Manly Beach Through Time

Surf carnivals, Bowercliff, Borambil and the lost Surf Pavilion

Stand at South Steyne today and it is hard to picture the scene that once stretched along the southern end of Manly Beach: a grand clifftop mansion, long timber bathing sheds, crowds twenty thousand strong, and later one of the finest modernist beach buildings Australia ever produced. Here is the story in order, told wherever possible in the words of the newspapers of the day.

A timeline of the southern end of Manly Beach

1906: Bowercliff

The grand residence Bowercliff was built overlooking South Steyne for John P. Wright, a successful boot manufacturer whose company was Wright, Davenport & Co. Designed by architect James Tosh, it became one of the most prominent homes above the southern end of the beach.

7 December 1907: Manly's first surf carnival

Manly celebrated the opening of its new dressing enclosure on the ocean beach with a surf-bathing carnival: a fancy-dress procession, swimming and wading races, an obstacle race, a tug-of-war and a lifesaving display. The speeches did not go so well. As the Sydney Morning Herald's report below shows, the Minister was drowned out by the breakers, and Dr Arthur by a big bass drum.

25 January 1908: The famous Manly Surf Carnival

Only seven weeks later, Manly staged the much larger event widely described as the world's first organised surf carnival. More than 20,000 spectators reportedly attended, and the program included what is recognised as the first surfboat race. The December 1907 gathering was already called a surf carnival in the newspapers. The January 1908 event turned the idea into the major spectacle that became famous.

31 December 1908: Planning the 1909 carnival

With two successes behind it, the Manly Surf Club met at the Hotel Steyne to plan an even grander carnival for 1909. The full newspaper report is below, including the government steamer Captain Cook as flagship, "The Birth of Venus", Lady Godiva's ride and the Sly brothers shooting the breakers.

1913: New beach sheds

New beach sheds were built at the southern end of Manly Beach. These are the long timber buildings below Bowercliff in several of the photographs, and they served Manly beachgoers until they were replaced in the late 1930s.

1927: The loss of Bowercliff

After the deaths of Mr and Mrs Wright, Bowercliff was demolished in 1927. For a brief time, before Borambil was built, the empty site opened up a view from the beach straight through to St Patrick's. That view was only possible then, and never again.

1929–1930: Borambil rises

Construction of the Borambil flats began on the former Bowercliff site in 1929. Designed by the distinguished architect James Peddle and completed around 1930, the imposing red-brick building is still one of Manly's best-known landmarks.

1939: Manly's award-winning Surf Life Saving Pavilion

The old timber sheds made way for the striking modernist Manly Surf Life Saving Pavilion. It was designed by Eric W. Andrew, honorary architect of Manly Life Saving Club, together with the talented architect Winsome Hall Andrew. The pavilion followed the curve of the beach in a boomerang shape, with dressing rooms, sunbathing decks, surf-club rooms and the distinctive Shark Tower. It won the Sir John Sulman Medal for Architecture for 1939, partly for the way its modern design harmonised with the beach and headland.

Sadly, despite its importance, the pavilion was demolished in 1980, and the present clubhouse was built on the site in 1981–82. The Shark Tower, weakened by "concrete cancer", came down at around the same time.

Surf carnival and beach scenes at Manly from the 1930s to the 1950s, many showing the 1939 Surf Pavilion and its Shark Tower. Photographs by Max Dupain, courtesy of Jill White Photography.

In their own words: the newspaper reports

The two reports below are reproduced as they were printed. Only obvious scanning errors have been corrected.

"Procession defeats Dr. Arthur": The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 1907

SURF CARNIVAL. DISPLAY AT MANLY. PROCESSION DEFEATS DR. ARTHUR.

On Saturday afternoon a large crowd gathered at Manly to witness a surf carnival. A liberal programme was carried out, as can be vouched for by those who occupied positions on the high ground overlooking the beach where the displays took place. An enclosure was roped off as a sports arena, but this was so densely packed by surfies that those who were not garbed to wade through the breakers were unable to obtain more than a momentary glimpse of what was going on. It is to be regretted that better arrangements were not made to keep the crowd of bathers from encroaching on the beach, as a very interesting afternoon's entertainment was provided. The whole affair showed the want of a good stage manager.

The carnival was held to celebrate the opening of the new dressing accommodation on the ocean beach. Much has been made of the additions and alterations, still bathers are not nearly as well provided for as they should be, and many surfies expressed the opinion that the council was unwise in drawing attention to the poorness of the accommodation available compared to that at other resorts especially Coogee. The new improvements were declared open by Mr. Moore, M.L.A., Minister for Lands. A large platform was erected in the enclosure, on which the Minister and the aldermen of the local municipal council took up a position. Mr. Moore was introduced by the Mayor, Alderman Learmonth, and presented with a gold key. The head of the Lands Department then declared the dressing accommodation open. He delivered a telling address on the value of surf bathing, and emphasised the interest the Government took in it. But his words were practically wasted. He was supposed to be addressing the spectators, but as they were about fifty yards on each side of him his utterances were drowned in the noise of the breakers on the beach. Still, his sentiments were not entirely lost, for beside him were the aldermen and the committee of the carnival, who were not stinting with their applause.

When the Minister had finished, Dr. Arthur, the member for the district, moved a vote of thanks to him. The speaker impressed on Mr. Moore the necessity of reclaiming certain lands at Freshwater when the procession of bathers in fancy costume were seen making towards the enclosure. The representative of Middle Harbour saw it coming, and, knowing that it would arrive before he could lay all the facts before the Minister, he spoke at an ordinary pace, but quickened his speed. It was a fine effort, and the race was watched with a deal of interest by those around the platform. The words fairly flew out of the speaker's mouth, and it was thought that he would be able to ventilate all of Manly's wants before the procession arrived. Such, however, was not the case, for he was going strong when the boom, boom, boom of the big drum at the head of the masqueraders drowned his voice, and he was compelled to wind up abruptly by calling for three cheers for Mr. Moore. That was the end of the serious business of the afternoon.

The procession entered the arena, where the members were judged, photographed, and biographed. A display with the lifeboat followed. This was rather tame on account of the disinclination of the breakers to break. They were so docile that two men had no difficulty in putting out from the beach in a small dingy. "Happy" Eyre then swam out and rescued a supposed drowning bather, who was resuscitated by a squad from the Royal Life Saving Society. The programme also included an obstacle race, wading and swimming races, and a tug of war.

Source: "Surf Carnival", The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 1907, p. 9, via Trove, National Library of Australia. See also the summary on p. 1, Trove.

Planning the next carnival: The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 December 1908

SURF BATHING. CARNIVAL AT MANLY.

The Manly Surf Club held a meeting at the Hotel Steyne last night, Mr Alderman Adam Ogilvy occupying the chair. It was reported that the Government would place the Captain Cook at the disposal of the club on carnival day to act as flagship, and would also arrange for a display with the Government lifeboat and a rocket display. The programme of the carnival was settled, it being decided to again have the "Birth of Venus" on the harbour beach, and "The Landing of Captain Cook" on the ocean beach, also a fancy dress procession through Manly, in which a representation of Lady Godiva's ride will be given. All the lifesaving clubs around Sydney will be invited to send representative teams to walk in the procession in club costume carrying their life-saving reels and gear. There will be a number of competitive events on the ocean beach, land drill, surf swimming and shooting and alarm reel races but the chief event of the day will be a rescue competition with lifelines and reels in which twelve teams will probably take part. This event last year caused considerable rivalry, and the Bondi Surf Bathers' Lifesaving Club and the Manly Surf Club proved a very close match.

The Sly Brothers will give an exhibition of shooting the breakers in the surf boat. Every effort will be made to provide the thousands of spectators with a good view of the proceedings, and the council will close the dressing sheds in order that only competitors may be in the water during the progress of the carnival. The Manly Band will perform during the afternoon. At the conclusion of last night's meeting of the Manly Surf Club, Mr A W Relph, who has held the position of hon secretary for eighteen months since the club's formation, handed in his resignation, owing to pressure of private work.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 December 1908.

Photographs and sources

Photographs courtesy of Frank Hurley (Manly Art Gallery & Museum Collection; digital print by Warren Macris, courtesy of the National Library of Australia), Max Dupain (courtesy of Jill White Photography), Pittwater Online News, Mark Hopcroft, Northern Beaches Council Local Studies and the State Library of New South Wales.

Sources: The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 1907 and 31 December 1908; Northern Beaches Council Local Studies; Manly Art Gallery & Museum; National Library of Australia (Trove); State Library of New South Wales; Pittwater Online News; and old Manly Daily and SMH articles.

Do you have photos or family stories from the old pavilion, the beach sheds or the surf carnivals? Share them with us in the Lost Manly & the Northern Beaches Facebook group.