Coogee is one of the most popular beach destinations in Sydney, but did you know that its reputation as a relaxing seaside resort hub wasn’t sealed until 1902, when the advent of the electric tram connected Coogee to Randwick?
A painting by Charles Conder and Tom Roberts from 1888 depicted the earliest indications of Coogee’s potential as a resort suburb. For a long time however, ocean swimming was not widely encouraged in Coogee due to safety concerns. Most people could only swim in the baths and the shallow waters during the daytime.
Coogee’s Aboriginal Roots
The name ‘Coogee’ was believed to be derived from the Aboriginal word ‘koojah,’ the distinctive smell of dried seaweed that often washes up on the shoreline. ‘Koojah’ is from the Dharug language of the Eora nation that lived in Sydney’s metropolitan area before the arrival of the European colonisers.
The Eora nation has different clans but historians believe that the Bidjigal and Gadigal people occupied the Coogee area. Men and women fished for food using spears and canoes made of bark. They also gathered shellfish, ferns and figs. By the 1820s, hikers, adventurers, hunters, and lumberjacks frequented Coogee through South Head.
The arrival of the Europeans was devastating for the Aboriginal people who were wiped out by diseases like smallpox, that were brought in by the colonisers. Social disruptions and killings also forced the Aborigines to relocate to Sydney Cove.
By 1838, Coogee was recognised as a village by the NSW Executive Council. It comprised Coogee Bay Road (Whale Street), Alfreda Street (Bondi Street), Bream Street (Fish Street), and Belmore Road (Coogee Road). The foreshore was considered an area for public reaction while the south side was designated as a swampy site.
With the passing of time and with the installation of the tram lines, Coogee attracted more people who loved to reap the therapeutic benefits of the baths. The wealthy also made Coogee their resort residence. Construction of seaside villas surged.
1840s: Charles Catley, The Father of Coogee
There are no street names and landmarks named after Charles Catley in Coogee. His legacy as a local resident was mostly commemorated in contemporary times.
Whilst Mr Catley’s house no longer stands, the original sandstone retaining wall has remained. Per the NSW Heritage Office, this wall is evidence of the beginnings of Coogee’s development.
But who was Mr Catley?
He was recognised as the first white person who lived in Coogee. Born in 1825 in Melbourn in the Cambridgeshire village in the U.K., Catley arrived in Sydney in 1848. Then 23 years old, Catley bought a large parcel of land on Brook St, Coogee after marrying Charlotte McClenahan. Part of this land is now the Coogee Oval.
The Catleys started a fruit and vegetable business in Coogee in the 1850s, bringing cauliflower seeds for farming on his property. When the area became a recreation destination, his wife also established one of the first shops that sold food and refreshments to tourists.
The couple have been community leaders who helped establish the St Nicholas Anglican Church and supported the development of Coogee Bay Road as a centre for commerce. They were very involved in the community whilst raising seven kids.
Their market and refreshments businesses became profitable and Mr Catley was able to buy more of the neighboring land. He built Cauliflower Hall, a two-storey, six-bedroom Georgian house on his main property. Needless to say, his family became extremely wealthy after his death.
1870s: The Establishment of Coogee Public School
Coogee Public School was established in 1876 with 50 students under their first teacher, William Wardrop Cameron. He was originally from Glasgow, England, and became a teacher in Hunter Valley in the 1850s before moving to Sydney.
Mr Cameron retired in 1891 but established a private school in Randwick before moving to Marrickville. He died in Rockdale in 1906.
By the turn of the century, the school had grown to 150 students. As the school expanded with more students, the overcrowding was addressed with the construction of a two-storey building on the paved sand hills.
In 1928, a new brick building opened on the southern end of the old watershed, followed by another brick building construction in 1935.
From the 1930s to the 1970s, the student body of Coogee Public School reached over a thousand. However, in 1976, in its centennial year, the school had more than 500 students. This number has been consistent for many years and the school remains one of the largest primary schools in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
During the European settlement bicentenary celebrations in 1988, a time capsule was buried in the school grounds, to be opened in 2038.
1880s: The Arrival of the Trams
In the 1880s, members of the Randwick Council Chamber urged the government to extend the tram network from Randwick to Coogee Beach for weekend visitors to the coastal town.
At the time, an average of 7,000 passengers travelled to the beach on horse-drawn carriages regularly with many proceeding to walk the long road from the Randwick terminus to Coogee.
Work on the tramlines started in 1881 and services became regular in 1883. By 1905, additional trams brought in more visitors, including moonlight excursions to Coogee Beach.
The last tram service in Coogee operated in October 1960. By then, more and more commuters were opting to ride the bus, which was introduced to the city in the 1940s.
1880s: The Opening of the Coogee Palace Aquarium
Coogee Palace Aquarium, designed by Sydney-born architect and painter John Smedley, along Dolphin St was built around the same time as the tramlines. Mr Smedley also designed buildings in China and Japan; the Sydney Trades Hall; banks and buildings in Toowoomba and Townsville in Queensland; and the Wesleyan Church at Stanmore.
The aquarium was the premier recreational site for locals and visitors to rival the entertainment precinct of Bondi and Manly. Here, children had plenty of play facilities to explore at the amusement park. Meanwhile, the rest of the family had heaps of outdoor spots to enjoy such as the bandstand, the aviaries, the beautiful gardens, and an open-air bar.
Coogee Palace Aquarium also housed the most popular swimming pool in Sydney, next to the roller skating rink and the dance area known as The Great Hall. The site could accommodate 3,000 people at a time.
Sadly, as Coogee slowly rose to become a surfing community when ocean swimming was no longer outlawed, patronage to the aquarium precinct declined. The structure was soon neglected and was ordered for demolition by the Heritage Council in the 1980s after a strong wind destroyed the dome.
Today, the Coogee Pavillion, a dining and retail precinct, can be found where the Coogee Aquarium once stood.
At the turn of the century, Coogee opened other public facilities like Wylie’s Bath, the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, and the Grand Pacific Hotel. These sites have become popular institutions in Coogee and have remained in operation even today.
