SuburbBerowraTypeBayDetailsEdward Windybank was working on the railway construction when he saw Cowan Creek at the bottom of the valley. He walked down the steep slope and arrived at Waratah Bay. He loved the place and, in 1888, arranged a lease. He and his wife Alice settled there and started a business. It was a magic spot that attracted both locals and tourists.
Windybank carved a track from Berowra station to Waratah Bay. The track was widened and improved in 1895 by a gang of unemployed workers as part of a Public Works program. The Windybank family trained a pony, 'Phyllis', to accompany their children on their way to school. The horse used to come back down the track on its own bringing supplies from Fosters Store.
Edward Windybank was a skilled carpenter and he built houseboats and cottages. On Saturday nights, regular dances and musical evenings were conducted. Edward Windybank died in 1927, but the business was taken over by his sons. In the late 1940s, the business was sold out to Bernie and Val Beausang who continued to run the boat shed and shop until the 1960s.
Gordon Windybank, with his wife Mavis, established the Windybank Bait Service from their house in Mount Colah in 1950. It operated until 2018.
CreatorMick Joffe, 'Yarns & Photos: Beautiful Old Berowra 7 Hornsby to the Hawkesbury. p68'Our Bushland Shire' (2021) p.202
