Windybanks Boat Shed

Today I went and visited Windybanks boat shed.

View of the boat shed after coming out of the ravine. In the bottom right of the frame – old wooden foundations can be seen.

Windybanks boat shed.

A close up view of the rusted remains.

Built just before the end of the 19th century, all that remains of Edward Clarke Windybanks’ home and business is its iron skeleton. Windybanks’ supplied ferries and houseboats for day trippers and holidaymakers who would have departed from Cottage Point, contemporarily self professed smallest suburb of Sydney. About a 20 minute boat ride away or an hours drive.

Google Map showing distance. Dropped pin is site of Windybanks’ boat shed.

In the middle of the frame, Cottage Point Yacht Club can be seen.

In its heyday the boat shed had 60 row boats, a motorboat, Lady Alicia, capable of transporting up to 110 people at once and two steamboats named Wildflower and Lady Zara, likely after his youngest daughter Zara.

A dysfunctional boat run/ very functional oyster housing. The boat shed is off frame to the right.

A view of half of the boat run with the boat shed in the top right of frame.

Prior to there being formal shelter, Edward Windybanks lived in a cave while he oversaw and participated in his business’ construction. During the 1890s he was able to settle his family with him, his four sons Ned, Phil, Alan and Gordon as well as his two daughters Armor and Zara. Being backed onto the bush, the Windybanks family were pioneers who relied on the land for what they couldn’t get sourced regularly. They kept a small farm, including cows and an orchard, to supply themselves in conjunction to daily packhorses from Berowra (which got its own general store in 1913) and the monthly trading ship.

The family Windybanks’ water source for while they lived here, a small fresh water stream.

My journey today began in the dark. Using a torch until I could just make out the shape of loose stones on the path I followed what could have possibly been one of the supply routes that served the boat shed and comes out next to a stream, the Windybanks’ fresh water source.

Coming out on the the mangrove flats I quickly discovered that some sand patches were more stable than others as the bay attempted to take my shoes.

View of the running retaining wall behind the ruin.

What could almost pass for an English garden, except only not at all.

After exploring for an hour and attempting to uncover what I had spent my previous week researching I made my way back up the hill just in time for the weather to break. Soaked I made the same trip the Windybanks children did every day to get to school. Reaching the top of the hill I crossed the bridge over the M1, just near the ‘Windybanks interchange’ which is the road ramp that connects Berowra to the motorway, and ran into my Odyssey to catch my breath and take stock of clothing that was still dry: nothing.

Edward Windybank died in 1927, meaning he missed the opening of his son’s carry on business ‘Windybanks Bait Shop’ in 1950 which is still running today and maybe you have driven past its location in Mt Colah.

If you want more information check out these sources:

Ku-Ring-Gai Historical Society Newsletter with mention of Edward Windybanks:

http://www.khs.org.au/pdfs/news_aug09.pdf

Cottage Point’s Tourist Page:

http://www.cottagepoint.com.au/history.htm

Interview with Roy Edward Ewer on Matt Hall’s History Blog:

http://thehistoryofmatt.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/patonga-nsw-history.html