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History of Freshwater Beach and Harbord
In 1818, 50 acres were given to Thomas Bruin by Governer Macquarie. The estate became known as Freshwater, possibly because of a freshwater stream running between the now Wyuna and Wyndora Avenues. The place remained virtually unihabited until land sales in the 1880's. A subdidivision of the land became known as Harbord after Margaret Cecilia Harbord, wife of Governor Lord Carrington. From the 1900's, Freshwater was a popular working mans men only camp. Tents soon became huts with fancy names like The Ritz and Shark Bait. Lady visitors were only allowed on Sundays. After the first world war, working class families came to the camps and built new dwellings or lodges. The community grew when the district was developed for housing. The original camps were owned and operated by people such as a Mr Lewers who built, in 1908 what is Harbord's oldest building and is now a restaurant. It was originally called the Kiosk and is now The Freshwater Restaurant with marvelous views across the beach. When it was built, it provided accommodation for visitors and had afternoon tea parties. In 1909 it was also the location of the local post office. What is now called the Wormhole (The tunnel linking Manly and Freshwater beaches) was built and blasted out by the owners of some of the Freshwater camps (namely the Lewers and Amos Randell with the help of local fishermen). Wishing to link Manly and Freshwater they creatd a cave and a walkway which is still used today although the pathway requires much climbing ability due to rock falls. Remnants of the old pathway still remain. The whole place or campsite as it was known had a great reputation as a place of disrepute. With the growing colony of Sydney, the Shire Clerk of Warringah, a Mr Jamieson, wrote to the Post Master General's Department in 1923 about lifting the status. He suggested a name change to Harbord. It is recorded that this was because of the doubtful and riotous characters who frequented the place at weekends in the summertime. The buses going there at the time had a sign on the destination board saying "Camp City" and the loacl police also supported the change. So Harbord became the official name of the suburb and it was not until 1980 that the beach retained the name Freshwater Beach. In the 1930's, the council of Warringhah declared that only brick houses could be built there and some of these still exist today.
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