the seaside to enjoy fresh air and nature, and escape life in the city. Over time, more amenities developed, catering for the growing popularity of pleasure grounds, including tea rooms, wine bars, dance halls, games and mixed bathing as it became legal. As transport services improved, many more grounds were established along Sydney’s rivers.
Of relevance to us were Dolls Point, Oatley, Como, Lugarno, Illawong and many more up the Georges River. Once the trains reached Como, visitors could take a paddle-wheeler up river to visit the pleasure grounds further up, where they could hire boats to further explore and enjoy the outdoors. Greg and Pam’s wonderful historical photos were a revelation to the audience.
This presentation was not recorded due to copyright, but readers can visit the ANNM website here.
PROMO
Greg Jackson and Pam Forbes, from the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANNM), will tell us the fascinating story of the pleasure grounds which sprang up along the Georges River in the 19th century. Greg and Pam joined the ANMM as volunteer guides in 2010 and their careers in engineering, teaching and archaeology make them well suited to present on a range of maritime heritage and archaeology topics.
In the 19th century changes to work, transport and fashion saw the development of holidays as we know them. Modern Australia’s birth at the time of these changes, its colonial history and the relative affluence that Australia enjoyed for much of its history, saw Australians enthusiastically embrace holidays and build a relaxed attitude to work into their national identity.
The riverside pleasure grounds which sprang up in Sydney between the 1850s and 1930s are one aspect of this enthusiasm for excursions that can give insight into the evolution of modern Australia. Sydney has always loved leisure on and near our many beautiful waterways and the pleasure grounds offered physical exercise on land and water as well as food, music, dancing and other entertainments. In this presentation join us for a trip on the river to view the rise and fall of the pleasure ground. What, when and where were they?