History of the Bouddi peninsula since European Settlement
The name "Bouddi" is Aboriginal in origin and appears to have various meanings ranging from "a heart" to "water breaking over rocks". The name was first recorded in 1831 when Assistant-Surveyor Felton Mathew wrote the word (with phonetic symbols) on his “Survey of the Principal Ranges between Tuggerah Lake and Brisbane Water”.
Like all surveyors of the time, Felton Mathew had an instruction that "Native Names of Places are to be in all cases inserted when they can be ascertained." Apparently Bouddi (rhymes with "moody") was the Aboriginal name for the northern headland of Maitland Bay. It has become synonymous with the national park, which now occupies much of the peninsula.
Early Sightings by Europeans
At least two sightings of the Bouddi Peninsula were recorded before 1800. Captain James Cook, on his journey up the east coast of Australia in 1770, noted and named Broken Bay. He was, at the time, becalmed off "some pretty high land which projected out in 3 bluff Points, and occasioned my calling it Cape Three Points." The cape comprises almost half the coastline of the Bouddi Peninsula. Its naming was commemorated 200 years later by the erection of an obelisk and plaque on First Point, or Copacobana headland.
Another early sighting of the area is recorded in the Journal of William Bradley, one of the officers who accompanied Governor Phillip on his exploration of Broken Bay in March 1788, in search of agricultural lands. Bradley's record of Monday 3rd March begins thus: "At daylight, went into the N. branch of the harbour, which has a shoal and narrow entrance ... proceeded up this branch after passing a very shoal flat and 2 or 3 coves, we found (the ebb tide) set out so strong that we could not pull ahead through/between 2 projecting points ... "
The coves to which Bradley referred were later called Pretty Beach, Hardys Bay and Rileys Bay. The passage between the "projecting points" is now The Rip. By 1825 the north branch of Broken Bay had been named Brisbane Water, in honour of the incumbent Governor. The name also identified the surrounding district.
European Settlement and Land Use
Settlement of the Bouddi Peninsula has been largely determined by the possibilities for gaining access to the area (mainly from Sydney) to exploit its natural resources, at first for "primary production" and later for recreation and residence.
The Pioneering Period - Access By Sea
Occupation of the Bouddi Peninsula by Europeans began in the 1820s when the Brisbane Water district was "opened up" for settlement. This followed the removal of the penal establishment from Newcastle to Port Macquarie and a growing interest in the area by settlers entitled to small land grants.
Early access to the district was by sea and the first European settlers occupied the foreshores of Brisbane Water close to the ocean entrance of the waterway. A few ventured "inland" to places like Cockrone (MacMaster’s), which was accessible by a track over the hills behind today's Bensville.
There is no evidence of early settlers using the small coastal harbours or beaches of the peninsula to gain access to land.
The first European residents of the Bouddi Peninsula were Peter Campbell at Cockrone and James Mallen on Brisbane Water, both of whom were farmers. James Mallen settled in the southern corner of Hardys Bay on land enclosing a small watercourse. By 1828 he had cleared and cultivated ten of his fifty acres.
There were several suitable sites for small settlers in the Brisbane Water section of the Bouddi Peninsula. As well as Mallen, four others were in residence in the 1830s: Patrick Mulhall at "Mount Pleasant" (Wagstaff). William Spears at "Somerset Place" (Pretty Beach). William Ward at Killcare Extension and John Murray at Rileys Bay. These early settlers on the waterway were subsistence farmers only. They made a living cutting logs and shingles, gathering shells (for lime manufacture) and so on.
They also became involved in shipbuilding and shipping, and one settler (William Spears) secured a licence for "spirituous liquor" during 1838/39, converting his home into an inn.
At the turn of the century, the Bouddi Peninsula was relatively unaffected by development. There was a small farming community at one end, and a handful of settlers (twenty two in 1891) with diverse occupations at the other. There had been no interest in occupying the land between Little Beach and Box Head in the 19th century. A good deal of the MacMaster Ridge had been alienated as part of a large grant to James Norton in 1842, but occupation of that grant was confined to the low country – the Bensville of today. A ribbon of land on the seaboard of the peninsu1a had been included, in 1876, in a Reserve for Coal, which extended from Port Stephens to Jervis Bay.
By the turn of the century there was a network of tracks on the peninsula, including two public roads providing formal access from Kincumber to Little Beach (via Dajani Drive) and Wagstaff (via Frazer Road). There was no official route connecting the two areas.
The Influence of the Railway
The completion of the railway through Gosford in 1889 was responsible for a dramatic change in landuse on the Bouddi Peninsula, particularly in the Brisbane Water section. The event coincided with a growing health-and-leisure consciousness in the community, and the movement towards shorter working hours, free weekends and annual holidays for all workers.
Consequently, large estates of private land in the Gosford district were subdivided from the l880s onwards, initially for "model farms" and then for recreational purposes. ("Model farms" were somewhat similar in concept to the "hobby farms" of today, but there was more emphasis on making a living from them, independent of any other source of income)
The first of the estates to be cut up for sale after the coming of the railway, was "Mount Pleasant" at Wagstaffe. In 1904 it was advertised as being three miles from Woy Woy Railway Station, with rich agricultural land suitable for orchards, maize growing, etc. There were eleven allotments for sale, one with a comfortable four-roomed cottage -- formerly occupied by George Wagstaffe. Two years later, the same land was re-subdivided into 82 lots with Torrens Title. The advertising blurb now emphasised the opportunities for boating and bathing at "The Manly of the Brisbane Water". Also, purchasers of lots not fronting the water, would be given a small water frontage allotment (free of charge) for "Wharf and Boating facilities". The Brisbane Water holiday-makers had a launch service from Woy Woy Railway Station, literally to the door of their "weekenders" in many cases.
Following subdivision of Wagstaffe's Point Estate by the owners of the land, the remaining land grants on the waterfront between Wagstaff and Killcare Extension were purchased by the N.S.W. Realty Company (Arthur Rickard & Co.), converted to Torrens Title -- a big selling point, it seems -- and offered for sale by auction. The "estates" were given the names: Pretty Beach, Hardy's Bay, Killcare and Killcare Extension. They were all subdivided by 1920. An attempt by the owner to subdivide Nash's Grant at the southern end of Riley’s Bay in 1908, was abandoned when there were problems with providing Torrens Title.
The Scenic Road
The formation of the Scenic Road in the late 1920s and its upgrading during the next decade did give a fillip to land sales at MacMasters Beach. It also brought about the subdivision known as Killcare Heights Estate in 1928. although it had no significant effect on access to either Killcare Heights or the holiday resorts around the waterway. These places continued to be serviced by ferries.
On Killcare Heights. a large area of the plateau embracing "Triangle" (land enclosed by Wards Hill Road. Maitland Bay Drive. The Scenic Road and Stewart Street) was applied for in 1918/1919 by two persons seeking its purchase by "conditional sale". C.B.M. Ford completed his payment for 18 acres (portion 283) in 1936. but A.G. Davis was more tardy... in 1939 the land which he had sought (over 300 acres) was subdivided by the Crown into several portions including 23 in the "triangle". Maitland Bay Drive was reserved at this time to give access from Empire Bay to 'the newly established Reserve for Public Recreation at Boat Harbour -- the embryo of Bouddi National Park.
Recent Development Affecting Settlement
Road access did not become an important factor in the development of the Bouddi Peninsula until the early 1960s. By then. the Scenic Road had been re-formed and sealed through subsidies from the beach-sands mining companies whose depot was at Kincumber. By the 1960s the motor car was well established as part of our way-of-life. and for those not equipped with their own vehicles. a local bus company provided a reasonable. regular service to and from Gosford.
Other important factors affecting settlement since 1960 have been the electrification of the railway line, the building of the Expressway, the opening of The Rip Bridge and the re-forming of Wards Hill Road.
These things have made it feasible to commute to Sydney and at the same time reside in an area of high scenic and recreational value. A number of people work locally, of course, whilst others come to the area at weekends only. Many now live in their "weekenders" of yesteryear.
It is reasonable to assume that pressures for settlement of the Bouddi Peninsula will continue to increase, and the present quality of the area will be maintained only by careful planning and implementation of a scheme to control future landuse.
References and Further Reading
Like all surveyors of the time, Felton Mathew had an instruction that "Native Names of Places are to be in all cases inserted when they can be ascertained." Apparently Bouddi (rhymes with "moody") was the Aboriginal name for the northern headland of Maitland Bay. It has become synonymous with the national park, which now occupies much of the peninsula.
Early Sightings by Europeans
At least two sightings of the Bouddi Peninsula were recorded before 1800. Captain James Cook, on his journey up the east coast of Australia in 1770, noted and named Broken Bay. He was, at the time, becalmed off "some pretty high land which projected out in 3 bluff Points, and occasioned my calling it Cape Three Points." The cape comprises almost half the coastline of the Bouddi Peninsula. Its naming was commemorated 200 years later by the erection of an obelisk and plaque on First Point, or Copacobana headland.
Another early sighting of the area is recorded in the Journal of William Bradley, one of the officers who accompanied Governor Phillip on his exploration of Broken Bay in March 1788, in search of agricultural lands. Bradley's record of Monday 3rd March begins thus: "At daylight, went into the N. branch of the harbour, which has a shoal and narrow entrance ... proceeded up this branch after passing a very shoal flat and 2 or 3 coves, we found (the ebb tide) set out so strong that we could not pull ahead through/between 2 projecting points ... "
The coves to which Bradley referred were later called Pretty Beach, Hardys Bay and Rileys Bay. The passage between the "projecting points" is now The Rip. By 1825 the north branch of Broken Bay had been named Brisbane Water, in honour of the incumbent Governor. The name also identified the surrounding district.
European Settlement and Land Use
Settlement of the Bouddi Peninsula has been largely determined by the possibilities for gaining access to the area (mainly from Sydney) to exploit its natural resources, at first for "primary production" and later for recreation and residence.
The Pioneering Period - Access By Sea
Occupation of the Bouddi Peninsula by Europeans began in the 1820s when the Brisbane Water district was "opened up" for settlement. This followed the removal of the penal establishment from Newcastle to Port Macquarie and a growing interest in the area by settlers entitled to small land grants.
Early access to the district was by sea and the first European settlers occupied the foreshores of Brisbane Water close to the ocean entrance of the waterway. A few ventured "inland" to places like Cockrone (MacMaster’s), which was accessible by a track over the hills behind today's Bensville.
There is no evidence of early settlers using the small coastal harbours or beaches of the peninsula to gain access to land.
The first European residents of the Bouddi Peninsula were Peter Campbell at Cockrone and James Mallen on Brisbane Water, both of whom were farmers. James Mallen settled in the southern corner of Hardys Bay on land enclosing a small watercourse. By 1828 he had cleared and cultivated ten of his fifty acres.
There were several suitable sites for small settlers in the Brisbane Water section of the Bouddi Peninsula. As well as Mallen, four others were in residence in the 1830s: Patrick Mulhall at "Mount Pleasant" (Wagstaff). William Spears at "Somerset Place" (Pretty Beach). William Ward at Killcare Extension and John Murray at Rileys Bay. These early settlers on the waterway were subsistence farmers only. They made a living cutting logs and shingles, gathering shells (for lime manufacture) and so on.
They also became involved in shipbuilding and shipping, and one settler (William Spears) secured a licence for "spirituous liquor" during 1838/39, converting his home into an inn.
At the turn of the century, the Bouddi Peninsula was relatively unaffected by development. There was a small farming community at one end, and a handful of settlers (twenty two in 1891) with diverse occupations at the other. There had been no interest in occupying the land between Little Beach and Box Head in the 19th century. A good deal of the MacMaster Ridge had been alienated as part of a large grant to James Norton in 1842, but occupation of that grant was confined to the low country – the Bensville of today. A ribbon of land on the seaboard of the peninsu1a had been included, in 1876, in a Reserve for Coal, which extended from Port Stephens to Jervis Bay.
By the turn of the century there was a network of tracks on the peninsula, including two public roads providing formal access from Kincumber to Little Beach (via Dajani Drive) and Wagstaff (via Frazer Road). There was no official route connecting the two areas.
The Influence of the Railway
The completion of the railway through Gosford in 1889 was responsible for a dramatic change in landuse on the Bouddi Peninsula, particularly in the Brisbane Water section. The event coincided with a growing health-and-leisure consciousness in the community, and the movement towards shorter working hours, free weekends and annual holidays for all workers.
Consequently, large estates of private land in the Gosford district were subdivided from the l880s onwards, initially for "model farms" and then for recreational purposes. ("Model farms" were somewhat similar in concept to the "hobby farms" of today, but there was more emphasis on making a living from them, independent of any other source of income)
The first of the estates to be cut up for sale after the coming of the railway, was "Mount Pleasant" at Wagstaffe. In 1904 it was advertised as being three miles from Woy Woy Railway Station, with rich agricultural land suitable for orchards, maize growing, etc. There were eleven allotments for sale, one with a comfortable four-roomed cottage -- formerly occupied by George Wagstaffe. Two years later, the same land was re-subdivided into 82 lots with Torrens Title. The advertising blurb now emphasised the opportunities for boating and bathing at "The Manly of the Brisbane Water". Also, purchasers of lots not fronting the water, would be given a small water frontage allotment (free of charge) for "Wharf and Boating facilities". The Brisbane Water holiday-makers had a launch service from Woy Woy Railway Station, literally to the door of their "weekenders" in many cases.
Following subdivision of Wagstaffe's Point Estate by the owners of the land, the remaining land grants on the waterfront between Wagstaff and Killcare Extension were purchased by the N.S.W. Realty Company (Arthur Rickard & Co.), converted to Torrens Title -- a big selling point, it seems -- and offered for sale by auction. The "estates" were given the names: Pretty Beach, Hardy's Bay, Killcare and Killcare Extension. They were all subdivided by 1920. An attempt by the owner to subdivide Nash's Grant at the southern end of Riley’s Bay in 1908, was abandoned when there were problems with providing Torrens Title.
The Scenic Road
The formation of the Scenic Road in the late 1920s and its upgrading during the next decade did give a fillip to land sales at MacMasters Beach. It also brought about the subdivision known as Killcare Heights Estate in 1928. although it had no significant effect on access to either Killcare Heights or the holiday resorts around the waterway. These places continued to be serviced by ferries.
On Killcare Heights. a large area of the plateau embracing "Triangle" (land enclosed by Wards Hill Road. Maitland Bay Drive. The Scenic Road and Stewart Street) was applied for in 1918/1919 by two persons seeking its purchase by "conditional sale". C.B.M. Ford completed his payment for 18 acres (portion 283) in 1936. but A.G. Davis was more tardy... in 1939 the land which he had sought (over 300 acres) was subdivided by the Crown into several portions including 23 in the "triangle". Maitland Bay Drive was reserved at this time to give access from Empire Bay to 'the newly established Reserve for Public Recreation at Boat Harbour -- the embryo of Bouddi National Park.
Recent Development Affecting Settlement
Road access did not become an important factor in the development of the Bouddi Peninsula until the early 1960s. By then. the Scenic Road had been re-formed and sealed through subsidies from the beach-sands mining companies whose depot was at Kincumber. By the 1960s the motor car was well established as part of our way-of-life. and for those not equipped with their own vehicles. a local bus company provided a reasonable. regular service to and from Gosford.
Other important factors affecting settlement since 1960 have been the electrification of the railway line, the building of the Expressway, the opening of The Rip Bridge and the re-forming of Wards Hill Road.
These things have made it feasible to commute to Sydney and at the same time reside in an area of high scenic and recreational value. A number of people work locally, of course, whilst others come to the area at weekends only. Many now live in their "weekenders" of yesteryear.
It is reasonable to assume that pressures for settlement of the Bouddi Peninsula will continue to increase, and the present quality of the area will be maintained only by careful planning and implementation of a scheme to control future landuse.
References and Further Reading
- Strom, Beryl. Gosford/Wyong History & Heritage: Gosford District Historical Research and Heritage Association, 1982.
- MacMasters Beach - A History; G. D. H. R. H. A., 1985.