Willoughby heritage festival-
"When Blood is thicker than water" Heritage Tour
If you were an optimist, would you build a hospital next to a cemetery?
On this Darker History Tour, you will visit a world where you can laugh, and start to see places around the Willoughby district, that you have looked at forever without a second thought, in a whole new way. You will hear things that will run chills down your spine!
In keeping with the theme of this year's theme of the " Connecting People, Places and the Past" we will be focusing on the stories of the Pioneering families and figures of the Willoughby district's past, putting into context the suburbs, streets, and legacy that they created, that we now live in today. On this Historic tour, we will travel back in time to the building of the North Shore Line, the harsh realities of life in William Gore’s Convict farm, the often blood curdling realities of 19th Century medicine, and the brutal truths of life and death, in Willoughby’s past – and the touching ways people dealt with it
Departing from the centre water feature in the Forum, the main courtyard of the shopping mall, outside the entrance of St Leonards Station in St Leonards, (as per the marker on the map below), this Sydney History Tour focuses on the 19th Century and early 20th Century, and the "Movers and Shakers" of all religions who built the north shore.
About 70% of what we talk about is taken from peoples letters, diaries and public records. 10% of the tour will be my own opinion and "connecting the dots" from years of dedicated research. The 20% "Local legends" part of the tour is a completely "make your own mind up" exercise....!
We do not operate in dangerous weather such as heavy rain, or thunderstorms. Parts of this tour visits locations that a are prone to poor drainage, and lightning strikes. In the situation that we have to postpone, we will issue you with a gift certificate valid for 24 months, for twice what you have paid for. This way, you will get to come at a later time, and bring friends with you, on us. For more information on our terms of trade, click here. When you purchase tickets, you are agreeing to these terms
Moving from premises on Willoughby Road, Crows Nest in the late 19th Century, RNSH was deliberately built next to a cemetery..." for the purposes of good public health" ( not having to move dead bodies very far.) So if you see RNSH in the news - remember, expectations weren't set very high to start with!!!. Sydney History Tours will tell the stories of the turn of the late 19th and early 20th century buildings, and the often heroic efforts of staff and patients of yesteryear. Some of whom, current staff suspect and feel, are still doing their rounds, over a century later.
Can you imagine a time when mixing with people of different religions or races in life was practically forbidden - let alone getting buried in the same place?
Gore Hill Memorial Cemetery, where a veritable "Who's Who" were buried alongside the humble, is the first general cemetery on the north shore of Sydney. Ringed by skyscrapers, this place is piece of the 19th century that is now surrounded by the 21st.
Sectarianism used to be a fact of life in Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a very loose rule of thumb, Anglicans tended to run things, Catholics often did the heavy lifting, both sides viewed each other with real and imagined gripes, and other faiths with suspicion, and all tended to discriminate in subtle and not so subtle ways against people of other faiths. As for how different races were treated - by 21st century standards, that was just plain appalling.
Prior to this cemetery being built- people from the different faiths were ONLY buried in a family plot on their property, or next to their church...Here, in an act of being very ecumenical for the time, Catholics, Presbyterians, Anglicans and other faiths are at least in the same graveyard - albeit in separate sections!
This cemetery is famous as the original burial ground of Australia's first Saint, Mother Mary McKillop - and you won't believe why she had to be moved!
Hidden amongst the family crypts and tombstones, are stories that would make a Sidney Sheldon novel look very tame.... and the spirits of those taken before their time, have reportedly made their presence felt....
We have a lot of fun and good belly laughs on Sydney History Tours. Most people just come in comfortable, casual evening clothes. If you decide that you want to really make a night out of it, , and dress up as your favourite spooky figure, or as a doctor or nurse - knock yourself out. Just remember to bring something warm, an umbrella and some good walking shoes..
These special tours are being run on 2oth April, 11 th May and 18th May 2019 as part of the Willoughby Heritage festival, which is part of the National Trust Australian Heritage festival. The new registration time for this tour is 8.15 pm, and the tour starts at 8.30 pm sharp . Our tours depart on time. We expect to return approximately 10.30-10-45pm, based on questions asked by the group during the tour.
If you would like come along, hit the relevant "shop" button below! It will take you through to a menu that will allow you to choose the number of people you want to buy tickets for.
Once you have done this you will receive an email to confirm your time for your tour!
Gore Hill Memorial Cemetery, where a veritable "Who's Who" were buried alongside the humble, is the first general cemetery on the north shore of Sydney. Ringed by skyscrapers, this place is piece of the 19th century that is now surrounded by the 21st.
Sectarianism used to be a fact of life in Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries. As a very loose rule of thumb, Anglicans tended to run things, Catholics often did the heavy lifting, both sides viewed each other with real and imagined gripes, and other faiths with suspicion, and all tended to discriminate in subtle and not so subtle ways against people of other faiths. As for how different races were treated - by 21st century standards, that was just plain appalling.
Prior to this cemetery being built- people from the different faiths were ONLY buried in a family plot on their property, or next to their church...Here, in an act of being very ecumenical for the time, Catholics, Presbyterians, Anglicans and other faiths are at least in the same graveyard - albeit in separate sections!
This cemetery is famous as the original burial ground of Australia's first Saint, Mother Mary McKillop - and you won't believe why she had to be moved!
Hidden amongst the family crypts and tombstones, are stories that would make a Sidney Sheldon novel look very tame.... and the spirits of those taken before their time, have reportedly made their presence felt....
We have a lot of fun and good belly laughs on Sydney History Tours. Most people just come in comfortable, casual evening clothes. If you decide that you want to really make a night out of it, , and dress up as your favourite spooky figure, or as a doctor or nurse - knock yourself out. Just remember to bring something warm, an umbrella and some good walking shoes..
These special tours are being run on 2oth April, 11 th May and 18th May 2019 as part of the Willoughby Heritage festival, which is part of the National Trust Australian Heritage festival. The new registration time for this tour is 8.15 pm, and the tour starts at 8.30 pm sharp . Our tours depart on time. We expect to return approximately 10.30-10-45pm, based on questions asked by the group during the tour.
If you would like come along, hit the relevant "shop" button below! It will take you through to a menu that will allow you to choose the number of people you want to buy tickets for.
Once you have done this you will receive an email to confirm your time for your tour!
"When Blood is thicker than Water" Heritage tour Concession ticket 20th April 2019
A$35.00
Proof of Concession ( Pensioner or Concession card holders only) will need to be supplied on registration to attend tours with this ticket
"When Blood is thicker than water" Heritage tour 20th April - National Trust member ticket
A$30.00
Proof of current membership of the National Trust required
