Aboriginal history The original inhabitants of the area that is now known as Watsons Bay, were the
Cadigal people. The Cadigal referred to the area as Kutti. This indigenous group of people fished and collected shellfish in the waters and bays off South Head. They acquired their resources from Camp Cove and carved
rock engravings there, which have since eroded from the cliff faces and rock surfaces that line the coastline.
European settlement The first Europeans arrived at the location on 21 January 1788 as the
First Fleet landed and stayed overnight on Camp Cove. A lookout was later built on the cliffs in 1790. Watson was appointed
harbour pilot and
harbourmaster of the port of Sydney in 1811 and the first superintendent of
Macquarie Lighthouse in 1816. Watsons Bay remained an isolated fishing village until development began in the 1860s. The population grew from three dozen in 1828 to 122 in 1841.
Dunbar The
Dunbar was wrecked near the entrance to
Sydney Harbour, Australia in
1857 with the loss of 121 lives. The wreck of the
Dunbar ranks as one of Australia's worst maritime disasters, with the event still retained in the social history of Sydney and NSW. The
Dunbar had mistaken the bay of The Gap for the harbour entrance. This led to the construction of the
Hornby Lighthouse. In 1910, at Jacob’s Ladder, the anchor from the ship was recovered along with other relics and were placed in a museum behind the old Town Hall in Military Road by Vaucluse Council. The anchor was transferred to the cliffs of Gap Park by Ald. Coombes and a memorial was unveiled in August 1930.
Trams The City to Watson's Bay tram line was extended from
Edgecliff to Signal Hill Station, Watson's Bay in 1903 with further extensions to Gap Park in 1909. The latter extension included a new tram terminus adjacent to The Gap and a tram cutting cut into the rock face in Gap Park that ran above and parallel to Gap Road that gradually descended to street level before terminating. The line from the city commenced with a loop at the corner of Erskine and Day Streets near
Wynyard station. It then proceeded south down Day Street before turning left into
King Street passing through Queen's Square at
St James station. It then made a right hand turn into
College Street, and headed south before turning left into Boomerang Street. The line then continued left into
William Street, through
King's Cross and then along
Bayswater Road and into
New South Head Road at
Rushcutters Bay. The line then followed the course of New and
Old South Head Roads before turning right into Gap Park. After turning right into Gap Park a single track passed through narrow rock cuttings, low cliffs and rugged back-drops, turning its way down to the terminus at Watsons Bay. The line had its own depot and city terminus and operated independently, although it was connected to the main Sydney tram network. In 1949, the line from Rose Bay to Watson's Bay closed, but reopened in 1950 due to public protest. In 1950, the line down King Street to Erskine Street closed and a new terminus constructed at Queens Square. The remainder of the line closed in 1960, the tracks were removed and in 1964 the Council re-vegetated the area around the former tramway cutting in gap park with the object of restoring the area. When walking up the steps to The Gap at Watsons Bay, there is flat ground in between two sets of steps. This continues for a fair way in both directions, and is the old tram right of way. The present-day
Transdev John Holland route 324 follows the route of the former tram line as far as the point where the tramway turned off Old South Head Road into Gap Park. The bus and tram routes meet again near the terminus in Military Road.
Sydney Harbour defences during WWII In 1942, during
World War II, the
Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net was constructed on Georges Head to prevent enemy submarines from entering Sydney Harbour. The boom net spanned the entire width of Port Jackson and a boom net winch house was located on Liangs Point, Watsons Bay. On the night of 31 May 1942, three
Japanese
midget submarines attempted to enter Sydney Harbour in what became known as the
attack on Sydney Harbour. One of the Japanese midget submarines became entangled in the boom net; and, after unsuccessful attempts to free the submarine, the crew detonated charges within the sub, killing themselves and destroying their sub in the process. During this period, Nielsen Park was used as an anti-aircraft base. The base had its own interim wooden barracks,
searchlights and
anti-aircraft guns. In Gap Park, a gun emplacement for a small calibre gun, which was never installed was also intended for use during World War II. The house, known as
Boongarre or
Boongaree was built in the 1870s. It was owned by the Stead family from 1918 to 1980 and is sometimes known as
Stead House. It was later acquired by the soccer player
Mark Schwarzer. In 2011, Woollahra Council voted to confirm the heritage status of the house. It is now listed on the council's heritage list. ==Population==