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Local Bronte Group Raise Concerns on Planned Woolworths on Former Bronte RSL Site

A local group in Bronte has raised concerns over plans to build a Woolworths Metro at the former Bronte RSL site.

Save Bronte, a group formed by local residents, is voicing out their dismay at what they see as inappropriate and overdeveloped structures proposed at the former Bronte RSL site.

Bronte RSL Club

The former Bronte RSL club has served the community since it opened in the 1940s. However, the club was forced to close down in 2012 due to its direful financial position.

With the former RSL site no longer occupied, plans of redeveloping the area have been brought up a few times before the Council by different developers. Each DA has been opposed by the Save Bronte group, which is firm in its stand to go against these types of developments.

Woolworths Metro at Bronte

Talks of plans to develop a Woolworths Metro at the former Bronte RSL site surfaced sometime in March 2019.

According to Woolworths Metro’s general manager, Justin Nolan, the company is looking at Bronte as a possible development site for its store as they believe that the suburb is in need of a convenient and community-minded supermarket.

Here are some of the updated details about the development of Woolworths Metro at Bronte:

Woolworths Metro is planned to take up the entire retail space at Macpherson Street. The size is approximately 280 m2 without the storage area.
Woolworths Metro at Bronte is smaller than the one placed at Paddington.
The size of the supermarket is smaller than the one allowed by the Waverley LEP.
Deliveries will take place once a day in a loading zone at Macpherson Street.
There will be no customer parking.
There will be no alcohol for sale.

Despite the small size, Save Bronte stands firm in opposing the development. The local group raised potential issues such as increased traffic at Macpherson Street as well as the safety of children at the nearby Clovelly Public School.

According to Save Bronte, the DA will be compiling all needed documents for lodging over the next few weeks regarding this proposal.

Bronte Living Connections: Create an Urban Oasis for You and Some Small Feathered Wildlife

Turn your garden into a natural oasis for you and local wildlife to enjoy by being part of the Living Connections at Bronte.

Do you have a garden placed at the comfort of your own home? If you answered yes, then why not consider helping out some of our small feathered friends who have been pushed out of their home?

Living Connections is a free program provided by the Council, seeking homeowners who are willing to turn their private garden at home into a natural oasis that would serve as a habitat for small birds such as the Superb fairy-wren and the New Holland honeyeater.

These two birds are now rarely seen in our gardens since they are confined at the coastal reserves. This is mainly due to the fact that our present habitat corridors are too fragmented, and it is hard for these birds to move around, to feed, and even to reproduce.

Living Connections is currently available for Bronte and Tamarama residents only. However, this program hopes to expand further to other suburbs soon depending on the funding they receive.

If you sign up to this program, each participant will receive the following:

Tailored garden advice from experts
Free plants and resources to help create an effective urban oasis
Guidance in creating a garden sanctuary for small birds

By taking part in the Living Connections program, you will be able to contribute to a healthy green neighbourhood where birds can grow and thrive. To join Living Connections at Bronte, you may email Vicky Bachelard at vicky.bachelard@waverley.nsw.gov.au.

Here is an infographic showing the complete process and path of each member joining Living Connections:

Click here for more information about Living Connections.

BYO Bird Garden

For those of you who do not have any idea on how to create a garden suitable for small birds, here is a list of tips you must follow provided by the Birds in Backyards:

Always work from the ground up. Make sure the soil in your garden is healthy.
Don’t start from scratch. Add plants to your garden and let them establish first before removing any unwanted vegetation.
It would be best to put in a variety of locally native plants that are suitable for birds.
Create density in your garden by having shrubs and hedges that would serve as protection, food, and nest sites for small birds.
Put in a bird bath or two in your garden.
Allow birds to forage for food naturally in your garden rather than feeding them.
Always protect your local birds from your pets.

What to Know About the Waverley Cemetery Tour in Bronte

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Nestled in the expansive cliffs of Bronte is Waverley Cemetery, the heritage-listed site. Built in 1877, this isn’t just the resting place of some of the most prominent personalities in New South Wales, it’s also a tourist attraction.

Visitors are often curious about this cemetery’s Edwardian and Victorian burial sites and monuments. It also has the most beautiful view of the beaches in Bronte and the neighboring suburb, Clovelly.

Every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 am, the Waverley Council and the Friends of Waverley Cemetery Volunteers hold a tour of the cemetery. There are four types of tours highlighting different facets of the Waverley Cemetery, so visitors may come back for at least three more times after their first visit.

Tickets to the Waverley Cemetery Tour have to be purchased online for $24.18 per person. The fee goes to the maintenance and restoration costs of the memorials.

A Brief History of Waverley Cemetery

The Waverley Council developed the burial ground in Bronte as the old cemetery on Brickfield Hill, now the Central Railway Station in Sydney, was nearing capacity. The Council invested in buying hectares of lands and planned the cemetery’s design, roads, fences, and drainage system from 1863 to 1875 when the actual development took place under R. Watkin and P. Beddie.

By 1877, the Waverley Cemetery had its first interment in 85-year-old Ruth Allen. To date, this burial ground has over 50,000 gravesites in its 17-hectare land. Sometimes, actual burials may be going on during the tour.

Famous Names Buried in Waverley Cemetery

Some of the most prominent personalities who have made the Waverley Cemetery their final resting place include:

Sir Arthur Roden Cutler V.C., the former Governor of NSW
Sir James Martin, NSW Premier
Sir Frances Forbes, first Chief Justice of NSW
Jules Francois Archibald, founder and editor of The Bulletin newspaper
The Albert Family, music publishers and builders of the Boomerang mansion
Eliza Winstanley, Australia’s first leading lady of the stage
Sarah Fanny Durack, Olympic gold medal swimmer
John Fingleton OBE, cricketer and “Bodyline” veteran
Lawrence Hargrave, aviator and inventor
Arthur Tauchert, silent movie star (“The Sentimental Bloke”)
John Sands, greeting card manufacturer & stationer
Henry Lawson, writer & poet
Louise Becke, writer
William E. Sheridan, American actor

There are also around 200 World War I and World War II heroes buried in this cemetery. A number of gravesites have creative and interesting memorials with vampires, angels and other figures chosen by the family or the deceased as their monuments.

What to Prepare For The Tour

The Waverley Cemetery doesn’t have an even ground since it’s on a ridge. The tour may not be ideal for children and people with mobility issues. Expectedly, there’s a lot of walking involved, so visitors must be dressed in their comfortable shoes and clothes, as well as bring appropriate drinking water.

Upon arrival to the site, visitors must first converge at the Cemetery Office Entry Porch coming from Trafalgar Street. Brochures and packets will be provided.

Weekday tours may also be possible, as per arrangement with Council.

Bronte House Open Day: Get a Chance to Meet the Private Residents and View this Sydney Heritage Site

Photo Credit: Sardaka/Wikimedia Commons

Bronte House, located on 470 Bronte Road, is a heritage-listed property with the Register of the National Estate. Although it is a historical house, it’s still home to private tenants chosen by the Waverley Municipal Council.

In October 2015, Bronte locals Wes and Anna van der Gardner were picked to move into the Gothic-Italian style house on a five-year lease. They were mainly chosen by the Council for their experience and expertise in town planning, home design, and heritage site restoration.

Part of the van der Gardners’ agreement as the private occupants of the Bronte House was to open the property to the public for at least five or six times a year. So, on the 23rd and 24th of March 2019, the couple and their two children welcomed visitors to their home during the Bronte House Open Day.

From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., visitors were allowed to have a peek at the living and dining rooms at the Bronte House. Guests were also encouraged to lounge and stroll at the botanic gardens, while the van der Gardners served coffee and cakes.

*Photo Credit: Waverley Municipal Council*

Plants from the gardens were also sold to the visitors who were interested in growing some greens in their own homes.

The Bronte House Open Day usually cost $2 per person. Keep tabs of the next event at the Waverley Council’s Facebook page for the announcements.

*Photo Credit:* *Sardaka/Wikimedia Commons*

Bronte House’s History

The Bronte House was built from 1843 to 1845. Barrister Robert Lowe bought the property from architect William Mortimer Lewis, the original owner of the 42 acres of land.

Lowe and his wife Georgina lived in the Bronte House for four years only and several other families took residence at this site on Bronte Road. It was, however, the Ebsworth family who lived the longest in the Bronte House for three generations or from 1882 to 1948.

The Ebsworths eventually sold the property to the Waverley Council and was used as a Red Cross facility until 1969.

Groups of people mingling in front of the Bronte House in 1875.
Photo Credit: *State Library of New South Wales Foundation*

The front of the Bronte House, circa 2012.
Photo Credit: *Bronte House/Facebook*

In the 1980s, the Bronte House became a wedding and party venue despite its deteriorated condition as some parts of the house were altered and removed by its previous occupants. The Council eventuality decided it will lease the property for a fairly affordable price to private residents who might be willing to restore the house.

*The Bronte House, circa 1990s.*
*Photo Credit:* *Bronte House/Facebook*

Some of the former residents of this property included:

Christopher Selmes
Mr and Mrs Peter Muller
Leo Schofield
Matt Handbury

Schofield was mostly responsible for restoring the gardens that Ms Lowe used to tend to when the property was first completed.

In 1999, the Bronte House was entered into the State Heritage Register.

Bronte 378 Bus Direct to be Reinstated

Photo Credit: Pixabay/Free-Photos

The 378 bus that directly links Bronte to Sydney’s CBD may soon be back in operation. Officials from both Labor and Liberal parties confirmed their intention to reinstate the service if their March 2019 election bid is successful.

According to the cause-oriented group Bring Back the 378 Bus, Labor Shadow Minister for Transport Jodi McKay MP has committed to restoring the service as part of her party’s bid to make public transport more accessible. Ms McKay has met with the group in the past to discuss their concerns about the 378 Bus Direct.

*Photo Credit:* *Jodi McKay MP/Facebook*

Bring Back the 378 Bus was organized to initially prevent the cancellation of the direct bus service. Made up of concerned locals from Bronte and nearby suburbs, the group has since launched fund-raisers and various campaigns to let the government know they will continue to oppose the cancellation.

*Photo Credit:* *Bring Back the 378 Bus/Facebook*

In response, the Liberal Government through MP Bruce Notley-Smith also announced the introduction of a direct bus service from Bronte to the city. However, Mr Notley-Smith didn’t specifically mention if this would be bus 378 in his statement.

*Photo Credit:* *Bruce Notley-Smith MP/Facebook*

The NSW Transport Department cut off Bronte’s 378 bus in late 2017. Residents lodged a petition to oppose the decision, citing that removing 378 would inconvenience commuters, especially the children and the elderly, but the plan was still carried out despite the protest.

Without 378, Bronte residents have been forced to take North Bondi buses bound for Sydney CBD. Doing so, however, entailed changing buses or trains during their commute, which added an hour or so to their travel time.

On Thursday, the 14th of March, Bring Back the 378 Bus will hold a forum with the officials to discuss the public transport situation in the Eastern Suburbs. Residents may join in the Q&A forum to know the candidates’ stand on the reinstatement of the 378 bus direct, as well as the services for buses 361, 389, 327, and the Eastern Suburbs Light Rail.