SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.1 PREAMBLE • P AGE 93
5.1
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
PREAMBLE
North Head is situated at the entrance to Sydney Harbour. It is a huge
sandstone bluff rising eighty metres above sea level. At the time of
settlement North Head was linked to the mainland by only a narrow
sand spit that separated the harbour from the sea. Early depictions of
North Head show the dramatic upheaval of the land form that sloped
from the high cliffs on the eastern seaboard back to the protected
waters of the harbour to the west.
Figure 1
Joseph Lycett, ‘View of the heads, at the
entrance to Port Jackson, New South
Wales’, c.1822.
NLA Canberra
Refer
Section 1.0
Description of Conservation
Management Plan Curtilage
Today North Head appears as a natural extension of the Manly
peninsula due the filling of medium rise building development on the
low-lying land of the present-day site of Manly and the mature
vegetation through that urban development. The Quarantine Station
is situated on the western side of North Head, on the natural
amphitheatre of land centred on Quarantine beach. The site was
originally designated as all the land with a quarter-mile [500 metre]
radius of the beach. The area is fringed by a continuous tract of
bushland on the north, south and eastern sides, and by the harbour
on the western side.
The curtilage for this Conservation Management Plan is the western
side of North Head, w hich has the Quarantine Station as its core. A
diagrammatic description of this curtilage, and the context of the
Quarantine Station study area within North Head, is provided at
Section 1 above.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.1 PREAMBLE • P AGE 94
In order to allow description and analysis of this study curtilage, five
precincts have been delineated within the study curtilage as follows:
the Quarantine Station [core] Precinct
the Park Hill Precinct
the Spring Cove Precinct
the Quarantine [South] Precinct, and
the Marine Precinct.
In addition, where Quarantine Station related sites occur beyond the
briefed study area [eg within the Defence owned property], these
sites will be discussed following the ‘precinctual’ discussion. Each of
these precincts and related Quarantine Station sites will be examined
in turn below.
Figure 2
The study area curtilage, showing the
precincts.
PF & Peter McLaren 1999 plan
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.1 PREAMBLE • P AGE 95
Within the physical overview of the buildings and site elements of the
various precincts the following ‘description fields’ have been used, as
appropriate:
General Description and Physical Overview
Historical Overview
Inscriptions
Cultural Landscape Features, and
Historical Archaeology Sites
As a preamble to the precinct-specific overview, summary statements
related to the historical inscriptions, the historical archaeology sites
and cultural landscape features for the Briefed study area have been
prepared. These Statements, which have been informed by the 1985
and 1992 Conservation Plans 1 and by recent NPWS publications,2
and reports, follow.
5.2
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE HISTORICAL INSCRIPTIONS
Quarantine internees commenced a tradition of making inscriptions,
including poems, initials, memorials and drawings, in the 1830s. This
continued throughout the life of the Quarantine Station. Nineteenth
and early twentieth century examples include engraved and painted
inscriptions on soft sandstone faces, structures and slate storm-water
drain covers. Eight hundred and fifty four examples have been
recorded, though at least one thousand other examples exist, refer
map below.
The inscriptions commemorate quarantine events, ships and people
from the ships and deceased internees. They are located throughout
the place with concentrations around the Wharf Precinct and The Old
Mans Hat. English and other European, Asian and Arabic languages
were used. The most recent inscriptions are a series of written
examples on internal walls of Building A20, deriving from its use as a
detention centre for illegal immigrants. Most of these appear to have
been written by people from the Pacific islands, some in islander
languages, many being laments on their authors’ detention or abuses
directed at their detainers.
Most of the inscriptions are on quarried or natural sandstone
surfaces. A few occur on cement or plaster surfaces and several on
built elements such as brick walls, drain covers and the Cannae Point
flagstaff. Some have been re-worked in the past or are highlighted by
paint. A large percentage of the inscriptions are in good condition,
easily located and readily legible. Aspect, topography and
environmental agents [sun, wind, rain] affect the condition of
inscriptions but the major factor is the quality of stone, i.e. the softer
[less silicified] the sandstone the faster it deteriorates.
1
2
NPWS, North Head Quarantine Station Conservation Plan, draft 1985, and 1992
NPWS, Carved into History, 1998
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.2 THE HISTORICAL INSCRIPTIONS • PAGE 96
Figure 3
Locations of recorded inscriptions. The
inscriptions sites are shown in green.
There were also inscriptions at Cannae
Point and at Building A20.
Map adapted from 1988 NHQS
Conservation Plan
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.2 THE HISTORICAL INSCRIPTIONS • PAGE 97
Seeping ground water, lichen, moss, wind and vegetation abrasion
and visitor contact are additional agents of deterioration. The latter is
now minimised through a policy of controlled access. The
inscriptions in A20 have a life limited to that of the paintwork and
plaster render on internal walls. A preliminary analysis of European
rock inscriptions was completed in 1983, and an interim report on the
conservation of rock inscriptions at the Quarantine Station was
completed in March 1999, as part of a joint project between the
NPWS, Sydney, North Sub-District and the NPWS Cultural Heritage
Services Division.3
Figures 4 & 5
Rock inscriptions within Quarantine
Station and at The Old Mans Hat.
FRoQS 1999 photographs
3
David Lambert, ‘Conservation of Rock Inscriptions at the Quarantine Station:
Interim Report’, NPWS, March 1999
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.2 THE HISTORICAL INSCRIPTIONS • PAGE 98
The recommendations of the 1983 Analysis were: that the engravings
at The Old Mans Hat be recorded by a similar program [ie to that at
the Quarantine Station core precinct] in order to complete the record
of the resource; that, it funds become available, an indexing system
[of the inscriptions] be devised for the complete resource; and that
further research is carried out to identify whether similar engravings
have been located at other Quarantine facilities as a means of
assessing the National Heritage value of this material.
Refer
Section 9.4
Conservation Practices Policy No. 10
Inscriptions
The 1999 Interim Report provided specific conservation
recommendations for the Wharf Area and The Old Mans Hat
inscriptions, and general conservation management
recommendations for visitor management and monitoring. These
recommendations are included as recommendations of this Plan, refer
Section 9.0 below.
The inscriptions are valuable and unusual graphic illustrations of
historical incidents and social patterns of Quarantine Station history.
They provide a very tangible and ‘human’ link with the past for
present generations and are a valuable historical and genealogical
resource. Their research potential is enormous. The inscriptions
record a variety of information which cannot be obtained from any
other source, especially the feelings of non-English speaking
migrants.
5.3
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE :
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
The 1998 North Head Quarantine Station Conservation Plan
archaeological survey4 forms the current basis of assessment of areas
within the active Quarantine Station area. That report
diagrammatically indicated the historical archaeological sites and
structures within or adjacent the North Head Quarantine Station core
precinct, refer plan diagram below.
The 1991 North Head archaeological site survey5 forms the basis of
the assessment of areas outside the active Quarantine Station area.
That report indicated the following historical archaeological sites and
structures within or adjacent the North Head Quarantine Station
study area: the sandstone boundary wall leading from the North
Head Road to Collins Beach; the sandstone boundary wall south-east
of the Quarantine Station [Site No. L10]; theAustralian Institute of
Police Management [incorporating parts of the venereal diseases
hospital] the Second and Third Quarantine Cemeteries [Sites L1 and
VA1]; The Old Mans Hat inscription area; and the Quarantine Head
gun emplacement.
4
5
NHQS Conservation Plan, 1998, Volume 2 Appendices. Reports by Wendy Thorp,
Archaeologist
Godden Mackay, 1991. North Head archaeological site survey, building and structures
inventory, report for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.3 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES • P AGE 99
Figure 6
Historical Archaeological Sites
NHQS core precinct
NHQS Conservation Plan, 1988
[Appendix: Volume 2]
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.3 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES • P AGE 100
Figure 7
The boundary wall east of Quarantine
[south] precinct.
FRoQS 1999 photographs
All of these sites and structures are related to the history of the
Quarantine Station, and are significant physical evidence of the
development and contraction of quarantine functions over time.
However, the vast majority of buildings and archaeological sites are
located within the zone of most intensive quarantine activity, which is
more or less contiguous with the current NPWS managed area of the
Quarantine Station.
The NPWS has carried out a number of historical archaeological
surveys of areas of the Quarantine Station itself, though there has as
yet been no systematic survey of the entire Briefed study area. These
surveys have identified a large number of former building sites and
other features, and has indicated where as yet unlocated building
sites might be located. [The site numbers beginning with ‘P’ relate to
‘Potential Sites’. Forty-eight such sites had been identified by 1992.]
Because the Quarantine Station has experienced over 150 years of
quarantine activity, there is a layering of evidence on and in the
ground that reflects the slow growth of the Station, the major
development and redevelopment programs, and the subsequent
removals and constructions. This evidence exists as independent
evidence, though it is also complementary to the documentary
evidence, and in large part cannot be interpreted without reference to
the latter. Because the land-use over this period has been solely
devoted to quarantine, the evidence is, on the whole, only impacted
by later quarantine activity, so the understanding of both the creation
and the destruction of the former buildings and landscape elements
contributes to the story of quarantine.
Because in many cases current building are located on the same sites
as earlier building, and as many of the surviving buildings have a
long history of their own, all sub-floor deposits are considered to
have archaeological potential.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.3 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES • P AGE 101
Refer
Section 4.0
Historical Overview
The changes over time reflected by the surviving buildings and
features and the archaeological sites reflect various aspects of the
history of quarantine, public health and society as a whole. The
stories able to be illuminated by the physical evidence include,
among many others: the Aboriginal occupation of North Head; the
changing attitudes to quarantine and its administration; the
developing medical and epidemiological knowledge; the
development of Australia’s immigration policies, and the experience
of individuals and groups within that history; the changing attitudes
to class and race; the iconography used by inmates to memorialise
their experience, in the 1,000 plus inscriptions, memorials and
gravestones, and Australia’s experience of war, both in the diseases
contracted by the military personnel buried in the Quarantine Station
cemeteries, and in the direct defence of Sydney. These stories have
been outlined in the overview history above, refer Section 4.0.
An unusual aspect of the collection of historical archaeological
evidence at the Quarantine Station is that it all contributes to the
understanding of this one theme of quarantine [as well as to
associated broader themes], and a large amount of evidence appears
to have survived. This vests the archaeological sites with a very high
research potential for ongoing study of this important aspect of
Australian history. In addition to the archaeological potential of
buildings which have been demolished, the Quarantine Station
buildings also offer the opportunity to research the archaeology of
standing structures. As a tightly dated and well-documented group
of buildings they have potential to provide information on changes in
domestic living arrangements over the past 150 years.
Refer
Section 9.8
Archaeological Evidence Policy No. 5
and Archaeological Management Plan
Appendix F
Archaeological Management Plan
Since 1992 a number of the potential sites have been confirmed by
the location of above-ground evidence, or the identification of
evidence during works. A systematic survey and recording program
is required both within and outside of the Planning Area to identify
the complete historical archaeological resource. This comprehensive
survey is required as much of the archaeological resource of the
Quarantine Station is confined to the thin vegetated surface and the
poorly consolidated sandy soils beneath. The fragility of the sites
makes them prone to disturbance from excessive foot or vehicle
traffic, erosion and animal burrowing. A preliminary Archaeological
Management Plan has been prepared by the NPWS to accompany
this Conservation Management Plan; and the policy
recommendations of that Plan have been incorporated into this
Conservation Management Plan, refer Section 9.8 and Appendix F.
5.4
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE
The landscape of the Quarantine Station core precinct can be properly
described as a cultural landscape. It is a landscape heavily impacted
by human activity [even the ‘natural’ bushland areas are humanly
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 102
modified], and the most obvious elements in the landscape are the
various layers of human clearing and construction, amid large areas
of bushland and interspersed with bush patches.
The main developed area consists of the Quarantine Station itself.
This has three main groups of buildings [the wharf and foreshore
buildings at Quarantine Beach, the hospital group, and the buildings
on the upper grassy slopes] with grassy cleared areas around these
groups, delineated by bushland remnants and regrowth. This creates
a semi-rural, village-like atmosphere which is uncommon in the
otherwise closely developed Sydney metropolitan area.
The cultural landscape has heritage values in its own right, as a
document demonstrating the planning and construction of the station
over its entire life. The landscape also has a strong interpretative
Figures 8 & 9
Looking into the Quarantine Station
precinct.
FRoQS 1999 photographs
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 103
value. The isolation of the Station, the long views out to other parts of
the harbour, the contrast between manicured grassy areas and
surrounding bush [which was alien to most of the inmates], and the
strict classification of occupation areas within the Station, combine to
trigger the historical imagination and allow the visitor to empathise
with those quarantined here.
The landscape is also visually important not only to visitors to the
Quarantine Station but also to viewers from other headlands, suburbs
or on the harbour. Many distinctive or prominent landscape elements
contribute to the multiple layering of human experience on the
landscape.
A strong element in the cultural landscape is the conscious and
enforced ‘classification’ of the land, based on health issues, class and
race. This includes the isolation of the hospital, seen but not
approached from many parts of the Station; the wharf and
‘disinfection’ area, which stood as a barrier between the inmates and
the main line of escape, and the administration area, which ‘guarded’
the land route out; the lateral separation of the first, second and third
class passengers, with the administration area interposed between
third class and the rest, imposing class distinctions in the landscape;
and the lateral and elevational separation of the Asian
accommodation, away from first and second class, and below third
class, imposing a racial layer on top of the class one.
The following discussion of the Quarantine Station cultural landscape
refers specifically to the cultural landscape elements which provide
the meaning and understanding of how these landscapes worked
historically. These elements include the Quarantine Station
cemeteries; monuments; fences and walls; boundary markers and
walls; obelisks and cairns; and of course tracks, paths and roads.
CEMETERIES
Three cemeteries functioned throughout the history of the Station.
The approximate location of the First Cemetery [Site IIIA1, c.18371853], is at the junction of the wharf and hospital roads, however no
visible evidence remains, so it is not a landscape element except to
those with knowledge of its existence. The unfortunate positioning of
the First Cemetery, always in the view of the well and recovering,
was soon recognised, and the subsequent cemeteries were moved out
of the perceived landscape of those quarantined.
The Second Cemetery [Site L1, 1853-1881], is located east of the 3rd
Class precinct. Three headstones remain in situ [two obscured by
vegetation], and the outline of another two graves visible. The
cemetery is separated from the experiential landscape of the
quarantined unless they chose to visit it. The Third Cemetery [Site
VA1, 1881-1925], is within the School of Artillery, on Commonwealth
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 104
Figure 10
Samuel Prout, Quarantine Burial
Ground, Port Jackson, A. Willmore
[engraver] SL NSW, ML
property. Two hundred and forty one burials are registered, and the
cemetery retains many headstones and markers, protected by a chain
wire three-metre high person-proof fence. This cemetery is even more
removed from the Quarantine Station landscape than the second
cemetery was.
The Second and Third cemeteries become obscured and prone to
bushfire if native vegetation is not regularly slashed. Erosion of grave
sites occurs if the cemeteries are heavily visited or if stabilising
vegetation [especially grasses] is removed. There has been natural
weathering and corrosion of sandstone headstones and wooden cross
grave markers. Uncontrolled public access to these cemeteries
[especially the Third] can result in vandalism or theft of remaining
headstones and grave markers. Some headstones from the First and
Second cemeteries are now located in the artefact store within
Building A20. Further research is required to relocate obscured
graves. The cemeteries are powerful reminders of the purpose of the
Quarantine Station, its successes and failures and of its internees.
They have historical, archaeological, genealogical and educational
significance and special significance for descendants of those interred
in them.
Refer
Section 9.8
Archaeological Evidence Policy No. 5
and Archaeological Management Plan
Appendix F
Archaeological Management Plan
An archaeological assessment of the North Head Quarantine Station
cemeteries; and an archaeological inspection report of the Third
Quarantine Station cemetery have been prepared by the NPWS.6
These documents provide specific policy recommendations related to
the conservation and management of the cemeteries, which are
accepted as recommendations of this Conservation Management
Plan, refer Section 9.8 and Appendix F.
6
‘Quarantine Station: Draft Cemeteries Conservation Plan’ [Gojak] Draft 1986,
NPWS; and ‘Archaeological Inspection Report: Third Quarantine Station Cemetery:
North Head’ [Gojak], 1991, NPWS.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 105
Figure 11
The Constitution Monument
FRoQS 1999 photographs
The Constitution Monument [Site L9]
This is a marble and sandstone monument which stands on the ridge
above the 3rd Class Precinct. It commemorates the quarantining of
the ship Constitution and its passengers and crew in 1855 and the
reunion of surviving passengers and crew at the Quarantine Station
50 years later. It is in fair condition and requires some stonework and
plaque repairs. It is symbolic of the events associated with, and the
esprit de corps of, one ship’s passengers and crew. Like the inscriptions
in the Wharf precinct, it is one of the more obvious memorialising
features in the Station landscape.
FENCES & WALLS
The Quarantine Station study area landscape includes a variety of
fences and walls which are integral to the history and past
functioning of the place. These include: prominent sandstone block,
six feet [two metre] high barrier walls, built in the 1930s Depression
by workers on unemployment relief programs. These walls are
located along boundary lines which show the subdivision of the
Quarantine ground at that time for hospital, recreation and military
purposes; a double chain wire three feet [one metre] high fence at the
entry gate to the place which served as a ‘neutral zone’ across which
internees could talk with visitors; wooden paling fences around the
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 106
staff cottages; the chain wire six feet [two metre] high fences around
the Isolation and Hospital precincts which separated them from
healthy areas; the foreshore stone and concrete walls at the
Quarantine Beach wharf; the low sandstone block kerbing and
retaining walls on the main access roads; and Section of remnant
paling fences in bush around the Hospital area
Fencing, generally six foot [two metres] high paling fences, was the
primary means of enforcing the separation of different groups of
internees at the Quarantine Station. The impact of the fences, and
clearing of bushland, on the appearance of the Station can be judged
from historic photographs. The loss of the majority of fences creates a
false impression of the Quarantine Station’s layout and reduces the
ability to experience the segregation that passengers were required to
maintain. In this sense the cultural landscape significance of the
fences has been lost, but could be regained by reconstruction.
Figure 12
Aerial view of Quarantine Station ND
but c1940
Note the fences around the First Class
Accommodation, and the cleared area
between the Hospital and Isolation
ward areas. NPWS photograph
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 107
The sandstone block walls are generally in fair-to-good condition.
Some sections, however, have collapsed due to water erosion
undermining their footings. Further sections are in imminent danger
of collapse. Blocks in the wall end near The Old Mans Hat have
seriously eroded due to wind and salty sea spray. Wire fences are
substantially intact, though are prone to rusting. Existing timber
fences around staff cottages are of recent construction [1985-90],
mostly in good condition, though prone to distortion due to high
winds. The stone walls and site fencing generally are important
legacies of quarantine isolation practices.
OBELISK
A prominent sandstone obelisk thirty feet [ten metres] high stands on
the south-eastern edge of the Station. An obelisk is shown at this
location on site plans dating from 1807-09, though it is not known if
the existing one is the original. The memorial is in fair condition but
requires some stonework repairs at the base. It may prove to be
highly significant [if it is the original] as the oldest surviving structure
on North Head and one of the oldest on Sydney Harbour. The obelisk
is one of the few landscape elements relating to a non-quarantine
function, though as navigation markers they relate to the overall
maritime themes that include quarantine.
Figure 13
The stone obelisk.
FRoQS 1999 photographs
ROADS & PATHS
Roads and paths throughout the place include the bitumen roads,
sandstone-paved roads and pedestrian paths to The Old Mans Hat
area and between the wharf and hospital areas. There is a hierarchy of
paths and roads, ranging from sealed vehicle roads, through sealed
footpaths and ramps, to unsealed tracks, especially into the
surrounding bushland. These reflect how the landscape was lived in,
and the strong separation of the managed landscape of the Station
precincts and the informality of the surrounding areas such as The
Old Mans Hat.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.4 THE QUARANTINE STATION CULTURAL LANDSCAPE • P AGE 108
STONE CAIRN [SITE IIIA3]
Refer
Section 4.3.1
Figures 9 and 10
A sandstone cairn stands adjacent to the 2nd Class Passenger
Accommodation building P12. Built during the late 1830s, this is the
sole remaining cairn of a line of thirteen which denoted the early
boundary of the quarantine ground refer Section 4 Figures 9 & 10
above. It is in good condition. This cairn is the earliest surviving in
situ structure associated with the place’s quarantine function and
demonstrates the early need for isolation and security.
Figure 14
Map of the Quarantine Station
Precincts, showing Areas within the
precincts
PF 1999 plan
5.5
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT
5.5.1 PREAMBLE
For the purpose of this overview, the Quarantine Station Precinct has
been considered as six distinct , but related areas.
• The Wharf Area; including Cannae Point; the Western Shore of the Quarantine
Station precinct; and the water body and sea bed between Cannae Point towards
Spring Cove.
• The Hospital and Isolation Ward Area
• The Third Class and Asiatics Area
• The First Class Area
• The Second Class Area
• The Administration Area, including the entrance to Quarantine Station precinct.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 109
Figure 15
The Quarantine Station [Core] Precinct,
showing the Areas within the precinct.
PF 1999 plan from NPWS plan
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 110
5.5.2 THE WHARF AREA
THE WHARF AREA :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Wharf area occupies the triangular shaped area of low ground at
the foot of the natural depression on the waterfront at Quarantine
Beach. The area has been assumed to include the wharf, the beach
and seabed, the level ground and eight interconnected buildings that
were designed to process the cleansing of passengers and their
luggage upon arrival at the Quarantine Station. The wharf area also
encompasses Cannae Point; the water bed; and the western shore of
the Quarantine Station precincts. The area also contains the remains
of a funicular railway and various other related elements.
Figure 16
Key Plan of the Wharf Area
PF 1999 Plan
Figure 17
Aerial photograph of the wharf Area
and Cannae Point.
Manly Council 1999 photograph
The wharf is a timber jetty structure approx 112 feet long by 24 feet
wide [37 metres by 8 metres] located at the southern end of
Quarantine Beach. Its construction comprises forty four turpentine
piles, double cap wales and girders supporting a hardwood deck,
with landing steps on its outer end. It was built in its current form in
c.1909.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 111
The area of water and the seabed surrounding the wharf contains
several significant, natural and cultural resources. These include the
historic artefacts that were dumped from quarantined vessels, or lost
overboard; the sea grass, fish species and sea horses; and the little
penguins whose habitat extends north of the beach to little Manly
Cove.
The Luggage Shed and Examination Rooms [A14 to A17] are
situated at the entrance to the site on land that was partially
reclaimed from the harbour. The brick building with saw-tooth and
gable roof has a large apron onto which passengers and their luggage
were offloaded at the commencement of the process of quarantine.
The site railway system that served to move luggage and incoming
supplies, including coal for the boilers, commenced on the jetty and
ran through and beside the luggage shed and on to the fumigation
chambers.
The Disinfection Block for luggage [A7] and the Powerhouse [A6]
are along the west-east alignment of the funicular railway that
continued through the Wharf Precinct and up the steep escarpment to
the passenger accommodation. These two face brick buildings with
pitched gable roofs contain the autoclaves and power plant. The large
brick chimney at the south west corner of the Powerhouse is visible
from the water from a great distance.
Figure 18
The Kookaburra at the Wharf c1920.
Classification purposes commenced at
the wharf, NPWS photograph.
The timber coal store that stood at the eastern end of this
arrangement has been demolished. The two-room timber building
[A8] at the western end of the row contains the formalin chambers
that were erected to treat victims of the 1918-19 pneumonic influenza
epidemic.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 112
The Shower Blocks [A11 and A12] and Laundry [A9] form a group of
three large face brick buildings with pitched gable and saw-tooth
roofs on southern side of a triangular courtyard which was formed
when the timber Waiting Room and Office that formerly stood
between the two groups of buildings in one continuous system, was
demolished. A Tank House joins the two Bathhouses for Saloon
Class and Third Class passengers at the centre of the group. The
Saloon Class Bath House contains individual shower/dressing
cubicles whereas the Third Class Bath House contains open plan
changing areas and rows of showers. The brick Laundry stands at the
south eastern end of the group.
The level ground of the courtyards and surrounds of the buildings of
the wharf precinct are mostly paved with concrete and bitumen. The
rails of the former railway system are discontinuous in areas where
they have disintegrated due to corrosion and where they have been
removed. Within the central area of the Wharf area courtyard stood
the Waiting Room [A5] built in 1914-1915 and now demolished.
Figure 19
Detail of a 1908 map of Quarantine
Station showing building works
implemented by Dr. Mackellar in 1903
Robin Hedditch et al.
Wharf Precinct Plan, 1998
The Funicular Train provided tram access up the sandstone
escarpment from the Wharf Area to the First Class Passenger Area
and was constructed in 1912, as part of a suite of capital works
recommended by the new Federal Director of Quarantine, Dr W.P.
Norris. Remnants of a 2 ft 4 inch [70cm] narrow gauge railway track
run along the jetty; branch through the luggage sheds [A14 to A17];
pass through the disinfecting chamber [A7]; branch around to the
bath houses [A11, A12] and then proceed up the escapement. The
remaining [escarpment] sections are heavily rusted. The original
stone ramp to the ‘tramway’ at the escarpment remains, although the
tracks and funicular are no longer intact at two points. The cutting is
now heavily overgrown and the original purposes of the tramway are
now obscured.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 113
Figure 20
The Wharf precinct : Site Features 1998
Robin Hedditch et al, NHQS Wharf
Precinct Conservation Plan 1998
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 114
THE WHARF AREA:
HISTORICAL & PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The Quarantine Beach, around which the Wharf area developed, was
the first area to be improved for quarantine purposes to regulate the
risk of disease entering the colony with convicts, migrants and ships’
crews. An area was cleared to accommodate tents and a cemetery was
established above quarantine beach half way up the slope in 1837. By
1838 a wharf or landing stage was established at Quarantine Beach
and timber buildings were erected. This landing stage was formed by
erecting stone sea walls above the normal high tide mark and
backfilling this to form a level work area for loading and unloading
the vessels that were moored alongside.
By c.1848 a shed or parlatorio had been erected on the landing stage
for non-contact visits. A well was dug nearby for a permanent water
supply. In 1852 the Colonial Architect was requested to provide a
building at the landing stage for the fumigation of mail.7 In 1883 the
wharf was remodelled and a new steam laundry, coal shed and steam
operated fumigation sheds were built alongside the wharf. At the
same time the old jetty was replaced with a new fifty-foot long
concrete pier that is usually referred to as ‘the wharf’. The
arrangement of seven detached sheds and the wharf can be seen
clearly in photographs taken from the north looking south along
Quarantine Beach.
In 1912 this arrangement of buildings was demolished and an
additional area of about 400 square metres was reclaimed for the
construction of the new group of buildings. In 1913 the disinfection
block, powerhouse, a shop, laundry and two bathing blocks were
constructed in brick and concrete with timber framed roofs clad in
corrugated iron. The two autoclaves were installed in the
Disinfection Block [A7] in 1917.
In 1914 to 1915 the Luggage Store [A14-A17], Engine House [A6],
Waiting Room [since demolished] and funicular railway were
constructed. In 1917 a small reception shed [since demolished] was
constructed adjacent to the Disinfection Block [A7]. The Formalin
Inhalation Chambers [A8] were erected in 1919. The dates of
demolitions since 1919 have not been established. However it is
known that the Waiting Room was demolished after 1955.
The most striking feature of the Wharf Precinct today is the tranquil
calm of the beach and wharf area, which is rarely visited by water or
by land. The buildings, with their predominantly red brick and grey
asbestos roof sheeting have the look of many abandoned but intact
industrial complexes of the same era. The chimney dominates the
7
Robin Hedditch et al, ‘NHQS Wharf Precinct Conservation Plan’, 1998, University
of Sydney. Wharf Area Fabric Survey and Recommendations, pp.A31 to A54. Note
that this CMP has not been formally endorsed by NPWS.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 115
Figure 21
The evolution of the Wharf area c1848
to 1925.
Robin Hedditch et al. Wharf Precinct
Conservation Plan 1998
group, when viewed from a distance whereas the expanse of concrete
and bitumen paving and the uniform red brick masonry of the
buildings have a strong visual impact inside the precinct. The
interiors of the buildings have an industrial feeling due to the
machinery; plumbing lines and functional fittings that were all used
in the procedural steps of cleansing people and their possessions.
The Wharf, Luggage Shed [A14-A17], Formalin Chambers [A8],
Disinfection Block [A7], Powerhouse [A6], Shower Blocks [A11A12] and Laundry [A9] are robust, masonry structures in generally
sound condition despite termite damage to timber components such
as joinery and roof carpentry, and marine borer damage to the wharf
piles. The internal fittings all show evidence of corrosion of the
various metal components due to the nature of the materials and the
marine environment.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 116
Figures 22 & 23
The wharf Area from the west.
FRoQS 1999 photograph
Refer
Section 9.4
Conservation Practices Policy No. 16:
Conservation of Fabric
An earlier student Conservation Management Plan for the Wharf
Area has been prepared;8 and conservation policy recommendations
for the wharf area fabric have been put forward within that plan.
Those recommendations have been accepted as appropriate fabric
policy recommendations for this plan, refer Section 9.4 below.
On the tip of Cannae Point a tall, wooden signal mast stands
supported by guy wires. First erected in the 1830s, yellow flags raised
on the mast advised shipping of the quarantine condition at Spring
Cove. The mast would appear to have been rebuilt several times.
Other shorter timber flag poles are located at Quarantine Beach and
8
Robin Hedditch et al, ‘NHQS Wharf Precinct Conservation Plan’, 1998, University
of Sydney. Wharf Area Fabric Survey and Recommendations, pp.A31 to A54. Note
that this CMP has not been formally endorsed by NPWS.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 117
Figure 24
Early photo of the Wharf at Quarantine
Station
Sydney Mail, 24 March 1900
the General Office [A1 within the Administrative Area] now
removed. Their age and exact function are not known, but they may
have been used for ceremonial purposes. The mast was substantially
restored and re-rigged in the late 1980s and remains in very good
condition. The Cannae Point mast is part of the landscape referring to
communications, and stressing the isolation and ‘otherness’ of the
Quarantine Station. Less dramatic items in the landscape illustrate
the same theme, including the telephone box [P33 within the First
Class Area]. A Conservation Analysis was prepared for the Signal
Mast in 1986, prior to its reconstruction.9
Figure 25
Quarantine Procedures
Robin Hedditch et al. Wharf Precinct
Conservation Plan 1998
9
‘North Head Quarantine Station, Signal Mast : Conservation Analysis’, NPWS, 1986
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 118
Figure 26
Wharf Area : Luggage Store [A15 to
A17]
Robin Hedditch et al. Wharf Precinct
Conservation Plan 1998
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 119
THE WHARF AREA :
INSCRIPTIONS
A group of inscriptions of outstanding significance is clustered on the
rocky outcrops and south east slope of the precinct. The inscriptions
and memorials are from various dates, many of them of 20th Century
origin. They form a natural gallery on the main access walkway/
driveway from the landing stage to the passenger accommodation on
the higher ground. Most were designed to be viewed from the
pathway. These inscriptions are threatened by the encroachment of
vegetation that is apt to cause structural damage in addition to the
normal corrosion of the metal plaques and natural erosion of the
stone and concrete surfaces. The inscriptions are also threatened by
land slips, to which this area is prone.
The 1983 Thorp Analysis also investigated the Cannae Point
inscriptions and provided general recommendations for their
conservation.
Figure 27
Lady Jean Foley at the wharf area
inscriptions.
FRoQS 1999 photograph
Figure 28
Aerial photograph of the Wharf
Hospital and Isolation Ward areas.
Manly Council 1999 photograph
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 120
Refer
Section 9.4
Conservation Practices Policy No. 10
Inscriptions
A report on the Wharf Area inscriptions was undertaken in March
1999.10 The recommendations from that report were that drainage
channels be located and cleaned out; small vegetation directly
rubbing or causing root damage to engravings be removed by pulling
or cutting and applying ‘Roundup’ to cut stems; soil covering
engravings be removed and the affected motif cleaned; selected
pittosporums be removed; mowed area be expanded to include
bladey grass obscuring the site; monitoring of selected sites be
implemented; visitor barriers already in place be retained; removal of
some of the larger pittosporums growing between the date palms be
undertaken; a press release to canvas a restoration program involving
repainting the engravings, followed by the instigation of a program
be issued; and monitoring be commenced and continued every five
years. These recommendations have been accepted as appropriate
conservation policy for the Wharf Area inscriptions, refer Section 9.4
below.
THE WHARF AREA :
SIGNIFICANCE
The Wharf Area has historical significance as the largest, most intact
and surviving fumigation facility in Australia; because its buildings
and organisations clearly demonstrates the historical practices of
quarantine, and the application of medical technology to disinfection
and disease control following Federation; and because the Wharf
Area inscriptions are of outstanding historical importance for their
uniqueness in documenting responses to quarantine and the
experiences of migration.
The Wharf Area has aesthetic significance because of its scenic and
landmark qualities. It is clearly visible from Manly and parts of
Sydney Harbour. It occupies a prominent position at the waters edge,
and enjoys it own extensive picturesque views of the harbour. In
addition, the Wharf Area has strong visual appeal and includes built
features such as the wharf, the chimney and brick buildings framed
by natural landscape features. The Wharf Area forms a discrete visual
catchment isolated from the rest of the Quarantine Station by its
siting in a gully.
The Wharf Area has technical significance because it contains rare
examples of early twentieth century fumigation machinery, in
potential working order. The working relationships between the
buildings and the rest of the station and their design for handling
luggage and containing disease are still evident. In addition the area
has potential for archaeological research including potential for
marine archaeology off Quarantine Beach. The site provides evidence
of previous quarantine structures and processes, and has the potential
to yield more information on early methods of disease control.
10
David Lambert, ‘Conservation of Rock Engravings at Quarantine Station : Interim
Report’, March 1999, NPWS
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Finally, the Wharf Area has social significance for many present day
migrants and their families. The wharf was the point of arrival and
disembarkation, and Quarantine Beach was their first landing on
Australian soil. The inscriptions within the Wharf Area are of
outstanding social importance. They are valuable and tangible
evidence of the multicultural nature of Australian immigration.
5.5.3 THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION W ARD AREA
THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION WARD AREA :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Hospital and the Isolation Wards area occupy the promontory on
the southern ridge above the Wharf area. The site of the hospital has
unsurpassed views up the harbour towards Sydney Cove and the
present-day skyline of the Sydney CBD. The windy location, which
was chosen for the sick at the outset of the Quarantine Station
development, ‘…was considered ideal for dissipating the vapours and
miasmas which were thought to spread infectious disease.’
Figure 29
The Hospital and the Isolation Ward
Area
Key Plan
PF 1999 plan
The Isolation Ward area is higher up the ridge at a distance of some
200 metres from the main Hospital. It consists of a single group of
small weatherboard, timber-framed buildings with corrugated
asbestos roof sheeting. In between these two groups are the quarters
for Doctors and Nurses and other staff, mostly erected during the
main hospital building campaign of c.1912. The hospital wards and
staff quarters are linked by a system of elevated covered walkways.
THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION WARD AREA:
HISTORICAL & PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The promontory area was set aside for a Hospital in 1837, when the
first timber structure appears to have been brought to the site from
the temporary quarantine site at Manly Cove. An unlined timber
barrack with a timber-shingled roof and a doctor’s cottage were
erected on the site in 1838. In 1853 a new barracks with separate
accommodation for sick females, a hospital ward and cottages were
erected.11 By the late 1870s the site contained a 22-bed hospital
building for males, a 12-bed hospital building for females, a kitchen
block, nurses quarters and a mortuary. The Doctor’s residence was by
then removed to the healthy ground between the hospital precinct
and the second class quarters to the east. Because it was isolated from
the rest of the Quarantine Station the hospital precinct had its own
facilities, such as medical staff quarters and its own kitchen.
Adjacent the Hospital; and within the fenced Hospital enclosure, the
Doctor’s and later Nurses’ Quarters were erected, refer plan
evolution diagram below.
11
Foley, 1995, p. 73
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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Refer
Section 9.4
Conservation Practices Policy No. 16
Condition of Fabric
An earlier student Conservation Management Plan of the Hospital
and the Doctor’s/Nurses’ Quarters precinct has been prepared [1996];
and the fabric recommendations of those plans12 have been accepted
as this Plan’s fabric policy recommendations for the Hospital and the
Isolation Ward area, refer Section 9.4 below.
The Hospital area is a dominant feature within distant views of the
Quarantine Station due to its position on the promontory. The
hospital buildings [H1 and H2] were designed with high ceilings with
high level windows above the enclosing verandahs for good light and
ventilation. The height of the buildings therefore causes then to stand
out above all the mostly low level surrounding vegetation on the
exposed high ground.
The main hospital ward building [H1] and the earlier ward buildings
[now demolished] originally had their enclosing verandahs painted
in the traditional manner of contrasting coloured broad stripes, which
caused then to stand out even more in early views of the Quarantine
Figure 30
Station. This feature accentuated the visual impact of the already
The Quarantine Station from the north highly visible buildings. By contrast the Isolation Wards were
c1940 [Detail]. The Hospital and
originally painted in deep tones and were more subtle integrated
Isolation Ward area is on the ridge over
with their surroundings despite being situated on the more elevated
Quarantine Beach. Commonwealth
Department of Health Photograph.
ground.
12
Merinda Rose et al, ‘North Head Quarantine Station Conservation Management
Plan for the Doctor’s and Nurses Sub Precinct’, 1996, [two volumes] University of
Sydney and Charlene Nelson et al, ‘North Head Quarantine Station Conservation
Management Plan for the Hospital Sub Precinct’ 1996, University of Sydney. Note
that these CMPs have not been formally endorsed by the NPWS.
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Figure 31
Evolution of the Hospital and the
Doctor’s/Nurses’ Quarters
PF 2000 from Merinda Rose et al
Conservation Management Plan, 1998
The largest building within the hospital area is the earliest of the
group. It is the c.1883 timber framed, weatherboard building with
verandahs on four sides [H1], which was modified in c.1912 when the
adjacent brick Ward Building [H2], and timber Changing Block [H3],
Doctor’s and Nurse’s Block [H4], Kitchen [H5] and Assistant’s
Quarters [H14] were constructed. The covered walkways that link
these buildings are believed to date also from c.1912. The Hospital
Ward building [H1] was modified in 1912 by the addition of
Federation features, such as coloured glass in the windows and
stucco and strapwork on the chimneys.
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Figures 32, 33 & 34
The Hospital interior and exterior.
The connecting link at the Doctors and
Nurses Block 1999
FRoQS 1999 photograph
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The interior of this building comprises two large wards that are lined
with corrugated metal on the walls and ceilings. The original ceiling
linings are now concealed by squares of insulating board. Large
brown marble fireplaces are positioned at the ends of the wards. The
floors are constructed with polished wooden boards. The bathrooms
are attached to the verandahs and accessible from the wards via
French doors at the ends of the wards.
The brick Ward building [H2] was constructed in a similar style to
the earlier building [H1] but on a more modest scale. It also features
high ceilings and polished timber boarded floors in the wards.
However there are no fireplaces in the two wards. The internal walls
are plastered. The bathrooms are external to the wards and accessible
from the verandahs.
The accommodation for staff [H3, H4 and H5] is a group of
domestic-scale timber buildings with weatherboard external linings
and corrugated asbestos cement roof sheeting. The rooms of these
buildings are lined with modern fibrous cement sheet ceiling and
wall linings or similar. The Doctors and Nurses Building [H4] has
generous room proportions with a marble fireplace in each residential
room. All are fully carpeted and furnished for use by visiting NPWS
staff.
The Isolation Wards [H7-H11] were built after 1912 in accordance
with the recommendations of Dr W.P. Norris, Federal Director of
Quarantine, who had undertaken a tour of quarantine facilities in the
Untied States and Britain, where he learned of the need to isolate and
observe suspected cases of disease and potentially infectious carriers.
The isolation wards therefore functioned as a ‘quarantine area within a
quarantine area’.
The Isolation Ward area comprises a group of domestic scale timber
framed weatherboard pavilions with corrugated cement roof
sheeting. Elevated timber verandahs and walkways with handrails
and cross-braced balustrades link the individual pavilions. The
original details of these buildings, which are mostly intact, are
described in the surviving detailed plans and specifications for the
work.13
Refer
Section 9.4
Conservation Practices Policy No. 16
Conservation of Fabric
A Conservation Management Plan has been prepared for the Isolation
Ward group 14 and the conservation policy recommendations for the
fabric of the Isolation Ward Area are accepted as this Plan’s
recommendation, refer Section 9.4 below.
13
Specification of Work. Erection of Observation Block, Quarantine Station, North
Head, Sydney. 1912. Australian Archives.
14
A Cummins et al, ‘North Head Quarantine Station Conservation Management Plan,
Isolation Precinct’ 1996, University of Sydney, refer Schedule of Fabric, Appendix 4.
Note that this CMP has not been formally endorsed by the NPWS.
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THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION WARD AREA:
LANDSCAPE FEATURES
The exposure of the north western portion of the Hospital Precinct
determines that the coastal vegetation is devoid of tall trees.
Accordingly the buildings dominate the site. The greater protection
from the prevailing sea breezes afforded to the south eastern area of
the precinct has provided for the growth of larger specimens, which
now surround and partially envelop the isolation wards.
THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION WARD AREA:
INSCRIPTIONS
The Hospital Area contains rock inscriptions including some from the
1960s to the north west of the isolation wards. The 1983 Thorpe
‘Analysis of inscriptions’ provides an overview of the Hospital
inscriptions; and provides recommendations for their conservation.
THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION WARD AREA:
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
The sites of several important early buildings are situated in the
Hospital Precinct. These include the early male and female wards,
early doctor’s residence, early cookhouse, officer’s quarters and the
Mortuary, as well as small freestanding WCs and other possible
structures.
THE HOSPITAL AND THE ISOLATION WARD AREA:
SIGNIFICANCE
The Hospital Area is of outstanding significance because it
demonstrates the evolution of the technology of the diagnosis and
treatment of infectious diseases. In particular it illustrates the late
Victorian and early 20th Century view, emphasising the barrier
system, the hierarchy of categories of health risks and the selfcontained nature of hospital treatment. The most significant
individual elements in the hospital precinct are the timber ward
building [H1], the brick ward [H2] and the changing block [H3].
However, it would be inappropriate to consider the significance of
the buildings individually because together they make up a group of
outstanding significance.
The Isolation Ward represents an intact portrayal of social and
scientific attitudes towards quarantine in the early 20th century and
evokes a sense of personal risk and mortality, as a segregated area
designed to safeguard the population from the dangers of infectious
diseases. The Isolation Precinct is of social significance to the
community, and in particular, to those groups of society having direct
links to its function.
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Figure 35
The Isolation Ward Observation Block
from the north c1916.
NAA Sydney photograph
Figure 36 & 37
The Isolation ward verandah and west
elevation 1999
FRoQS 1999 photographs
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5.5.4 THE THIRD C LASS/ASIATICS AREA
THE THIRD CLASS/ASIATICS AREA :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Third Class and Asiatics Area occupies the natural saddle in the
landform at the top of the rise above the Quarantine Beach that was
known in the early history of the Quarantine Station as the Healthy
Ground. The saddle was one of two sites set aside for the separation
and housing of sick and healthy immigrants in 1838. The first
buildings on the site formed a crescent shape on the natural contour
with the buildings on the high side of a roadway that followed an arc
along the contour.
Figure 38
Key plan: The Third Class/Asiatics
Area
PF 2000 plan
Refer
Section 5.8
Quarantine Station Precinct
Figure 39
Quarantine Station Pavilion for Asiatics
looking north, ND but c1910
NPWS photograph
The site now contains a large accommodation block [P22] Kitchen
and Dining Room [P27], and small freestanding toilet blocks for third
class passengers [P28-P29]. It also contains cottage [S9], and the three
engaged dormitories for Asiatic crew members [P14-P16] together
with its freestanding kitchen block.
Directly behind this group of buildings are the Constitution
Monument and the second Cemetery, which are described more fully
in relation to the Quarantine South Precinct, refer Section 5.8 below.
The site of the first cemetery is located in front of the group to the
west, midway between the group and Wharf Precinct.
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THE THIRD CLASS/ASIATICS AREA:
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The Third Class/Asiatic Area was developed as the ‘Healthy Ground’
from 1838, when a group of four, unlined timber barracks, twenty feet
in width, and suitable to accommodate about 100 people and a two
room doctor’s cottage were established on the site. These buildings
were arranged in a north to south alignment on the high side of the
roadway leading to the Hospital Precinct. On the low side of the road
leading to the First Class Accommodation area a platform for tents
was situated.
The four barracks were removed and a single large freestanding
dormitory block for third class passengers [P22] was erected at the
centre of the site in c.1883 following the erection of the First or Saloon
Class accommodation further to the north. At roughly the same time
one or more of the existing Doctor’s and Staff Cottages in the group
was demolished and one or more new cottages were erected,
including the Staff Cottage [S9].
The large dormitory block [P14 to P16], containing three large
dormitories for Asiatic crew members, was erected in 1899-1900 on
the level ground that had been used previously for temporary
accommodation provided in tents. The freestanding block containing
the dining room and kitchen, with service rooms beneath [P27], was
erected directly opposite the Third Class Block in the period 1912-14
on the lower ground on the other side of the roadway.
The group of buildings is usually viewed from the wharf and/or
from the hospital precincts to the west. Views are also available or
from the administration and passenger complexes to the north, from
which the Kitchen/Dining Block [P27] dominates the view. This
building sits on the lower side of the ridge of the natural saddle in the
landform and it partially conceals from view the large bungalow style
dormitory block [P22] behind. The Dining Room of the block [P27] is
also a timber building, which sits on a sandstone basement
construction containing the Kitchen and service rooms. The
Chimneys rising from the basement are also constructed in the yellow
sandstone that is a strong feature of the architecture of the building.
The Dining Room is a large, intact room of outstanding significance.
It retains much of its original equipment, such as the dumb waiters
that brought food up from the Kitchen below, and authentic paint
finishes.
The Third Class Building [P22] is a large scale timber bungalow-style
building with enveloping verandahs on four sides. The large rooms
have French doors leading onto the verandahs, which are enclosed
with cross braced balustrades. The recently completed concrete tiled
roof of this building appears discordant with the timber architectural
aesthetic of the group.
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Figures 40, 41 & 42
The Third Class and Asiatics blocks
1999
FRoQS 1999 photographs
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
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Figure 43
‘Third Class Dining Room’
Ruth Eager, Watercolour, 1993
The Asiatics Block [P27] is a low bungalow form building which
appears to be similar in form to P22. However it is no longer in the
form of its original construction. It was built as a symmetrical group
of three terraces with continuous brick walls separating the three
large open dormitories within. The brick walls carried beyond the
roof line to form a strong feature of the roof line of the building. In
recent years the original roof sheeting was removed and the brick
dividing walls were lowered. A new covering of concrete tiles was
then applied over the whole roof, thus changing its appearance
substantially. Below the roof line the three dormitories retain their
original form and ripple iron wall and ceiling lining materials. The
bathrooms at the two ends of the long building, which are
constructed at ground level below the verandahs, retain their original
fittings and finishes largely intact. They contain pipe frame and ripple
iron shower cubicles that are an authentic detail of high significance.
The small freestanding cottage at the south-east of the group is a
simple timber framed building that is clad in weatherboard [similarly
to most of the buildings throughout the whole site]. The cottage has a
corrugated asbestos sheet roof and blue paint colour scheme which
greatly diminishes its individual aesthetic significance and the
significance of the group.
THE THIRD CLASS/ASIATICS AREA :
LANDSCAPE FEATURES
The saddle formation of the site imparts a special character to the
group of buildings. There is an eroded volcanic dyke that runs from
the gully to the north east of The Old Mans Hat down to Spring Cove,
hence the strong linear character on both sides of the saddle. The
enclosing vegetation on the eastern or high side of the group
contrasts strongly with the open manicured foreground down the
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slope towards Spring Cove and Quarantine Beach to the west. The
view across the Cove and Beach from the accommodation verandahs
is quite spectacular.
THE THIRD CLASS/ASIATICS AREA :
INSCRIPTIONS
The site is not rich in stone inscriptions, apart from some painted
inscriptions on one of the amenities buildings.
THE THIRD CLASS/ASIATICS AREA :
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
The site contains the archaeological remains of several former
buildings, some of which are visible above ground at the southern
end of the group. They include the sub-ground remains of the four
accommodation buildings constructed in 1837, a store from the 1840s,
two barracks from the 1850s, two doctors’ residences from 1837,
cookhouses from the 1840s and 1850s, a store from the 1880s, Asiatics
latrines from c.1889, a lock-up cell, temporary staff quarters, an early
road formation, early asphalt surfaced paths, and a garage from 1956.
THE THIRD CLASS/ASIATICS AREA :
SIGNIFICANCE
This group of buildings occupies a site of outstanding aesthetic value
that relates to the land form and the building forms. The site is
relatively remote from the other building groups and precincts on the
site and it has a high degree of uniformity in the quality of the
accommodation.
The Accommodation Areas [ie First Class, Second Class, Third Class/
Asiatics] are collectively significant as components of the Quarantine
Station and have aesthetic value because of their form, building
materials and relationship to each other. They are of social
significance because of the type and quality of building materials,
fittings and contents and their grouped arrangement. The
accommodation buildings and layout demonstrate 19th and early
20th century attitudes to living arrangements, based on social and
employment status, gender, marital status and race.
The Accommodation Areas also possess an interesting architectural
character, being a combination of a domestic form and institutional
scale.15
The aesthetic significance of the Third Class/Asiatics Area has been
somewhat compromised by the recent concrete tile roofing, by the
area remains generally intact.
15
This statement of significance is based on the statement provided within the 1992
NHQS Conservation Plan.
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UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 133
5.5.5 THE FIRST CLASS A REA
The First Class Area:
General Description
The First Class Area occupies the ridge above Spring Cove at the
centre of the quarantine complex. The group of buildings that make
up the first class area are arranged along the north-south axis formed
by the roadway at the centre of the group with the long bungalowstyle barracks and ancillary facilities aligned on the western [low]
side and the eastern [high] side of the axis.
Figure 44
Key Plan: The First Class Area
PF 2000 plan
The First Class Area:
Historical and Physical Overview
The arrival of the first steam powered vessels, which provided a
shortened trip from Europe and greater appeal to fare-paying
passengers, corresponded also with a more obvious division between
the classes on board ship. A high standard of accommodation was
offered to first class passengers at sea, far superior to that experienced
at the Quarantine Station prior to 1875. Accordingly the group of
superior buildings that were erected in 1875 for first class passengers
in quarantine, offered spacious apartments with generous French
doors giving onto wide verandahs with superb views across Sydney
Harbour. Within a few years a self-contained precinct had been
established for the first class passengers with five individual timberframed, weatherboard bungalow-style barracks [P1, P2, P5, P9 and
P10] with enclosing verandahs that provided access to the individual
apartments via French doors and also all-weather access to the
communal facilities at the centre of the group.
The compound was enclosed with six feet [two metre] high paling
fences, and a neutral zone was formed by two parallel fences running
east to west across the northern boundary and beyond. There was a
kitchen and communal dining area [P6 and part of P5] at the centre of
the group. In the 1890s a Mens Smoking Room [P3] and Ladies’
Sitting Room [P7] were added, and a Meat Store [P4], telephone office
[in front of P4] and ablution blocks were erected on the eastern side of
the group. A croquet lawn [P11] and ancillary facilities including an
Ironing Room [P36], staff Quarters [areas P6 and P13] and more
ablution facilities. These works brought the first class group of
buildings to a final form, which remains substantially intact today.
Some structures have, however, been removed from the area, such as
the perimeter fencing and the covered link which crossed the road
and which linked the Kitchen and Pantry.
It is tempting to suggest that the buildings making up the first class
area are not outstanding due to a lack of architectural sophistication.
However it is more reasonable to note that the group of buildings
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 134
Figure 45
Aerial view of Quarantine Station ND
but c1940
Note the perimeter fences around the
First Class Accommodation, and the
cleared area between the Hospital and
Isolation Ward areas. NPWS photograph
possesses a high degree of appropriateness in the their siting,
planning and simple detailing, for the passenger internees who could,
for example, spend time promenading on the wide verandahs or just
continuing their activities until the quarantine period, and the
journey was over. Elements of the group of buildings, including the
modern concrete roofing tiles on some of the buildings, are out of
character and detract from their aesthetic value.
The rooms are modest in their proportions and very simple in their
detailing. The planning form of the barracks provided each room
[approximately four metres square] with an internal corridor access
to a communal end sitting room with a fireplace. External French
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 135
Figure 46
The First Class Precinct looking north,
1935. Note the covered walk straddling
the road in the background. The
quarantine internees are from the
Aorangi.
NPWS Pictorial Archive
doors provided each room with direct access to the verandahs, which
provided access to the bathrooms [in P1 and P2] and the communal
dining and recreational facilities. The rooms have timber wall linings,
ceilings and floors, which are now sheeted over with vinyl floor tiles
in place of the original linoleum floor coverings. Room ventilation is
provided through the roof by way of circular ventilators in the
ceilings of the rooms. The plumbing and hand basins, and electric
water heaters were introduced during the aviation phase of their use.
The rooms were not provided with any plumbing in the earlier
period.
The dining room at the centre of P5 is a very handsome room with
decorative timber lined walls and leaded glazing in the doors and
windows. The colour scheme is modern although the furniture is
either original to the room or at least of an authentic style. An early
photograph shows wall to wall patterned linoleum in the room.
Access to the room is via a corridor that is an internal extension of the
external verandah on its eastern side and a small verandah on its
western side, overlooking the harbour. A large pantry on the eastern
side of the corridor is positioned directly opposite the kitchen [P6]
from where the food would have been brought by the staff on trays
and trolleys.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 136
Figures 47 & 48
The First Class buildings, 1999
FRoQS 1999 photographs
The Kitchen [P6] is a large airy room with a massive cast iron range
across the full width of the eastern wall. The four walls are tiled with
white ceramic tiles to a height of 2 metres. The ripple iron lined
ceiling is ventilated with through circular pressed zinc ventilators.
The concrete floor is painted in a red paving paint. The area above the
kitchen contains rooms for the cooks and domestic staff.
The ablution block directly behind the kitchen is one of several that
served the first class accommodation area and it is typical of each of
them. It contains three water closets and three bathrooms, which have
timber-lined ceilings, ripple iron walls and painted concrete floors.
The joinery is of a high standard. The sanitary fittings are traditional.
The smoking room [P3] and the Ladies’ Sitting Room [P7] are a
matched pair of large rooms with similar features and proportions to
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 137
Figure 49
The First Class Dining Room.
North Head Quarantine Station
the dining room. The Smoking room has amber and green glass in the
upper window sashes and the Ladies’ Sitting Room has blue and rose
coloured glass, which impart a feminine character to the room. The
modern paint finishes and floor coverings diminish the significance
of these fine rooms only slightly.
Elements of the landscaping in the first class area such as the paths
and the ornamental plantings of the pines on the lower, western side,
enhance the longitudinal, shiplike character of the group. The
buildings and their interiors and external site improvements remain
substantially intact and in good condition despite minor changes
made over the years. They are therefore of outstanding cultural
significance.
THE FIRST CLASS AREA:
LANDSCAPE FEATURES
The site of the first class area is not richly endowed with landscape
features or evidence of earlier site activities. The siting of the
buildings may have been selected to allow for relaxing views across
the harbour above the fences, without the need for embellishment of
the foreground by way of landscaping or gardens. There are some
European inscriptions scattered around the borders of the group and
a substantial row cluster of inscriptions on the western side of the
group where the high ground drops away exposing sandstone
surfaces suitable for the inscriptions.
THE FIRST CLASS AREA:
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
Within the area there are some archaeological sites in the positions of
former structures, including the former staff quarters [PVIA], quarry
[PVIA3], bar [PVIA4], store [PVIA5] and a tennis court [VA2].
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 138
THE FIRST CLASS AREA:
SIGNIFICANCE
This group of buildings occupies a site of outstanding aesthetic value
that relates to the land form and the building forms. The site is
integrally linked with the later Lyne’s Buildings [Second Class
Accommodation] and remains substantially intact, although the
derelict nature of some buildings, and the modern use of concrete
roofing tiles has tended to diminish the aesthetic significance.
The accommodation areas [ie First Class, Second Class, Third Class/
Asiatics] are collectively significant as components of the Quarantine
Station and have aesthetic value because of their form, building
materials and relationship to each other. They are of social
significance because of the type and quality of building materials,
fittings and contents and their grouped arrangement. The
accommodation buildings and layout demonstrate 19th and early
20th century attitudes to living arrangements, based on social and
employment status, gender, marital status and race.
5.5.6 THE SECOND C LASS AREA
THE SECOND CLASS AREA:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Second Class Area occupies the ridge at the north of the site
between Spring Cove and Store Beach. The group comprises two
simple bungalow-style barracks [P11 and P12] with a kitchen dining
room building [P13] in matching style erected in 1901 following the
outbreak of plague in Sydney. The group was named the Lyne’s
Buildings after the NSW Premier of the day.
Figure 50
Key Plan: The Second Class Area
PF 2000 plan
The buildings are simple in form and construction. They are similar
in most respects to the earlier first class buildings [1875] and third
class building P22 [1882] but they are less refined in their detailing.
The weatherboard cladding, verandah detailing, room proportions,
concrete tiled roofs [that replaced the earlier corrugated iron roof]
and internal detailing illustrate the beginnings of the Federation
influence but they do not have a strong Federation character, whereas
the earlier Victorian buildings exhibit the more robust nature of the
earlier period in details such as the joinery.
THE SECOND CLASS AREA:
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
Following the construction of the first class accommodation, second
and third class passengers were allocated space in the old timber
barracks on the ‘healthy ground’. The standard of accommodation
offered to these passengers was poor compared with that offered to
the saloon class passengers. This situation was addressed during the
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 139
final phase of development by the State controlled quarantine
administration when the accommodation was provided specifically
for second class passengers.
This occurred at the beginning of the new century when the
excitement of events associated with Federation was tempered in
Sydney by the arrival of the dreaded plague. Such a virulent and
lethal disease naturally brought into need the use of the Quarantine
Station for the segregation and care of sufferers. In 1901 two complete
new barracks [P11 and P12], called the Lyne’s Buildings in honour of
the NSW Premier, were erected between the first class
accommodation and the boatmen’s cottages at the north-western
extremity of the site. The largest of these two buildings [P11]
contained twenty-two bedrooms and the other [P12] fourteen rooms.
A third building [P13] was erected for the kitchen, dining room and
ablutions. These buildings remain in a sound condition.
Figure 51
The Second Class or Lynes Buildings,
ND but c1940
NPWS photograph
During the Second World War Australian Army troops were
quartered at the Quarantine Station in buildings P11 and P12. The
second class buildings were in the vicinity of the North Head
submarine cable landing where two underwater communication
cables linking Middle Head with North Head provided vital services
to personnel stationed on North Head. The guns on North Head also
needed protection. Accordingly the area needed protection in the
form of army personnel and also physical measures such as the
landing obstacles on the beaches.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 140
The stone cairn standing adjacent to the Second Class Passenger
Accommodation building P12 is the dominant feature of the group.
This was erected the late 1830s with twelve others to define the
Quarantine Station boundary and it is the sole remaining cairn and
the earliest surviving structure associated with the place’s quarantine
function. It is a sole, but powerful reminder of the beginnings of the
Quarantine Station and it demonstrates the early need for isolation
and security.
The three bungalow-style barracks with their large enveloping roofs
are dominant upon arrival at the site by water or by land. However
the dominance of their roofscape now diminishes the values of the
group and the site as a result of the incongruity of the concrete
roofing tiles. Such a heavy element is clearly in conflict with the
character of the otherwise lightweight buildings.
The rooms within the buildings are similar in most respects to the
rooms in the first class accommodation with the exception that the
majority of the Second Class bedroom walls are lined with corrugated
ripple iron. It is possible that the this material was chosen as a more
serviceable and less prestigious finish than the timber lining boards
within the First Class rooms. The ceilings are believed to be lined
with timber and/or corrugated iron, beneath the modern acoustic
fibreboard panels. The floors are carpeted and the rooms have printed
cotton soft furnishings.
The bathroom facilities for the Second Class Accommodation are
located on the north-western ends of the buildings at a level below
the floor level of the verandahs. Access is obtained via the verandahs
and down sets of steps from either side to segregated male and
female facilities. The placement of these bathrooms has probably been
influenced by the topography and the need to place these facilities
Figures 52
The verandahs of the Second Class
buildings, 1999
FRoQS 1999 photograph
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 141
out of sight and away from the communal dining facilities. The
Second Class Accommodation buildings have been modified and
used intensively for a number of years for conference and convention
activities managed by NPWS.
THE SECOND CLASS AREA:
LANDSCAPE FEATURES
A sprinkling of European inscriptions around the buildings on the
exposed sandstone surfaces is about all there is of note in the area,
apart from the buildings. The known archaeological potential
includes a maritime navigation triangle [VIA7], and an isolated
Aboriginal find.
THE SECOND CLASS AREA:
SIGNIFICANCE
This group of buildings occupies a site of outstanding aesthetic value
that relates to the land form and the building forms. The site is
integrally linked with the earlier First Class Accommodation
buildings and remains substantially intact, although the derelict
nature of some buildings, and the modern use of concrete roofing
tiles has tended to diminish the aesthetic significance.
The accommodation areas [ie First Class, Second Class, Third Class/
Asiatics] are collectively significant as components of the Quarantine
Station and have aesthetic value because of their form, building
materials and relationship to each other. They are of social
significance because of the type and quality of building materials,
fittings and contents and their grouped arrangement. The
accommodation buildings and layout demonstrate 19th and early
20th century attitudes to living arrangements, based on social and
employment status, gender, marital status and race.
5.5.7 THE ADMINISTRATION AREA
THE ADMINISTRATION AREA:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Figure 53
Key Plan: The Administration Area
PF 2000 plan
The present Administration Area was based around the
Superintendent’s Residence, where there were staff residences, with
stores and workshops. This precinct demonstrates the nature, range
and evolution of the administrative infrastructure required to support
all other quarantine functions [i.e. disinfecting, hospitalisation and
accommodation]. As such it is of high historic and social value. Its
most important elements are the Superintendent’s Residence [S6],
Superintendent’s Office [A1], the staff mess [A20] and the recreation/
Post and Telegraph Office [A25], which are fine examples of their
type in sound condition.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 142
The Area does not have the homogeneous character characteristic of
the Wharf, Hospital and Accommodation Areas, largely because of
the topography of this Area. The Administration Area appears [now]
as a collection of disparate elements scattered up the slope above the
other Areas . It is made up of cottages from several periods of
development of the Quarantine Station and individual elements such
as the two storey superintendent’s office [A1] built in 1911-12, the
staff mess [A20] erected c.1921 and the Post and Telegraph Office
[A25] that was built as a billiard hall at the turn of the century.
THE ADMINISTRATION AREA:
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The basic building arrangement had been established by the end of
the 1840s. This was consolidated during the building program that
was commenced in 1853 that included the erection of the
Superintendent’s cottage [S6]. Staff cottages were added in desultory
manner over the following decades. Additional staff cottages were
added in 1870 [S5], c.1883 [S1 and S2], 1913 [S12], 1938 [S14] and after
1950 [S15 and S16]. Some of these and other randomly placed
buildings, such as the post office, officers’ quarters, and various
outbuildings make up the administration area.
The Commonwealth Quarantine Act of 1908 came into force in July
1909, transferring responsibility for all Australian quarantine stations
to the Commonwealth Government. This marked the final change in
the Quarantine Station’s administrative structure while a place of
quarantine. In 1911 the Commonwealth sent its new director of
Quarantine, Dr Norris on a tour of quarantine facilities in other
countries. Following the tabling of his report in Parliament in 1912,
Norris’s recommendations were adopted in full and extensive
changes were made to most of the facilities at the station in 1913-1914,
including the Administration area, that gave the Quarantine Station
much of its present form.
The principal administration block [A1] was built in 1911-12 and
considerable improvements were made in staff accommodation and
site management facilities. The facilities surviving from this
campaign of construction include Staff Cottage [S12] and the Stables
and garage [A24]. Subsequently the steady decline in immigration by
ship corresponding with the increase in air travel substantially
changed the use of the Quarantine Station.
The potential quarantine problem presented by the increasing
number of airborne immigrants initiated the last major changes at the
Station. Many older buildings were demolished or removed and early
furnishings and obsolete equipment was sold off. In 1957 repairs and
renovation works were carried out in each precinct and new
equipment and furniture was supplied. Services were upgraded:
water supply was changed from reservoir to city mains; sewerage
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 143
and drainage services were renewed and a new power transformer
was installed. Paths and roadways were re-tarred and new singlestorey accommodation and service buildings were constructed, after
which the Quarantine Station gradually declined in use and in its
upkeep.
On transfer of the Quarantine Station from the Commonwealth to the
State Government, the Service established a guided tour and
interpretation service for visitors and, as part of the interpretation
program, an oral history project was commenced to record the
recollections of former quarantine internees and workers.
Uncontrolled public access to the place was not [and is still not]
permitted due to the condition of buildings, roads and infrastructure,
and the need for security.
The Service has established administrative offices in buildings A1
[Superintendent’s Office] and S1 [Staff Cottage], maintenance
workshops and storage areas in buildings A2 [Store], A6 [Power
House], A23 [Machinery Shed], A28-29 [Bedding Store], S2 [Staff
Cottage] and A24 [Stables and Garage]. Staff cottages S4, S5, S7, S10,
S12, S14, S15 and S16 continue to be used by the Service for staff
accommodation. The Greenhouse [L11] has operated by a private
horticulturist under license from the Service. Such a grouping of
disparate elements is not easy to describe succinctly. Nevertheless
some of the group features and individual elements deserve special
mention.
The buildings on the high ground [e.g. S4 to S12] are surrounded by
open ground and therefore exposed. The administration buildings
on the lower area [A1 to A4 and A19 to A25] are surrounded by
medium to tall vegetation that partly obscures them from view. They
include the post and telegraph office [A25], which is a timber
framed, weatherboard clad elevated bungalow that was erected on
the slope in c.1899 as a billiard and games pavilion. It was converted
to a post office in 1905. It now has a corrugated asbestos roof that
detracts from its simple aesthetic values and modern internal wall
linings on the formerly exposed frame interior that detract from its
simple values. Notwithstanding it is a fine building.
The Superintendent’s building [A1] is a fine two-storey building
with strong architectural character. It is possibly the most
architecturally resolved building on the whole site. The equally
imposing Staff Mess higher up [A20] is a solid building that is now in
poor condition, having been unmaintained for more than two
decades. The Staff Mess contains important inscriptions, although
many have now been recorded, and subsequently removed.
The staff cottages are important in showing changing living
standards for staff; the internal administrative staff hierarchy; and the
provision of temporary accommodation for staff eg. Building [55] was
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.5 THE QUARANTINE STATION PRECINCT • PAGE 144
Refer
Section 4.0
Sequential Plans
originally a duplex. They are also evidence of the Army’s occupation
of the Quarantine Station during the period of World War II. For an
understanding of the comparative dates of the Administration Area
cottages, refer to the NHQS Sequential Plans, Section 4.0 below.
THE ADMINISTRATION A REA :
INSCRIPTIONS
There are a small number of archaeological sites but few inscriptions
in the area occupied for administration purposes. Understandably the
administration area was out-of-bounds to most detainees and hence it
was not an area for time consuming activities such as rock inscription.
Neither are there any remnant Aboriginal sites, as these Aboriginal
relics have been earlier collected, and are now [apparently] lost.
THE ADMINISTRATION A REA :
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
The Historical Archaeological sites include the sites of temporary staff
quarters [PVIA2]; a Lock-Up [PVIA1]; and the Station railway.
THE ADMINISTRATION A REA :
SIGNIFICANCE16
The Administration Area was based around the Superintendent’s
Residence, with stores and workshops. This Area demonstrates the
nature, range and evolution of the administrative infrastructure
required to support all other quarantine functions, ie disinfection,
hospital and accommodation. As such it is of high historic and social
value. Its most important ‘built’ elements are the Superintendent’s
Residence and the Staff Mess and Immigration Centre, and it also
contains landscape elements of high significance [refer also Section
6.0 below].
5.6
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT
The Spring Cove Precinct:
General Description
The Spring Cove Precinct is to the north of the Lyne’s Buildings,
wrapping around Store Beach and extending north to the boundaries
of the Australian Institute of Police Management at Spring Cove, and
the Park Hill Reserve. The area reserved for quarantine purposes in
1837 extended to Richard Cheer’s land and it included the site of the
Manly District Hospital.
16
This statement of significance is based on the statement provided within the 1992
NHQS Conservation Plan.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.6 THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT • PAGE 145
Figure 54
Spring Cove Precinct 1999
PF & PMcL 1999 plan
THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT:
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The Precinct encompasses the area where stores were brought ashore
in the early days of the Quarantine Station. The authorities felt the
need to keep the servicing and stores delivery functions away from
the area of maximum quarantine. In the 1830s boatmen’s quarters and
a jetty were erected at the southern end of Store Beach, from where a
steep track led to the barracks of the Quarantine Station on the nonquarantined side of the row of stone cairns put up to define the
quarantine zone boundary.
On the high ground at the northern end of Store Beach a Seamen’s
Isolation Hospital was erected during the First World War. After
several changes of use this complex of buildings was converted for
use as the Commonwealth Police Training College in 1960, and
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.6 THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT • PAGE 146
developed further over the ensuing decades. During the First World
War the Quarantine Station was partly used for military quarantine
and it was during this period that the Seaman’s Isolation Hospital
was built. It reverted after 1919 to purely civilian use in time for the
influenza epidemics of 1919-20. The Australian Institute of Police
Management [the former Commonwealth Police Training College] is
surrounded by high fences and closed to the public.
During the Second World War Australian Army troops were
quartered at the Quarantine Station in the Second Class area and in
the Spring Cove Precinct in buildings that are now part of the
Commonwealth Police College. This was in the vicinity of the North
Head submarine cable landing where two underwater
communication cables linking Middle Head with North Head
provided vital information to the North Head Battery from Fortress
Command and observation points. The guns on North Head also
needed protection. Accordingly the area needed protection in the
form of army personnel and also physical measures such as the
landing obstacles on the beaches. Remains of the barbed wire
obstacles on the foreshore are evidence of these former activities.
When the Quarantine Station was transferred to the State
Government in 1984, the area formerly occupied by the Seamen’s
Isolation Hospital [which in 1984 was occupied by the
Commonwealth Police Training College], was not transferred to the
State; and this area remains in the control and management of the
Commonwealth.
There are many elements within the precinct which relate to the
Quarantine Station. The stone cairn that stands adjacent to the
Second Class Passenger Accommodation building P12 is the last
survivor of the thirteen cairns that denoted the early boundary of the
quarantine ground. It stands as a very strong visual element at the
boundary between the Spring Cove and Quarantine precincts. The
Seamen’s Isolation Hospital stands at the centre of the
Commonwealth Police Training College whose modern buildings and
high boundary walls obscure it from general view. The hospital
buildings are simple pitched roofed cottage style building with
asbestos cement walls and coloured metal modern roof sheeting.
The Spring Cove precinct accommodates some of the earliest
elements of the early 19th century Quarantine Station. At Store Beach
was the first Station Boat Harbour, which comprised a jetty, a
boatman’s quarters and harbour stores [1830s to 1840s]. to the north
of Store Beach, and suitably isolated from the Quarantine Station
proper, a Seaman’s Isolation Hospital was established by 1918. The
hospital comprised and administrative block, operating room,
treatment room, dispensary, dining block, storeroom, kitchen block
and four wards connected to each other and to the dining block by a
long covered verandah. In October 1918 patients were first admitted
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.6 THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT • PAGE 147
to the new hospital, which continued to be used for the treatment of
cases of venereal disease until about 1928. Thereafter it was used for a
variety of purposes, occasionally for isolating a single case of
infectious disease or, as in 1935, for accommodating Papuan students,
known as ‘the barefoot doctors’, who were attending the School of
Public Health at the University of Sydney.17
THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT :
INSCRIPTIONS
The Spring Cove Precinct was not accessible to those in is quarantine.
Accordingly there are no European inscriptions associated with the
quarantine station, although there are European and possibly also
Aboriginal inscriptions on the rocky outcrops around Store Beach.
Little is known about these inscriptions.
THE SPRING COVE PRECINCT :
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
The site of the former Boatman’s Cottage of the 1840s [IIIA8] is one of
only several sites believed to contain archaeological material. The
sites of the other cottages and stores buildings closer to Store Beach
may have future research value. There has been at least one isolated
find of an Aboriginal site near to the second class area and it must be
assumed that other sites will occur in the precinct.
THE SPRINT COVE PRECINCT :
SIGNIFICANCE
Elements of this precinct are significant as providing evidence of the
earliest days of the Quarantine Station operation; for the later
establishment of the Seamen’s Isolation Hospital; and the close
connection between these elements from the 1830s until World War II
when the Hospital Area was taken over by the Army for military
purposes.
5.7
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE PARKHILL PRECINCT
THE PARKHILL PRECINCT :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Parkhill Precinct occupies the area of the Parkhill reserve to the
north of the Quarantine Station that is an area of natural heath land
bordered by Collin’s Beach to the west, St Paul’s Christian Brothers
College and Manly District Hospital to the north and North head
Scenic Drive, and the Former School of Artillery to the east. Collin’s
Beach Road passes through the centre of the precinct.
17
Foley, op cit, p.104
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.7 THE PARKHILL PRECINCT • P AGE 148
The Parkhill Precinct was created by land subdivision in the 1930s,
following earlier allocations of land from the Quarantine Reserve to
the Roman Catholic Church [St Paul’s and St Patrick’s] and the Manly
Peace Memorial Hospital. The deed of 1879 relating to the church
grant stipulated that the Roman Catholic Church would build a high
stone wall from the ocean to the harbour foreshore to ensure that the
Quarantine Station remained isolated from the church estate. The
remains of this wall, and other walls built subsequently in the
Parkhill Reserve, are strong visual features of the precinct.
THE PARKHILL PRECINCT :
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
To the north of the former Quarantine Station Reserve, the land
granted to the Roman Catholic Church and the large stone buildings
and high sandstone enclosing walls erected by the architects Sheerin
and Hennessy in the mid-1880s, give the northern area of the Reserve
a very strong architectural quality which contrasts strongly with the
predominantly vernacular style and layout of the Quarantine Station
to the south. The Manly Hospital, to the north of the Parkhill Precinct,
stands on land dedicated for the purpose at the end of the last
century, is a mixed group of mostly modern buildings of differing
styles that have mixed urban character.
Figure 55
Parkhill Precinct 1999
PF & PMcL 1999 plan
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.7 THE PARKHILL PRECINCT • P AGE 149
The Parkhill Reserve is different again with its formal roadways and
pathways, natural scrub and cultivated lawns enclosed within
sandstone walls that are similar to and an extension of the walls of St
Patrick’s. The enclosed area of 200 acres [90 hectares] was gifted to
the local council from the Quarantine Reserve by the Commonwealth
Government in 1930 for public use. However a large portion was
taken back for coastal defence purposes in 1936. The sandstone walls
and arched entrance gateway, together with paths and roads were
erected with unemployment relief work in the depressed years of the
1930s. The adjoining structures on the eastern side of North Head
Scenic Drive were erected from the late 1930s as the defence and
artillery school functions were consolidated on that site.
At the centre of the precinct the Parkhill Cottage Day Care Centre is
a 1930s style hip gabled building with white stuccoed external walls.
It was built with red terra cotta Marseille pattern roofing tiles which
have been replaced with similar coloured concrete roofing tiles. The
building and the similar styled adjacent garage building sit between
the hospital and the Police Training College amongst mature
vegetation out of sight to North Head visitors. The sandstone wall
that separates the Parkhill Cottage from the adjacent Manly Hospital
site is part of the 1930 section of enclosing wall that separated the
Quarantine Station site from the Church and Hospital sites to the
north.
The arched gateway is typical of the civic improvements considered
fashionable in the 1930s whose origins are the rusticated stone
landscape elements of the formal gardening tradition. This form of
construction, which was established at north head in the church
works of the late Nineteenth Century, was no doubt considered to be
suited to construction by unskilled workers. The Parkhill stone gate
[which still exists in a truncated form] became the 1930s ‘formal’
entrance to the Quarantine Station Reserve, prior to the establishment
of the North Head Barracks and Fortifications in the late 1930s. This
gate, and the road from Manly to the Quarantine Station, signified the
‘modern’ form of vehicle/road access to the Station [as compared
with the marine access of the Station’s first hundred years].
THE PARKHILL PRECINCT :
INSCRIPTIONS AND HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
There are no recorded Aboriginal or European inscriptions in the
precinct. There are no recorded archaeological sites in the area.
THE PARKHILL PRECINCT:
SIGNIFICANCE
Elements of this precinct are significant as providing evidence of the
decreasing area of the Quarantine Station Reserve; of the 1930s
Depression related work projects which resulted in civil works within
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.7 THE PARKHILL PRECINCT • P AGE 150
the Reserve; and of the co-location in the 1930s of the Army and
Quarantine functions on North Head. This co-location of activities
continued until 1984 when the Station was transferred back to the
State. The ‘active’ Army use of the North Head Defence property
continued until 1997 when the School of Artillery was transferred to
Puckapunyal in Victoria.
5.8
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT
THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Quarantine [South] Precinct includes all of the land south of the
present-day boundaries of the Quarantine Station and North Head
Scenic Drive eastward to the North Head Scenic Area. The Precinct
encompasses the harbour frontage south of Cannae Point, The Old
Mans Hat on the extreme southern seaboard of the site and the North
Head Lookout promontory at the south-easternmost point.
Figure 56
The Quarantine [South] Precinct 1999
PF & PMcL 1999 plan
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.8 THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT • P AGE 151
THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT :
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The first European activity in the area is visible in the ten metre high
sandstone obelisk beyond the south-eastern boundary of the
Quarantine Station near The Old Mans Hat. It is believed to have
been erected as a maritime marker in the first decade of the
Nineteenth Century.
The area south of the ‘core’ Quarantine Station precinct was altered
very little during the first one hundred years of Quarantine use,
although there would have been subtle changes to the vegetation as a
result of the movement of people and the incidence of fires. In
particular the pathway to The Old Mans Hat would have been
trampled by people visiting that site from their quarantine
accommodation for leisure.
Refer
Section 9.8
Archaeological Evidence Policy No. 5
Archaeological Management Plan
The third Quarantine cemetery located within the area of the Defence
Department Reserve was established in 1881 and continued in use
until 1925. Until recently as many as ninety monuments were
recognisable in the cemetery. By contrast, only three monuments can
be identified in the second cemetery to the east of the third class area
of the Quarantine Station, following a comprehensive cleaning up of
the site in the 1950s. An archaeological assessment of the North Head
Quarantine Station cemeteries; and an archaeological inspection
report of the Third Quarantine Station cemetery have been prepared
by the NPWS.18 These documents provide specific policy
recommendations related to the conservation and management of the
cemeteries, which are accepted as recommendations of this
Conservation Management Plan, refer Section 9.8 below.
The major change to the Quarantine [South] Precinct occurred from
the 1930s when the Commonwealth commenced the establishment of
military activities, in particular the construction of artillery
installations. Walls and gun emplacements were built in the area east
and south east of the Quarantine Station. At the same time the
Quarantine Station east wall was built by unskilled workers.
A prominent ten metre tall sandstone obelisk stands on the southeastern edge of the area. This is believed to be the oldest element of
European origin on North Head. An obelisk is shown at this location
on site plans dating from 1807-09, though it is not known if the
existing one is the original. However it is so similar in style to the
1810 Greenway obelisk at Macquarie Place that it can be dated on
stylistic grounds to this period. The obelisk is in good condition but
requires some stonework repairs at the base. It is highly significant as
18
Quarantine Station : Draft Cemeteries Conservation Plan’ [Gojak] Draft 1986,
NPWS; and ‘Archaeological Inspection Report : Third Quarantine Station Cemetery
: North Head’ [Gojak], 1991, NPWS.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.8 THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT • P AGE 152
[probably] the oldest surviving structure on North Head and one of
the oldest on Port Jackson. The obelisk is in sound condition with
some damage to the lower zone of object where the sandstone has
been affected by damp and salt damage.
The sandstone boundary wall is a major element running from The
Old Mans Hat to the former Artillery School site. It is in sound
condition with only minor breaches which have no doubt arisen from
minor interventions to allow movement of recreational site users,
fishermen and also wildlife. This wall was constructed as Depression
work in the 1930s.
The Constitution monument on the eastern side of the Third Class
area is a sophisticated structure from 1855, erected at the time of the
detention in quarantine of the passengers from the Constitution, of
whom many perished. Descendants of the passengers enhanced this
monument with leaded marble tablets on the centenary of the
monument. This monument too is in sound condition.
The Second Cemetery is a cleared area containing three headstones
and two other grave surrounds. The [modern] cleared area is not
necessarily coincident with the gazetted or actual Second Cemetery
area. Most of the burials were not accompanied by any permanent
markers. Timber elements such as crosses have been removed,
probably by fires. The area is prone to being overgrown and it
requires close monitoring to protect the fragile elements that survive
as evidence of the important chapters in the history of the Quarantine
Station and the sadness associated with this site and the other two
burial sites. A tiny section of sandstone rubble path that ran from the
vicinity of the Constitution memorial to the Third Cemetery is still
visible on the path to the Second Cemetery.
Refer
Section 9.3
General Conservation Policy No. 3
Quarantine Station and the North Head
Defence Property
The former School of Artillery land no longer forms part of the
Quarantine Station, however it is related with the Quarantine Station
in history and it may be re-integrated in the future.19
A report on inscriptions at The Old Mans Hat area was undertaken in
March 1999.20 The recommendations from that report were that the
drainage channels should be further assessed; the vegetation which is
directly rubbing inscriptions be removed by pulling of cutting; the
soil covering inscriptions to be removed and the affected motif
cleaned; the monitoring of selected sites be implemented; retention of
the visitor management policy already in place; and the issuing of a
press release to canvas a restoration program involving repainting of
19
The cultural values of the former School of Artillery site were included in a study
undertaken by heritage consultants Peter Freeman and Peter McLaren in 1997. Peter
Freeman Pty Ltd and Peter McLaren, Heritage Consultant, in association: ‘North
Head Defence Property: Heritage Assessment’, 1997 for Department of Defence
20
David Lambert, ‘Conservation of Rock Engravings at Quarantine Station: Interim
Report’, March 1999, NPWS
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.8 THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT • P AGE 153
Refer
Section 9.4
Conservation Practices Policy No. 10
Inscriptions
inscriptions, followed by the instigation of a program. These
recommendations have been accepted as appropriate conservation
policy for The Old Mans Hat inscriptions, refer Section 9.4 below.
THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT :
INSCRIPTIONS
Refer
Section 9.6
Access and Interpretation Policy No. 1
Public Access
There is a high concentration of inscriptions at The Old Mans Hat,
which was a popular destination for walkers amongst the most active
and healthy of the people in quarantine. The implications of this
density of usage is discussed further at Section 8.7: Public Access and
in policy terms at Section 9.6 below.
THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT :
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES WITHIN THE PRECINCT
Several archaeological sites have been identified in the precinct. They
include Aboriginal sites to the east of The Old Mans Hat and
European site VA15 to the west.
THE QUARANTINE [SOUTH] PRECINCT:
SIGNIFICANCE
Elements of this precinct are significant as providing evidence of the
earliest period of the Station’s existence. The southern ‘ring’ of cairns
were sited within this precinct; as was the second Quarantine Station
Cemetery; and the recreational tracks to The Old Mans Hat which
was an important social part of the internee’s life ‘in captivity’. There
are two known Aboriginal sites [OMH 182] within the precinct and
other sites are known to exist; hence there is demonstrable Aboriginal
connection to the precinct.
5.9
EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
THE MARINE PRECINCT
THE MARINE PRECINCT :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Study Area Marine Precinct extends from Cannae Point to Spring
Cove, which is in turn part of the North [Sydney]Harbour Aquatic
Reserve. This Reserve extends from Cannae Point [North Head] in the
east to Middle Harbour in the west excluding an area close to Manly
wharf. This Reserve was gazetted for protection in 1982 as it contains
a great variety of habitats and marine life, including seahorses and
sea dragons, grey nurse sharks and juvenile tropical fish and essential
sea grass beds. It is also habitat for the endangered population of
Little Penguin.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.9 THE MARINE PRECINCT • P AGE 154
North [Sydney] Harbour Aquatic
Reserve
A - Not part of Aquatic Reserve.
Closed under section 8 of the Act to
the use of commercial nets.
B - Not part of the Aquatic Reserve.
Open to all forms of commercial nets
and traps.
C - North [Sydney] Harbour Aquatic
Reserve. Lobster pots only. Hauling
nets permitted during the week and
until noon on Saturday.
D - North [Sydney] Harbour Aquatic
Reserve. Lobster pots only no
commercial netting allowed.
Mean HWM
NPWS draft Recovery Plan 1999
Figure 57
Key Plan: The Marine Precinct
PF 2000 plan
THE MARINE PRECINCT :
HISTORICAL AND PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
Refer
Section 6.0
Natural Heritage
The Marine Precinct is described in more detail at Section 6.0 below.
The natural significance of the precinct is also discussed within that
section.
THE MARINE PRECINCT :
SIGNIFICANCE
This precinct is of the highest significance and relation to the
establishment development and use of the Quarantine Station.
Approach to the Quarantine Station was, until the late 1930s
predominantly by the sea, and the first view of the Station was from
the water. It was only with the creation of the ‘Parkhill’ entrance and
approach [in the 1930s] that the approach to the station gained
currency. The precinct also accommodates Quarantine beach; Store
Beach; and Collins Beach which have played a curial role in European
and Aboriginal contact history.
5.10 EUROPEAN/ASIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE:
BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT
BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT :
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Berry’s Bay is not physically part of the Quarantine Station being
located at North Sydney off Ball’s Head Road. The site at Berry’s Bay
was acquired and facilities for the mooring of two quarantine vessels
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.10 THE BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT • PAGE 155
Figure 58
Berry’s Bay, Showing the seawall of the
wharf, January 1919.
SL NSW, ML, Picman No. GPO 1-21104
Figure 59
Construction of Berry’s Bay Wharf,
June 1917.
SL NSW ML Picman No. GP0 1-21165
was established in 1912 when it was found that the Quarantine
Station wharf precinct was unsuitable for the purpose.
BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT :
HISTORICAL & PHYSICAL OVERVIEW
The Berry’s Bay site was acquired by the Commonwealth under a
complex arrangement with the State involving the transfer of land at
North Sydney from Alexander Berry in exchange for the State’s
construction of a hospital at the township of Berry on the south coast.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.10 THE BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT • PAGE 156
Figure 60
Plan of Berry’s Bay
Quarantine Depot.
Judith Rintoul, 1987
The hospital was intended primarily to source the needs of the
private township of Berry.
The Commonwealth needed a site on Sydney Harbour where it could
moor, service and equip with fumigation equipment and supplies,
two launches, that were named Jenner and Pasteur after these two
prominent medical scientists. The Berry’s Bay [North Sydney] site
was suitable, despite its remoteness from the Quarantine Station.
SHNP NORTH HEAD QUARANTINE STATION
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE • EUROPEAN/ASIAN HERITAGE
5.10 THE BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT • PAGE 157
At the time the Commonwealth acquired the site it was completely
undeveloped. The Commonwealth undertook works to construct a
sea wall and a wharf, and a level working area by filling and
reclaiming the land behind the sea wall. The wharf and sea wall,
which were constructed from the water, provided the facilities
necessary to then develop the land site. A workshop, stores and coal
bunker identical to the one at the Quarantine Station were
constructed on the level ground at the Berry’s bay wharf and two
cottages for the pilots were constructed on the high ground in the
bushland above. All access to the site, at the outset was by water.
Today the site is owned jointly by the Maritime Services Board [ie the
reclaimed portion] and the Permanent Trustees [the portion
transferred from the Berry Estate] and currently leased to the
Australian National Maritime Museum. The second generation and
last of the launches Jenner and Pasteur are in private ownership and
currently working around Sydney Harbour, having been sold by the
Commonwealth.
BERRY’S BAY QUARANTINE DEPOT :
SIGNIFICANCE21
Berry’s bay Quarantine Station Depot is a rare and well- maintained
contribution to Sydney Harbour’s history, reminding us that this now
forgotten bay was one of Sydney’s most thriving commercial areas
during the 19th Century. The buildings individually are of an
utilitarian architecture, contrasting with the introduced palm planting
is reminiscent of an outpost of the Empire in the Colonies. The Depot
is located in an area with abundant evidence of the inhabitation of
two Aboriginal tribes, the Cammeragals and the Wailumedegals. The
last survivors of these tribes were supposedly sent off by the Army in
1916. The most significant building is the Coal Bunker and associated
wharf which demonstrates methods of loading/entry for coal-fired
ships and launches. The Coal Bunker ‘s later use as a cyanide store for
the fumigation of rats demonstrates Sydney’s continuing concern
regarding the spread of typhus, the plague etc.
21
This statement has been taken from the National Trust of Australia [NSW] Register
Proposal : Judith Rintoul, 1987