CONTENTS
Council: Special Rate Variation, Disaster Management Plan
Planning & Development: D/As, Planning Law Changes
Whale Beach: The Big Swim, Moby Dicks & The Deck
Traffic & Parking: Safer Neighbourhoods
Governor Phillip Park and Barrenjoey Headland: Amenities on Headland, Emergency Response Beacon
E-Scooters, E-Bikes and Related Mobility Options
Jacqui Scruby, Member for Pittwater
Environment: Coastal Management Plan
Avalon – Sydney Water Mains Replacement
Tourism: Palm Beach in Cricket advertisement
History Corner by Robert Mackinnon: Arthur Phillip (Final)
Forthcoming Events and Council Contact Number
The year has started with a bang with Northern Beaches Council voting to make a request for a substantial increase in rates because of the Council’s expressed inability to meet increased costs and fund existing services. At a time of cost of living pressure this has resulted in a substantial backlash. More detail below. In addition we have been opposing the development plans for the old General Store now being considered by the Land & Environment Court and the proposal to move the bus stop to accommodate the driveway to the proposed development. The two large developments on either side of Barrenjoey House will affect the historic centre of Palm Beach for the foreseeable future.
COUNCIL
SPECIAL RATE VARIATION
At its meeting on 28 January 2025 Northern Beaches Council passed a motion very narrowly by 8 votes to 7 to apply to the Independent Pricing & Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a Special Rate Variation. The Councillors could only vote for or against Option 3 although four options were set out in the Have Your Say documents which were presented to residents by way of consultation and giving them opportunity to express their opinions. Option 3 will allow, by the end of three years, an increase of 39% on residential and business rates. This includes the IPART component which would automatically apply if no vote were taken by Councillors.
Option 3 was recommended by Council staff as enabling an increase in services and the maintenance or renewal of Council assets although it was the first preference of only 11% of respondents to the Council survey and Options 1 (no rate rise) and 2 (a smaller rise) were ranked ahead of it. There is no doubt that costs have increased over the last four years at a rate double the increases in rates and the State Government has also transferred substantial costs such as an Emergency Services Levy to local councils. In addition a new IT system cost $20m and storm damage during the same period has cost $15m and all these costs have resulted in the present funding gap. Council staff have pointed to economies already made by Council. However, many residents and some Councillors have insisted that Council should make further cuts or sell assets rather than raise rates considerably and at the Council meeting there was an attempt by Councillor Vincent de Luca to pass an amendment calling for a delay to a decision about rate rises until Council costs had been re-examined for possible cuts. It was defeated.
IPART insist on the community being fully informed of the financial situation before an application is made to apply for a Special Rate Variation. Hence it was necessary for the Council to set out the detail and consult residents although they were not bound by the views expressed. IPART does not always allow the increases requested and submissions may be made to them.
For further information: https://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/Home/Industries/Local-Government/Reviews/Special-Variations-Minimum-Rates/Special-Variations-and-Minimum-Rates-2025-26
To make a submission: . IPART – Special Variations and Minimum Rates2025/26
Jacqui Scruby, Member for Pittwater, has started a petition which can be accessed on: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/Pages/ePetition-details.aspx?q=sgFIEWcW616j8nJU3CT_vA
The IPART decision should be known by May.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Palm Beach and Whale Beach has no Disaster Management Plan and therefore no framework to reduce our vulnerability in case of a serious bush fire or other emergency. This is particularly serious since we live on a peninsula with one road in and one road out so evacuation would be a major problem. We urge the Council, the Rural Fire Service and NSW Emergency Services to commence strategic planning for such an event.
McKay Reserve is not deemed to be at the highest risk for fire. However, it is a risk and so are embers which might blow from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT – Recent Planning Approvals
DA2022/0469 1102 Barrenjoey Road (former Fish & Chip Shop)
Approval for this D/A was granted by the Land & Environment Court earlier this year despite numerous breaches of planning controls and concerns about the safety of the site. The Council consented to the development despite community concerns and did not defend its own decision to refuse the D/A from 2024. Work has not yet commenced on the site.
DA2023/1289 1112-1116 Barrenjoey Road (former General Store)
The Council proposed to consent to this D/A again despite community opposition to the development and to the relocation of the bus-stop at the site. Amendments have been made to the original plan which include the removal of the top storey and the reduction of the number of apartments from 7 to 5 but it still exceeds the planning controls.
The developer has made no move to engage with the community in relation to the bus-stop. We have met with the Council Transport Managers and they have agreed that the best option is to leave the bus stop where it is on a permanent basis although it may have to be removed temporarily during the construction period.
They agreed to recommend this at the Land & Environment Court Conciliation Hearing on 19 February. Transport for NSW will make the final decision about its location.
Residents gathering to address the L & E Court or listen to the speakers
At the Land & Environment Court hearing on site seven speakers addressed the Court, objecting to different aspects of the D/A. A strong case was made by the Association plus Councillor Korzy and a statement was read from Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby for retaining the bus stop in its present position. We await the decision of the Court.
LINK TO PBWBA submission to the Land & Environment Court
Legal representatives and Council Staff waiting to participate in Court proceedings (the ‘Suits’)
MOD2023/0684 1191 Barrenjoey Road (The Joey)
Agreement was finally reached between the operators of The Joey and the Council on opening hours for the site and it will now operate from 7am to 11pm seven days a week but functions for up to 140 people will only be permitted two nights per week as ancillary to the restaurant operation. The restaurant will continue to operate upstairs for 12 patrons during any function. The use of amplified sound has been limited.
View of Pittwater from The Joey, February 2025
Current D/A’s
MOD2024/0705 231
Whale Beach Road, Whale Beach
A modification has been lodged with the Council primarily seeking internal changes but also some alteration to external windows. It also seeks to insert a car-parking bay for 4 cars into the nature strip of Surf Road near its junction with The Strand. It is hard to see why this should be agreed to and how it would be policed if approved.
DA2023/1532
15 Ocean Road, Palm Beach
This D/A was rejected by the Council on the basis of breaches of a number of planning controls, including height, bulk and scale but the owners have now decided to appeal to the Land & Environment Court. PBWBA opposed the original D/A and will seek to make its views known to the Court but the reluctance of the Council to argue cases before the Court is a significant concern.
DA2024/1383
20 Sunrise Road, Palm Beach
This D/A seeks approval for a secondary dwelling halfway down the escarpment towards Ocean Road, with access by inclinator from Ocean Road. No parking is included in the plans (1 space is required by the planning control) and the owners propose that public parking on the opposite side of Ocean Road be utilised. The roof of the dwelling exceeds the height control. PBWBA has lodged a submission calling for compliance with the planning controls.
View across Pittwater to Lion Island
DA2024/1619
1164 Barrenjoey Road, Palm Beach
This D/A proposes demolition of the existing building and its replacement by a 5-storey new house. There is no obvious street access for this block which sits high on a cliff above Barrenjoey Road but it possibly has access from a common driveway in front of (but not part of) 1162 Barrenjoey Road. Even if this is correct, redevelopment of this site, even with a complying development, will cause major traffic problems on a narrow section of Barrenjoey Road.
PLANNING LAW CHANGES
Recent changes to planning laws and rules are seriously concerning. They are:
- Changing the Land & Environment Court Rules, the State Government has decided that no appeals may be lodged by the community against decisions of commissioners and single judges of the Court on the merits of a case: such appeals may be lodged only on a point of law
- Where a developer appeals to the Court on a deemed refusal of a D/A (i.e. no decision by the Council within 40 days of lodgement) the Council has now decided not to refer the case to the Local Planning Panel, irrespective of the number of objections, thus removing an avenue for public representations
- The Council will apply an unusual interpretation of the Model Litigant Policy (which is designed to provide fairness between a council and a private litigant in legal proceedings) which means it will not defend its own LEP, DCP or planning policies before the Court – this removes protection of community interests
WHALE BEACH
This is the main event on Australia Day 2025 – THE BIG SWIM
Photo Courtesy Tom Sanderson
The annual Big Swim from Palm Beach to Whale Beach took place on Australia Day and was a huge success with over 1100 competitors. 300 competed in the Little Big Swim which started and finished in Palm Beach. The iconic Big Swim is a key fund raiser for the Whale Beach Surf Life Saving Club.
Photo courtesy Tom Sanderson
MOBY DICKS AND THE DECK
The Boathouse Group’s lease of Moby Dicks has come to an end since functions can no longer be held there. Whale Beach SLSC has been negotiating with potential lessees interested in opening another restaurant and a lease has been negotiated. Coffee and snacks and lunch can still be had at The Deck on the Surf Club deck from 8.30am to early afternoon and this is proving a very popular location.
TRAFFIC AND PARKING
In an attempt to make the streets safer the Council are proposing to implement a new traffic plan on roads east of Barrenjoey Road between Avalon and Palm Beach as part of the Safer Neighbourhoods project. It will include a 30km/h limit on roads east of Barrenjoey Road, a raised pedestrian crossing at Whale Beach Road near the intersection with Barrenjoey Road and new street lighting to improve visibility. It will also re-align pram ramps and improve some lane widths and line marking. The cost, between $600,000 and $700,000 will be borne by the State Government.
We know that many members would prefer this money be spent on improving the surface of the roads generally but Northern Beaches do not have that choice. The money is being provided by the State Government for this particular purpose and it cannot be diverted. The plan will go before the next meeting of Northern Beaches Traffic Committee on 4 March and will then be presented to Councillors for their endorsement.
Overflow Parking at Careel Bay
Uninviting bus stop at Careel Bay
Conditions at the overflow parking area at Careel Bay do not encourage people to park there and catch the bus when parking is stretched. There is no seat or shelter, drainage is poor, and we continue to press the Council to rectify this.
Long Term Parking of Trailers at Thyra Reserve, 877a Barrenjoey Road) Trailers which have been left for long periods near Thyra Reserve (where trees were poisoned recently) will soon have to move. ‘No Parking – motor vehicles excepted’ signs will shortly be installed.
GOVERNOR PHILLIP PARK AND BARRENJOEY HEADLAND
Amenities at Barrenjoey Lighthouse Construction of permanent amenities on Barrenjoey Headland for those who climb to the Lighthouse started in early July 2024. These are now complete. The wheels grind slowly – it took six and a half years since the Association discussed it with National Parks and Wildlife Service .
NPWS Media Release Barrenjoey Headland facilities
Quote from PBWBA June 2018 Newsletter
- Barrenjoey Lighthouse – Met with National Parks & Wildlife Service Director Greater Sydney Branch Deon Van Rensberg and the Area Manager Sydney North Stephen Higham to discuss the provision of toilets and water at the Lighthouse , the Headland Plan of Management, The Basin and other issues. It is disconcerting, frustrating and disappointing that the planning for and provision of basic toilet facilities and water for the 250 000 plus visitors per year to the Lighthouse has languished and it appears that it is not being pursued with any passion, except by PBWBA. After receiving the NSW Govt press release – “NSW’s national parks to get $50 million for new and improved tracks” (SMH 9/6/18) – we will write to our local member The Hon Rob Stokes to request, as a matter of urgency in the interest of public health, that a tiny portion of the $630 million budgeted for investment into National Parks be allocated to the provision of toilets and water at The Lighthouse.
Seal at Barrenjoey
The draft Plan of Management for Governor Phillip Park is expected to go on exhibition in May.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE BEACON (ERB) – NORTH PALM BEACH
EMERGENCY RESPONSE BEACON (ERB)
Have you wondered what the structure is at the northern end of the eastern carpark at North Palm Beach?
It’s an EMERGENCY RESPONSE BEACON (ERB) which is designed to offer 24/7 support at unpatrolled beaches. It’s monitored by Surf Life Saving NSW state operations centre.
Members of the public press a button and speak to an operator. There is also a rescue tube and a camera to monitor incidents. The camera can be remotely monitored by the State Operations Centre so that there will be an appropriate response. This might include jetskis, inflatable rescue boats, volunteer callout teams from surf clubs, lifeguards and helicopter or drones. There are 53 ERBs located along the NSW coastline.
Click here; ERB further information
E-SCOOTERS, E-BIKES AND RELATED MOBILITY OPTIONS
The findings of the NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the use of e-scooters, e-bikes and mobility options has published its recommendations, 34 in all. They include legalising the use of e-scooters and allowing them to ride on the pavements together with e-bikes and pedal bikes although they must not exceed a speed of 15kph and must give way to pedestrians. However, the Committee believed there were serious safety concerns with ‘fat bikes’ (off-road bicycles built to accommodate oversized tyres). It recommended that the NSW Government reduce speed limits to 30 kph in city centres and around schools and childcare centres and playgrounds. The Inquiry findings also encourage the NSW Government to establish Strategic Cycling Corridors, parking areas for e-vehicles and to develop safety standards for the use, storage and charging of associated batteries.
The message from the report is that the inquiry wants to encourage the use of public and private electric transport devices but whether the NSW Government will agree with their recommendations remains to be seen. Many overseas cities and also Melbourne continue to ban rental scooters but e-bikes are legal in Australia provided they are pedal-assisted. There will be major concerns about allowing such comprehensive use of the footpaths by electric vehicles and how will a speed limit of 15kph be enforced?
PITTWATER MP, JACQUI SCRUBY
Pittwater MP, Jacqui Scruby
Our Pittwater MP, Jacqui Scruby, gave her maiden speech in Parliament on 12 February.* She emphasised what an honour it was, as Pittwater’s first female MP, to represent this unique, active, community-minded electorate with which she had a deep connection. Jacqui studied medical science and law at UTS and practised as a planning and environment lawyer later taking a break while her children were young and co-founding an on-line homewares business which has fuelled her advocacy for small business. She is committed to completing the upgrade of Mona Vale Road and preventative health reform to relieve the strain on hospitals. Her concern regarding the proposed 39% rate increase on the Northern Beaches has led her to start a petition calling for a public inquiry to scrutinise the performance and efficiency of Northern Beaches Council and for the State Government to adopt the recommendations of the inquiry into local councils’ ability to fund infrastructure and services (see section on Special Rate Variation for links).
*Video of speech
On 21 February Jacqui Scruby issued a press release confirming that Mona Vale will be the only town centre in Pittwater to be singled out for the new Low to Mid-rise developments under the planning reforms announced by the NSW government.
The Pittwater Community Alliance, of which PBWBA is a member, organised a meeting with Jacqui Scruby in January. PBWBA was represented. The meeting was updated on a number of issues which Jacqui is pursuing at present which include:
1) Exclusion of multiple-unit low to mid-rise housing throughout Pittwater on fire safety grounds
2) Stopping any further cost-transfer of responsibilities to councils without appropriate funding
3) An increase in frequency of performance audits on councils
4) Pressure on the State Government to provide funding for the next stage of Avalon Place Plan given the poor quality of execution and the drainage problems of the first stage Other information to emerge during the meeting included:
1) The flood-proofing of Wakehurst Parkway was proceeding slowly
2) She is pushing for better protection of tree cover across the LGA and far better training and regulated qualification for arborists
3) 18 councils applied for SRVs in 2023 and 9 in 2024 and between 4 and 8 are expected to do so in 2025.
The PCA supported these activities but also emphasised the importance of an active compliance function for Northern Beaches Council.
ENVIRONMENT
COASTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Association has been liaising with the Northern Beaches Council as part of the Coastal Management Plan discussions. Council has made available some information material for residents to inform them online about the progress of the Coastal Management Plan. There is a page for suggestions/feedback and the Council also has ‘pop ups’ where they answer questions and inform residents in person.
Whale Beach
Whale Beach
Some points of interest:
Signage for sea grass was discussed and the damage made by large boats going into the existing
mangrove area at Careel Bay. Also dogs at Station Beach, Sand Point Reserve and Snapperman’s Beach at low tide. Large boats damaging the underwater floor are the responsibility of the Department of Fisheries. They can be contacted on 1300 550 474 if people see them entering the mangrove area. It was agreed an education campaign needs to be started for the community to be aware of how crucial the sea grass is in the ecological cycle and to be more aware of protecting sea horses and other marine species that depend on it. Council’s sea grass warning signs need to be more visible and their content improved. Recent signs placed at The Joey could be a start of an awareness campaign to protect rhizomes from which the sea grass roots grow. There are not enough signs regarding sea horses.
Water contamination
Palm Beach Kiddie’s Corner drain has been included in the council schedule for periodical monitoring/maintenance of vegetation and other debris blocking the drain. It should be noted that dog faecal matter forms part of the vegetation debris. In addition, there is sewerage run off from adjoining houses. The serious issue of monitoring for noxious pollution affecting people’s health is still left to the Beach Watch website. There was discussion of signage in visible areas to warn people not to swim when there is sewerage run off after big rains. There are ongoing discussions between Council and Beach Watch about allocation of responsibilities in the future because of funding issues. Nevertheless, residents are free to contact the Council if they see suspicious flow into the beach from the drains. LINK to Beachwatch: https://www.beachwatch.nsw.gov.au/home
Dumping of old boats in Pittwater
Council only has responsibility for old boats dumped on land. Boats abandoned in the ocean are a State responsibility and residents should report directly as this is a serious source of water contamination. You can do this by telephoning 132 213.
Scotland Island representatives discussed their ongoing problem of sewerage contamination that is making swimming dangerous and could potentially extend to the rest of Pittwater. Residents have not received a satisfactory answer from government entities who suggest they should pay for the cost of fixing run off individually. Independent contamination evidence is being gathered to lobby government.
Lithium battery storage at marinas is another issue of concern which remains pending. Not all marinas comply with safety legislation. There is no mechanism to update licences before the legislation passed to make them comply. The granting of moorings was restricted some years ago by the State government but numbers are now proliferating.
Lion Island
Regulations for Jet Skis and for floating accommodation were discussed. It is an area outside Council’s responsibilities. For unsafe behaviour at the beach: call NSW MARITIME PWC hotline on 131 236 or the NSW Police Assistance Line on 131 444 Roads and Maritime Services is also responsible for commercial operations and regulations can be obtained from them.
AVALON – SYDNEY WATER MAINS REPLACEMENT
Sydney Water are renewing the water main along Old Barrenjoey Road in Avalon between The Crescent near the school and Avalon Fire Station to be done in two sections. In Section 1 from The Crescent to Dunbar Park work will be done at night from 8 pm to 5 am on four nights a week – Monday nights to Friday mornings so no work on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It will be done using the open trench method. Each night a trench will be dug, new water main laid and the trench backfilled with the road temporarily restored. It will be done section by section until it is complete.
In Section 1 the road will be closed when night work is taking place with access only for residents but the road will be restored by the following morning. Eight parking spaces will be taken over to store equipment and the location will progress along the road as work proceeds. Some of the work will of course be noisy but Sydney Water are aiming to do the noisy work (saw cutting or jackhammering) before midnight and keep noise levels to a minimum.
In Section 2 from Dunbar Park to Avalon Fire Station the technical challenges such as buried services, soft ground and high groundwater, mean that a tunnelling method will be used. Entry and receival pits will be dug at either end and the main installed in a tunnel between these two points. The work should take about 12 to 16 weeks. The road will become one way (southbound only) and traffic will need to go around the roadwork by driving through the car park next to Woolworths. The parking in this part of Old Barrenjoey Road will not be available while work is being done.
Temporary laydown areas include: the grass reserve next to the car park outside Woolworths; the laneways beside Old Barrenjoey Road; the grass reserve opposite Avalon Primary School.
Two crews will do the work to enable the two sections to proceed together. The aim is to have the work completed before the summer peak season and should be done between March and October 2025. Work on Section 1 will begin first and we will be informed when work on Section 2 will start, possible in April.
For more information please contact: confluence@sydneywater.com.au or call 1800 943 119 https://www.sydneywatertalk.com.au/cwm-old-barrenjoey-road-avalon-beach
TOURISM
A new Tourism Australia advertising campaign was launched in November with this summer’s Australia-India Test Cricket series to encourage Indian travellers to plan and book an Australian holiday. Howzat for a holiday? went live in India ahead of the first Test in Perth and ran throughout the series to highlight Australia’s tourism destinations and experiences. Australian Test Cricket captain Pat Cummins teamed up with Australia’s brand ambassador, Ruby the Kangaroo, in a TV commercial featuring the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Cape Tribulation, Kangaroo Island and Rottnest Island, as well as a game of beach cricket on Palm Beach.
HISTORY CORNER BY ROBERT MACKINNON
GOVERNOR ARTHUR PHILLIP (PART 3 – FINAL) – A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
In this, the third and final in the series on Governor Arthur Phillip, we look at why he was an unlikely choice as the first Governor of New South Wales, examine his achievements and failings, and explore how he spent his time after returning to England in 1792.
Phillip was an improbable choice as Commodore of the First Fleet and Governor of the new colony. One issue was his age as he was 49 when selected. At that time in England, the life expectancy for men was 40, a figure skewed by the then high incidence of infant mortality. One of those opposed to his appointment was Richard Howe, later to become Lord Howe, a senior figure in the Admiralty. However, Phillip had a strong supporter in Thomas Townshend, British Home Secretary in the Pitt Government and 1st Viscount Sydney, whose memory remains in perpetuity after Governor Phillip named the new settlement Sydney Town. Townshend was the driving force in recommending the colonisation of New South Wales, and for reputational reasons probably wanted what we’d call today ‘a safe pair of hands’ to be in charge of the new colony. One factor that worked in Phillip’s favour was the likelihood that young, ambitious officers at that time would have preferred active service in the Northern Hemisphere in preference to an administrative role in an unknown land populated by a motley assortment of wrongdoers anxious to seek their freedom.
A complex man, arguably no Governor since Phillip has had anything like the breadth and depth of life experiences he’d had when chosen to lead the First Fleet. Son of a German immigrant, Phillip entered the Navy at thirteen and over the course of his life became proficient in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. As a teenager, he travelled into the Arctic Circle. Later, he fought in Naval battles, was a spy in France and a mercenary in the Portuguese Navy.
Whilst on half pay from the Navy, in 1763 Phillip married above his station. He was just 24, his new wife 41. Historian Michael Pembroke describes Phillip at the time as being ‘a little pudgy and almost penniless’, an unlikely characterisation given the sallow, lean and dour image of him usually seen in official portraits. Charlotte (in some accounts Charlott) Denison was a wealthy widow who in 1759 married John Denison, a well-to-do cloth and wine merchant with property in Lambeth and farmland in Dorset. Less than 10 months into the marriage, John Denison died. Charlotte inherited all his property as well as a generous trust fund. Now the story gets interesting. In Georgian times, the law was such that upon marriage a husband was entitled to all his wife’s assets. But Charlotte was worldly wise, had good advice, or both, because not only did she secure her assets via a trust but entered into what was in effect a pre-nuptial agreement with her new husband. Given their prosperity, Phillip and Charlotte lived grandly. Their primary residence was at fashionable Hampton Court and they had a farm known as Vernals (also Vernalls) at Lyndhurst in the New Forest. This is where Phillip enthusiastically assumed the role of gentleman farmer and expended a considerable amount of his wife’s estate acquiring additional rural property. There, he made acquaintance with a neighbour, Sir George Rose, Joint Secretary of the British Treasury and later Treasurer of the Navy, another person who backed Phillip to lead the First Fleet. Phillip named Rose Hill in his friend’s honour.
After six years, Phillip’s marriage to Charlotte was annulled in 1769 via an Indenture of Separation, the only means open to them given that England, unlike other prominent European nations, had no divorce laws. Nothing is known of the cause of the marriage failing, but historians believe Phillip was the party who was wronged. Adding to the injury, Phillip, who had little in the way of assets when he entered the marriage, was obliged under law to repay his former wife the amount of her fortune he had spent. And somehow, in succeeding years, he was able to do so. Speculation continues to this day about how he arranged his affairs to make it possible. Certainly, during his marriage, and in the succeeding years, he was on half pay from the Navy. Concurrently, it is likely that he was also active as a spy in France. Curiously too, whilst continuing to live on the Continent, he was involved in the profitable trading of cloth, possibly leveraging contacts made by the late John Denison. In any event, he repaid his former wife, thus closing another chapter of a life richly lived.
Phillip was a man of The Enlightenment when traditional philosophies and values, many of them Church-based, were challenged. Put to the forefront, was man’s ability to reason. In keeping with then modern views, Phillip questioned the value of hanging as a punishment and before leaving for New South Wales, proclaimed that only two offences warranted the death sentence: murder and sodomy. Further, his philosophy was to reform convicts rather than penalise them. However, his principles were soon tested. As previously seen, despite loading a large array of live animals, plants and foodstuffs at the Cape of Good Hope before sailing to New South Wales, the colony was soon short of food. Indeed, throughout Phillip’s time as Governor, food rationing was in place. The first convict hanging occurred on 27 February 1788 for the offence of stealing food, the victim an artful forger named Thomas Barrett. Today, a plaque at the corner of Essex and Harrington Streets Sydney marks the site. Adding to Phillip’s weight of responsibility was the arrival of the Second Fleet in June 1790. A privateer venture overseen by the Admiralty, it was soon known as ‘The Death Fleet’ due to the mortality rate, estimated to be as high as 40% when accounting for the voyage and a period of six months thereafter. Nonetheless, it resulted in at least another 700 mouths to feed. More convict ships followed, challenging the colony’s food supplies and policing, as later shipments contained hardened, career criminals.
Resolute in seeking self-sufficiency, Phillip’s perseverance led to the discovery of the Hawkesbury in June 1789. But, despite its promise of good agricultural land, Phillip decided against settling there due to its distance from Sydney and the envisaged difficulty in keeping order. By then, other places like Farm Cove and Rose Hill were proving fruitful. Being a man of The Enlightenment, Phillip took a scientific approach to choosing sites for agriculture and gathered soil samples that he took back with him for further analysis. He also relied upon the assistance of Henry Dodd, a man largely overlooked by history, who’d been Phillip’s gardener at Lyndhurst. However, tragedy constantly beset Phillip’s attempts to make the colony self-supporting. In March 1790, he ordered the Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet, to Norfolk Island with a complement of 275 convicts and marines. His plan was to ease the burden of food rationing in Sydney whilst taking advantage of the fertile soil on the island. However, under the command of Captain John Hunter, during a storm the Sirius foundered on a reef at Slaughter Bay, a notoriously difficult place to land. Its next destination was China to obtain fresh supplies. Rubbing salt into Phillip’s wounds, the newly augmented Norfolk Island population were unable to sustain themselves. Miraculously, they survived by slaughtering an estimated 170,000 – 200,000 of a variety of mutton-birds known as the Providence Petrel. The birds became extinct on Norfolk and are now an endangered species found only at Lord Howe Island and Phillip Island in Victoria.
Phillip led from the front. On several occasions when confronted by Aborigines, he placed his musket on the ground as a show of amity, met by a similar gesture from his indigenous counterpart, usually an elder. Remarkably too, Phillip kept his sangfroid when speared through the shoulder at Manly in September 1790. Treated by surgeons, his injury was severe enough to keep him from his duties for 10 days. Self-effacing by nature, Phillip, unlike Macquarie who became Governor in 1810, has relatively few landmarks named in his honour. Those that remain are Phillip Street (Sydney), Phillip Island (Victoria) and Port Phillip Bay (Melbourne). And of course at Palm Beach we have Governor Phillip Park, so named at the urging in 1923 of the then Palm Beach Progress Association, a predecessor to the PBWBA.
The spearing of Governor Phillip by Willemering Dec. 1790. Image from The Port Jackson Painter collection of the Museum of Natural History, UK
A testament to Phillip’s quiet but effective style of management was the disarray the colony suffered during the interregnum from when Phillip left for England and Captain John Hunter, his successor, commenced in September 1795. During that time, Lieutenant-Governors Grose and Paterson were in charge. As military men, both extended additional privileges to the armed forces. Also, at that time, vessels from other countries would enter Sydney Harbour ‘on spec’ to sell hundreds of gallons of rum―a generic term for various types of alcohol― to a willing populace, the beginning of a dark period in the colony’s history.
Phillip sailed for England in December 1792 to seek specialist medical attention for a pain in his side that appears to have begun after his first foray to Sydney’s Northern Peninsula on 2nd March 1788. For the seven days of that first exploratory voyage, there was almost constant rain and for the most part Phillip and his men slept on wet ground despite on one occasion being offered a large rock shelter by an old Aboriginal man. Travelling with Phillip on board the Atlantic was Woolarawarre Bennelong―who had become his close friend―and Yemmerrawanne, a young Aboriginal man. Despite many accounts that Bennelong and Yemmerrawanne met with King George III, reliable sources such as historian Kate Fullagar, believe they didn’t. However, they may have seen him at some of the venues they attended like the House of Commons or the theatre. Based on letters written by Phillip, the primary reason he took the men to England was for the naturalist Joseph Banks to see them. Also on the voyage were dingoes, some native birds, four kangaroos and a variety of plants and timber samples. Incidentally, the kangaroos were Phillip’s pets and were known to sleep by his kitchen fire.
Upon his return, Phillip gravitated towards the historic town of Bath in Somerset. Named after the baths established by the Romans, naturally occurring hot springs are in the area and Phillip took the then popular ‘water cure’, which involved drinking rather unpleasant tasting mineral water and using it for bathing, all under the supervision of a Physician. As he recovered, he mingled with Bath’s social set. A keen reader, he joined a local library where he met the woman who was to become his second wife. Isabella Whitehead was 43 years old and had never been married. She was also affluent, being the daughter of a wealthy man who had travelled to Bath for his health. Phillip was now well known, having distinguished himself in the new colony, and was considered a highly eligible bachelor. Phillip and Isabella were married at St. Marylebone in May 1794 and afterwards moved back and forth between London and Bath in the upper echelons of society. When in London, Phillip kept up his relationship with senior bureaucrats and maintained interest in what was happening in the colony. In February 1796, with his health issues behind him, Phillip was given command of the Atlas, a 98-gun warship. Thereafter, he progressed his career, often being away from home for long periods, much to Isabella’s consternation. He ultimately rose through various Rear and Vice Admiral roles until he retired in 1805. He died on 31 Aug 1814 at the age of 75 just three months after becoming an Admiral of the Blue, one of the Navy’s highest ranks, higher than Horatio Nelson, best known for achieving victory over Napoleon in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Historians at large seem to agree that Phillip had the requisite blend of experience and skills that made him an ideal choice to establish the new colony. Almost to a man, those who worked for him were complimentary about his management style, inter-personal skills and drive. His interactions with Aboriginal people were cordial despite two kidnapping attempts in a bid to establish effective dialogue with them. And in spite of some initial ructions, Phillip and Bennelong appeared to have enjoyed a firm friendship. In the language of today, Phillip was also a good networker who fostered and maintained respectful relationships with his colleagues and subordinates, even to the extent of having his former gardener―and remarkably his French chef―accompany him to New South Wales. Active in all administrative affairs, Phillip engaged himself in planning the layout of Sydney Town. Today, some of the streets in the CBD remain as he intended, following the contours of the land and positioned to provide shelter from prevailing winds.
Phillip gathered around him a group of men who were as curious about this new land as he was. People such as William Dawes, a trained astronomer, who took great interest in the Gadigal language as used around Sydney and today’s Eastern Suburbs. With the help of Patyegarang, a young Aboriginal woman, Dawes developed a dictionary of what became known as the ‘Sydney language’, some of which is still used by scholars today. A man of many parts, Phillip seemed driven to achieve wealth and social cachet yet appeared to be humble in dealing with those he knew and worked with. Despite his best attempts, he was never quite able to build a firm and lasting relationship with Aboriginal people in the greater Sydney area. But nor was he behind massacres as some of his successors were, including Lachlan Macquarie. Regardless of Phillip’s faults, they were counter-balanced by many fine qualities and he will always be remembered as the man who set in place the foundation stone upon which the new colony was established.
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UPCOMING DATES
Next Coffee Morning
Monday 31 March
Next Committee Meeting
Monday 10 March
AGM
Tuesday 13 May 7pm at Club Palm Beach
Christmas Party
Sunday 7 December 6-8.30pm at Dunes
Please do not hesitate to contact PBWBA with any questions, concerns or thoughts or any comments about the Newsletter to: Email: info@pbwba.org.au
Prof Richard West AM
0407 942 941
