Allawah, NSW: Here We Made Our Home

The Sydney suburb of Allawah, which is part of the St George area, is 16 kilometres south of Sydney's central business district.

 The name Allawah is of Aboriginal origin meaning, "make your abode here," or "remain here".

 

Gadigal People of The Eora Nation

The Gadigal Aboriginal people have lived around the Allawah area for thousands of years.

Aboriginal people often had distinct land boundaries and languages and the mode of life and cultures varied greatly from region to region.

A 19th-century engraving of an Aboriginal Australian encampment

Aboriginal shields at the Museum of Sydney, NSW

Captain John Townson

After the British arrived, the area of Allawah was granted to Captain John Townson, who was a British army officer and settler in the colony of New South Wales. Soon after arriving in Sydney, Townson was sent to Norfolk Island, however, he was promoted later to acting lieutenant-governor in Philip Gidley King's absence. 

 Captain Townson retired in England in 1803, but he came back to Sydney, arriving 5th of August 1806, on the same ship which brought Governor Bligh to New South Wales. Townson had a letter from the authorities in England, directing Governor Bligh to grant Townson 2000 acres of land, but Bligh refused.

However, Major George Johnston did fulfil the grant on 9 July 1808, when John Townson received 1950 acres on the south side of Mrs Hannah Laycock's King's Grove farm. The farm would be known as Townson's Farm. Townson's Allawah grant extended from King Georges Road and Stoney Creek Road to beyond Kogarah railway station.

Captain Townson's land grant included the area which would later become the suburb of Allawah. However, he was not happy with the south-east corner of his land, the Allawah area (also included Bexley and Calton) and so, he asked Lt Col Paterson for additional land, because "about 300 acres of my land being so bad as to be perfectly useless".

Townson also said:

"Having in the course of four years that I have been living upon this spot, employed a deal of labour, and expended a considerable sum of money in building, forming a stock yard, making and enclosing a large garden, clearing and inclosing paddocks and making roads, etc., etc., I hope your Excellency will think I have a just claim to indemnification and that you will give me at least a quantity of land equal to what I have been compelled to give up, with assistance to enable me to remake a similar establishment".

Captain John Townson sold his Botany Bay grants to Simeon Lord in 1812 and with Lord's ownership, the district became known as Lord's Bush or Lord's Forest. Interestingly, Simeon Lord was transported to Australia after being convicted at Manchester Quarter Sessions in April 1790 for stealing 21 pieces of cloth, 100 yards (91 m) of muslin and 100 yards (91 m) of calico from Robert Peel and associates.  

Portrait of Simeon Lord, ex-convict and wealthy merchant in early NSW.

After the death of Simeon Lord, the land came under the control of John Rose Holden and James Holt of the Bank of New South Wales (later Westpac). The area was subdivided into small farms and dairy farms were established.

Struggletown

For many years, the Allawah area was known as Struggletown as small two bedroom houses were mostly built there (2). 

Bellevue Estate was the name of the Allawah area in the late 1890s, when the land was sold for 12 pounds, requiring only one pound deposit.

The railway line to Hurstville was opened in 1884, but the railway station at Allawah did not open until 23 October 1925.

Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Saturday 7 March 1896

1920s

In 1925, the railway station officially opened with the celebration taking place on October 24th, with Mr G. H. Gotley as the first station-master. The new railway station between Carlton and Hurtsville increased real estate prices and shops began to crop up. Two subdivisions for sale at this time were the Ryan Estate and Peach Estate.

ALLAWAH—STAY HERE.

Brilliant Weather—Brilliant Function 

Last Saturday afternoon the new station "Allawah" was officially opened in the presence of about 1,000 people. Kogarah Municipal Band attended, and during the proceedings rendered some very fine selections which were much appreciated. It might be mentioned at this district during the past few years, has developed in a very remarkable manner, up-to-date shops are already near the station, and five more are in course of construction, a picture theatre will soon be in existence, whilst villas and other classes of residences over the hills and valleys in the neighbourhood. 

Thirty-five years ago, the writer was present at the first land sale in Bellevue, whereat the Auctioneer predicted the station would be erected six months hence from that date, but year after year went by until now with 35 years behind us, the station is at last, actually in evidence, and thus last Saturday's opening was the consummation of a hope so long deferred. With gay bunting flying in the gentle breeze, the bridge tastefully adorned with palms, ferns and flowers, and a glorious early summer sun smiling down on the scene, the whole presented a magnificent picture, more particularly enhanced by the uninterrupted view of Georges River and parts of Botany Bay.

St George Call (Kogarah, NSW : 1904 - 1957), Friday 30 October 1925

Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), Saturday 21 June 1924

The Allawah Hotel

The Allawah Hotel was built in 1928 by Jack Shaw (real name Jacob Woolf Shroog) a Russian Jewish immigrant born in Gorky Russia in 1884, who arrived in Australia with 30 shillings to his name.

After building several suburban hotels he built the Astra Hotel at Bondi also, in 1928. Meetings of the Illawarra Jewish Association were also held at the Allawah Hotel in the 1930s.

1930s

In December 1932 the Allawah Hotel was raided by a gang of thieves who attempted to blow open the safe in the hall. They then took the safe, which resembled a writing table, making off with money and jewellery worth 900 pounds. Then, in January 1950, the Allawah Hotel was held up by two masked bandits who tied up a guest and demanded the hotel safe be opened. The newspaper headlines stated: GUNMEN PANIC -AS WOMEN SCREAM.

Allawah Shopping Centre, NSW, 1935. Photo: Georges River Council

A newspaper article in 1937 stated that:  

Allawah, a new subdivision opened up
several years ago, is 10 miles from the
city. The train journey at peak hours
takes 16 minutes, and a weekly ticket
costs 6/1 to Central, or 6/4 to the city.

Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Tuesday 18 May 1937

1940s

PATRONS at the Allawah Hotel, Allawah, yesterday enjoying counter lunch which the hotel serves with drinks in its beer garden. The menu includes oysters, biscuits and cheese, frankfurts, and beef tea. Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Wednesday 25 May 1949

Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Wednesday 21 September 1949

1950s

Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), Saturday 7 January 1950

St George Call (Kogarah, NSW : 1904 - 1957), Thursday 31 May 1956

Around Allawah

Heritage house, Balfour Street Allawah, NSW

Shop with leadlight glass on Railway Pde, Allawah, NSW

Allawah Hotel, NSW, built circa 1928

Allawah Shops, NSW

Allawah Train Station, NSW

Blocks of flats have been replacing Victorian, California bungalow and Federation houses since 1975

Allawah was an area with many heritage style homes but rezoning allowed the building of flats in the 1970s and more recently, dual occupancy and increased density are leading to gridlocked roads and overdevelopment.

Hurstville Museum & Gallery


A Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson Including An Accurate Description of the Situation of the Colony; of the Natives; and Of Its Natural Productions, Tench, Watkin (1759-1833)

Alfords Point: National park and Bushland on The Georges River

Alfords Point is located on the southern bank of the Georges River, in the Sutherland Shire, 28 kilometres south of the Sydney Central Business District.

The Original inhabitants of the Sutherland Shire were the Dharawal and Gandangara Aboriginal people, whose historic presence is evident in rock art and middens. Traditional ownership of land and waterways was an integral part of Aboriginal society. Sydney's Aboriginal people did not identify as belonging to a language group, however, but as a group member who descended from a common ancestor, who claimed ownership of specific territory.

Creek bed with Aboriginal grinding grooves across the rock (Alfords Point)

Biddy Giles (Bi-yar-rung) who was a Dharawal woman, was born about 1820, she belonged to the country along the southern side of the Georges River. Biddy was married at an early age to an older Gweagal man. However, in the 1860s, she lived at Guragurang (Mill Creek, north into the Georges River) with her second husband, Englishman, Billy Giles. Biddy often acted as a guide for settlers who wanted to hunt, fish and sightsee on the southern side of the river.

The last of the Dolls Point Aboriginals. Out of copyright.

Alfords Point is believed to be named after the landowners, John and Jane Alford, who actually owned land at Sandy Point, which is about 5km away. Despite this, the name Alfords Point appeared to be in common use and it appeared on maps of the Holsworthy parish back in the late 1890s.

John Greenwood Alford, was born in Sussex, England, in about 1773. However, in 1779, he was convicted of horse stealing and transported in 1800, to Australia, onboard the Royal Admiral. His later wife, Jane Camm, who was born in 1780, in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, was charged and convicted of theft from her employers, Mr & Mrs Thomas Greenwood of Kentish Town, London, England. Jane was tried at the Old Bailey in 1800 and sentenced to Life, in the colonies. She departed England from Spithead, on the Nile, on 21st June 1801. The couple's daughter was born about 1804, in New South Wales and John and Jane were married by Samuel Marsden in 1805.

In 1806, John Alford received a conditional pardon granted by Governor Phillip Gidley King. He received a land grant between Cooks and Georges Rivers, Botany Bay, NSW (Australia Registration of Land Grants and Leases 1792-1867). The land was close to Deadman’s Creek. John was also the superintendent of Robert Campbell's farm at Canterbury and in 1815, he was the supervisor of the Orphan School, Parramatta. John Alford died in 1858 and he is buried at St. Stephens Church, Camperdown, New South Wales. Jane Alford died in 1845 at Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney.

 John Alford's grave, Camperdown, NSW

The Arnold family moved to Alford’s Point Road area in 1925 and Fred & Mary Alice Arnold settled in area in 1927. The McMahon family purchased land on Alford’s Point Rd in 1920’s. While McPherson Place is named after McPherson family which owned 14 1⁄2 acres of land bounded by Fowler Road, Thompson Avenue and Griffin Parade.

Lance McMahon's house at Alford Point (n.d) Sutherland Shire Library

The Sutherland Shire was officially formed in 1906, with the western boundary extending to what is today called Menai. In 1922, the shire boundaries were adjusted to include the areas which are now Illawong and Alfords Point. The area was formerly attached to the Municipality of Hurstville.

Modern Alfords Point began to develop alongside the Menai Town Centre initiative in the late 1970s-1980s, with large plots of bushland divided for housing development. A bridge of the same name crosses the Georges River from Menai to Padstow.

Alfords Point Bridge opened 7 September 1973

Georges River. Alfords Point

Alfords Point, near Georges River and national park

View from Alford's Point

Georges River National Park

Hurstville Museum & Gallery

Sydney Tramway Museum

Sydney's Aboriginal heritage