Calabash Bay

About

TypeBayDetailsOn the western shore of Berowra Creek downstream from Dusthole Bay. The word refers to various pumpkins and gourds; these were often used as containers when hollowed out.

In 1894, Mr Edward Aubrey was appointed as a 'house-to-house' teacher, travelling between the hall at Arcadia and a house belonging to George Atkins on the Calabash Road. The Calabash school had only eight pupils and the school was later consolidated into Arcadia. Mr Atkins slab house was destroyed by fire in 1897.
In that same year, the 'Cumberland Argus' reported that it had become a pleasure to drive a buggy along the road from Arcadia to Calabash Bay. It mentioned that there was settlement around the Bay and that it was possible for picnic parties to obtain requirements there.
When the route through Berrilee was approved, Calabash Road was left to deteriorate. On top of the hill above Calabash Bay, the ruins can be seen of what was a large and impressive building. Various stories and rumours have existed about these ruins. The basic facts are that Sarah Dalton owned 40 acres of land in the area, dating from 1888. In June 1900, the ownership was transferred to her son-in-law, John Fretar, who was the proprietor of the San Souci Hotel. Around 1900, Fretar built an impressive stone house which had 12 rooms, including six bedrooms. He seems to have used the house as a holiday home, but he died in 1928.
The property was left to his brothers, William and George, but passed completely to George when William died in 1929. 1932, George Fretar died and left the property to his nephews, Ronald and Alexander. The property was largely neglected after John Fretar's death and it was occupied by squatters during the Depression. Fine furniture was vandalised and much of the building destroyed.
Thomas Claydon bought the property in 1938 and it was subdivided in the 1950s. A bushfire swept through the ruins removing most traces of the building's former grandeur.CreatorPowell, John P. (1994), Placenames of the Greater Hawkesbury Region, Hawkesbury River Enterprises: Berowra, p.18. 'Our Bushland Shire' (2021) p.217

Calabash Bay, Berowra [woodcut] circa 1939.Calabash Bay, Berowra [woodcut] circa 1939.Calabash Bay, Berowra [woodcut] circa 1939.

LocationBerowra CreekGeotag^[1]KeywordsBerowra Creek

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Calabash Bay