The Brisbane Water of Yesterday

After the arrival of the first fleet in 1788 at Sydney Cove it became apparent that for the colony to survive and prosper good farming land would have to be found. Scarcely a month after the fleets arrival Governer Arthur Philip led a small group of officers and marines on an exploratory journey along the coast north of Sydney Harbor. He found very little of immediate use to the colony due to the mountainous terrain and it wasnt until a year later that a more thorough exploration of the area took place and the Hawkesbury River was discovered, providing land more suitable for agriculture. Brisbane Water however remain of little interest to the Europeans.

James Webb is credited with being the first white settler of the area. Originally a soldier in the New South Wales Corps, he recieved permission to temporarily occupy 300 acres of land on the eastern side of Broken Bay for the purpose of running cattle. In September 1824 he requested and received a grant of 100 acres on the western side of The Rip, a tidal current that is concentrated in the channel where The Rip Bridge is today. The area was named Mullbong Farm.

Timber-getters began operating in the area in 1820 obtaining forest oak and ironbark for building purposes. Red cedar was also in demand for manufacturing furniture however stocks of this timber were heavily depleted within a decade. Other early industries in the area included ship building, which persisted to the mid 1950's, and shell mining of natural shellbanks and aboriginal middens for the manufacture of lime, which was used in mortar for building purposes.

With the railway from Sydney to Newcastle completed in 1889 a steady stream of middle class tourist began to visit the area in increasing numbers. Woy Woy, Empire Bay, Davistown and Saratoga in particular became holiday destinations for those eager to escape the hustle and bustle of the cities and by 1911 there were at least 20 boarding houses on the Woy Woy Peninsula alone.