Manly's History Footsteps

1788
January 21: Governor Phillip names Manly Cove after the "Manly" behaviour of local Aborigines.
January 22-23:Governor Phillip names Sydney Cove.
April 15: Governor Phillip lands at North Harbour, Manly.
September 1790: Governor Phillip speared at Manly Cove by Aborigines feasting on a whale.

1810
First land grants in the Manly area by Governor Lachlan Macquarie.
- 100 acres granted to Richard Cheers (Corso to North Head)
- 30 acres granted to Gilbert Baker (Corso to Ashburner Street)

1818
D'Arcy Wentworth buys the Cheers and Baker land grants. Wentworth is the first Director of Australia’s first Bank, the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac).

1841
38 males and 29 females live in the Parish of Manly Cove.

1852
Henry Gilbert Smith, known as "The Father of Manly", begins to develop his 120-acre grant on the slopes north-east of the Corso

1854
Smith constructs the first Manly Wharf, and builds the Pier Hotel opposite, with a public "pleasure garden", a bar and walking paths next door.
Smith begins the first, regular ferry service from Manly Cove to Sydney Cove, using the wooden paddle steamer "The Brothers".
Smith builds his stone home above Manly, called "Fairlight House".

1856
Smith clears a narrow, swampy street from the Harbour to Ocean Beach. He calls it The Corso, after a famous street in Rome.

1858
Smith builds a "little rustic church" in Manly.
Smith becomes a Member of the New South Wales Parliament’s Legislative Assembly.
Smith donates the site and money to build Manly’s first schoolhouse, which opens with 19 pupils.

1859
The new ferry, "The Phantom", joins the Manly to Sydney service. She is known as "Puffing Billy" for her smoking funnel.

1860
Manly’s Ocean Beach becomes very popular. Bathing boxes on wheels are provided for bathers to rent. Bathing in the open between 6 am and 8 pm is strictly forbidden.

1874
The steamer, "Mystery", is added to the Manly Ferry service.

1876
The Wentworth family’s large Manly estate is sold at auction to the Anglo- Australian Investment Company. More land is available to develop in Manly.

1877
First meeting of Manly Municipal Council.

1880's
New land and housing boom in Manly.

1885
A second wharf is built at the end of Stuart Street.
Nearby land is subdivided. Free 5-year ferry passes are offered to families who build homes on their land.

1888
At the height of the 1880’s Land Boom, about 2000 people live between Manly and Narrabeen Lagoon.
Manly is very popular as a day tripper’s destination.

1901
Federation of the Australian colonies creates the Commonwealth of Australia.

1903
Steam tram services commence in Manly. After losing money, the steam tram is replaced by horse-drawn trams.

1906
A motorbus service from Manly to Newport commences.

1908
America’s Great White Fleet of "Ironclad" battleships visits Sydney. Manly celebrates the visit.

1910
Manly’s tram service reaches Narrabeen Lagoon.
Manly’s "Federation" – style housing boom continues until the Great War (World War One).

1914-1918
The Great War: hundreds of Manly’s young men are killed and wounded at Gallipoli and in France.

1922
D.H Lawrence, the famous English writer, and his wife Frieda, visit Manly on the six-penny ferry.

1924
The first Spit Bridge opens, replacing the old wooden punt over Middle Harbour.
Manly is marketed as "Manly-By-The-Sea".
Land and housing development increases.

1929
The Great Crash on Wall Street begins the Great Depression.

1930's
"Borambil", Sydney’s first pre-stressed concrete apartment is completed in 1930, at Manly Beach.
Manly’s popularity with day-trippers continues to increase.
On Anniversary Day 1936, Manly ferries carry a record 100,000 passengers.

1939
Fairlight House demolished, and replaced by nine blocks of flats.
Last tram leaves Manly Wharf.

1939
Second World War: hundreds of Manly’s young men and women are killed and wounded in North Africa, Europe, New Guinea and other parts of the Pacific and Asia.

1950's
Manly’s population begins to change with high post-war migration from Europe.