Friday, December 01, 2006

Merritts Wharf

Thirty three degrees and blue sky forecast for today (86 F). It's warming up but overcast. No walkies, got to work. Ugh. Dug up a couple of extra photos from Empire Bay for your viewing pleasure.

Merritts Road Empire Bay

Private jetty on Merritts Road, a few metres from Merritts Wharf, Empire Bay. Rileys Island in the middle distance, Koolewong & Tascott in the background.

Turn off Empire Bay Road at Greenfield Road, go to the end of Greenfield and turn left into Rickard Road. Merritts Road is the narrow bit right at the end of Rickard.

The wharf's still there. Blue and white job right at the end of the street, a public wharf. The name is familiar from my research as either a once-private wharf used to deliver punters into the waiting jaws of real estate agents or as a public ferry wharf, both in the 19th century and possibly in the early 20th century. It's been a while since I've had time for walkies research, bugger it.

Merritts Road Empire Bay

Taken a bit further up the road. St Huberts Island in the middle distance, Woy Woy Bay in the distance.

Have a gander at an old auction notice for a land sale on "Anniversary Day" (Australia Day) 1912 at Merritts Wharf Estate. The estate goes from Rickard Road to close to Empire Bay Road. The streets within it are not all on my 2006 street directory. Crudge Road (love that name) and Greenacre Road seem to be part of Empire Bay Road now. Appian Way is missing but if you join the two ends of Hillcrest Road you can se where it was. Myrtle Road is still Myrtle Road, as are Greenfield Road and Kendall Road. Boronia Road is now Echuca Road and Gosford Road is now part of Rickard Road and all of Rosella Road.

That won't mean much to those who don't live there. Suffice it to say the Merritts Wharf Estate took up half of Empire Bay and I'm expecting to be able to see it still, in the age of the houses, when I walk those streets.

And there's good boating maps for Broken Bay/Brisbane Water at NSW Waterways site. Enjoy.

2 comments:

Inexplicable DeVice said...

33 degrees, Spike darling?

Ridiculous! There were only 3 of them.

Spike said...

Hot, Bloody Hot and Are We Dead Yet?