History Mysteries – seeking your help

CorambirraPointEeleyPhotomus07-11104
Corambirra Point, with Gallows Beach on the right, 1956-1960
www.picturecoffsharbour.org; part of mus07-11104
Photographer: Desmond Eeley

The first in an occasional series.

Gallows Beach
Do you know how Gallows Beach, between Corambirra Point and Boambee Beach, earned its name? Did the name come from a surfer tradition or something a little more sinister? Surfing World may have featured it in the 1960s. If you have copies of this  magazine from the 1960s with stories of our Coffs Coast beaches, the Regional Museum would love to see them.

GallowsBeachMap
From Beaches of the New South Wales Coast, Australian Beach Safety and Management Program p.107 https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/5450254

the old Courthouse & Police Station building at 215 Harbour Drive
The Council’s history team is also seeking reminiscences, photos and any other documented information about the old combined Police Station and Courthouse building, (now the home of the Regional Museum). They were in operation at 215 Harbour Drive from 1907-1930. It would be fascinating to hear from descendants of the police families who lived at the site, as well as accounts from the court officials.

CourthousePoliceStation-mus07-857
Coffs Harbour Courthouse and Police Station, Coffs Harbour, N.S.W., circa 1925 
www.picturecoffsharbour.org; mus07-857
Photographer: Peter Jensen

Colderbrea
In the 1920s, there was a two-storey house in central Coffs Harbour referred to as Colderbrea. It had tiled fireplaces, beautiful timberwork and fruit trees. It was a rental property during the early part of the 1920s. Does anyone have any memories or photographs to share?

the Keilawarra porthole
In the Regional Museum’s extensive maritime history collection, there is a porthole encased in its original timber. It’s believed to be from the wreck of the 780-ton Keilawarra which went down in 1886 near North Solitary Island with the loss of 41 lives after colliding with the smaller, southbound steamer, the Helen Nicholl. Do you have any information on this tragic shipwreck?

keilawarra-httpswww.wrecksite.euwreck.aspx51023
SS Keilawarra  https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?51023

Please contact us via museum@chcc.nsw.gov.au if you have further information.

Author: coffscoastheritage

Local Studies and Digitisation Librarian at Coffs Harbour City Council https://www.coffscoastheritage.info http://libraries.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Local-Heritage/Pages/Local-Studies-Collection.aspx http://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/museum http://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/gallery

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