MANLY GROWS... When James Warner surveyed this district in 1859, the entire area was covered with dense bushland and scrubby vegetation. On the foreshore there were swamps and mangroves. Most of the newly surveyed acreage lots were in the hands of investors and lay dormant for the next 20 years. In October 1882 David, James and John Arnold advertised the first sale of residential land, “Manly Beach”. Mary Street (now Stratton Terrace) was intended to be the main street of this new development with Mr Savage, a grocer and baker, opening the very first shop there in 1894. There were thirteen residents. The colony was in the midst of a severe depression.
Crutchfield’s Beach Kiosk
But the arrival of a new railway line in November 1889, connecting Brisbane with Cleveland and running through Wynnum and Manly, was the turning-point for future development. Land seekers, day trippers, campers, all streamed down the hill from the railway station along the present Cambridge Parade to reach the foreshore. Or they could choose to be transported from the station in Mr Richard Russell’s horse cab. Cambridge Parade was the natural route, connecting the station to the beach. Two further General Stores opened, opposite each other. Mr Curtis bought land in 1896 for his General Store and Tea Garden. Mr Russell built his Store and Assembly Hall around 1899. Campers arrived and set up tents, rented from Crutchfield’s Beach Kiosk. Here too, they could also purchase hot water and basic provisions. Holiday boarding houses were built. The Albert Hall was a short walk along the Esplanade and provided a venue for dances. Many Jetty Kiosk was built by 1899 with enclosed baths, the Jetty Kiosk and a dance hall. Mary Todd, a later owner of the Beach Kiosk, built a house on the corner of Mary Street and Cambridge Parade, in the hope of obtaining a Liquor Licence and opening the first hotel. In 1907, the population of Manly voted “No Thank You” and Manly remained dry until the 1950’s . Source: Wynnum Manly Historical Society Inc. | December 2020
Campers on the foreshore. The Crutchfield’s Beach Kiosk to the rear.