Henry F Halloran’s Enduring Legacy in Port Stephens continued.

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Grahamstown Dam, where Ferrodale was located.

Henry Halloran in Port Stephens

By 1913, Henry had a presence in Port Stephens, developing the Ferodale Estate and establishing a sales office, Realty Realizations Ltd at Raymond Terrace.

One of his earliest developments was in Ferrodale. Later, many of the low-lying swampy blocks and the Ferodale School were resumed by the State Government and now lie beneath Grahamstown Dam.

Section of a typical Garden City block with curved streets, irregularly-shaped lots, and the hallmark internal reserves. Source: Henry F Halloran in Port Stephens th legacy. Yvonne Fraser.

The Legacy to Port Stephens

Part of Henry F Halloran’s enduring legacy is his contribution to the Garden City developments. These developments were all environmentally friendly subdivisions.

Large areas of vegetation were retained, and his subdivisions recognise the value of trees, parks and gardens to the physical and mental well-being of their inhabitants.

Advertising Lithograph for Salamander Estate. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum.

Developments by Henry in Port Stephens

Tanilba Bay
Salamander Bay
Nelson Bay
North Arm Cove (Port Stephens City)
Mallabulla
Karuah
Anna Bay
Pindimar

Plan of Proposed National Combined Airport at Port Stephens for the East Coast of Australia. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum.

Tanilba Bay Airport

A little-known fact is that Henry initially planned that Tanilba Bay would be the location for an airport. He drafted plans for the proposed plan for a National Combined Airport at Port Stephens on the East Coast for Australia. These plans were scrapped, and in 1918, the Tanilba Bay Estate was surveyed.

Lithograph of Tanilba Bay, Port Stephens. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum.

Henry’s Plans for Tanilba Bay

Henry’s company was selling the estate, but did not own the land. The estate was basically a Garden City development with a curvilinear symmetrical layout with both curved and straight streets, with sites also set aside for a town hall, courthouse, church, banks, post office, a small hospital, a theatre, schools, police and fire stations and a hotel.

Unique Street Names

Henry left us some distinctive and unusual street names. His alliterative street names, like Diggers Drive and Caswell Crescent, were a common feature of his subdivisions, right from the very beginning at Seaforth, which represent his poetic forebears. His choice at Tanilba Bay is probably the most striking, with its allusions to World War 1.

Most of the streets in this estate owe their names to the patriotic fervour of the post-World War 1 era. Henry was convinced that the area was set to boom; all it lacked was reasonable road access and a ferry terminus.

King George Gardens in the Avenue of the Allies

Henry F Halloran had ambitious visions for the potential of the Tanilba Bay area. However, not all of his plans for Tanilba Bay came to fruition.

Town’s Central Area

The town’s central area was meticulously planned in a circular shape, with a central circular space designated King George Gardens. To ensure efficient access to these facilities, a ring road named Beatty Boulevard was designed to encircle the gardens.

Surrounding the central focal point of King George Gardens were designated sites for essential town facilities, including a Town Hall and Municipal Buildings, a Court House, Government Offices, institutes, a hotel and café, and a School of Arts.”

Sites for Community Facilities

Beyond the ring road, additional sites were allocated for other town amenities. These included locations for a police station and fire station, two school sites, and numerous recreational areas, including a theatre.

This site was developed after Henry left Tanilba Bay. One of the school sites was subdivided and named Monash Close. It is the only street in Tanilba Bay that was not named by Henry F Halloran. It does have a WW1 theme name, but it is not alliteration.

The other school site has been developed as Tanilba Bay Shopping Centre, and the fire station site was subdivided into Tanilba Apartments.

The site for the Police Station was initially developed as a shopping centre but has been sold to a developer for an over 55s housing development called “The Caswell”.

Modifications to Henry F Halloran’s Original Plans for Tanilba Bay

Henry F Halloran had ambitious visions for the potential of the Tanilba Bay area. However, not all of his plans for Tanilba Bay came to fruition.

One significant alteration was the transformation of the Avenue of the Allies into a straight road. This change eliminated the proposed King George Gardens and all designated sites for town facilities.

Suburbs Planned by Henry

Water Gates in the 1920s. Source: Port Stephens Family History Society

Tanilba Bay Subdivision

At Tanilba Bay, his unique stonework structures, including the Centenary Water Gate and the main entrance Land Gate, stand as iconic heritage landmarks. The Avenue of the Allies, lined with Norfolk Island Pines, remains a testament to his vision.

Lithograph of Tanilba House Estate by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery.

Tanilba House Estate

1920 was a busy year for Henry. He submitted plans for his second subdivision at Tanilba Bay, which he named Tanilba House Estate. He had purchased the land, including the convict-built Tanilba House, from Walter Clift.

A dance pavilion was built in Sunset Park.

Other Developments by Henry in Tanilba Bay

Henry’s development efforts extended to landmarks such as Tanilba House, The Temple of the Stork, and The Summerhouse, which were designed for the enjoyment of the community and to attract tourists. These sites feature amenities like fireplaces, picnic tables, seating, a changeroom, and a wishing chair. He planted two Circles of Palms and established gardens and walkways at Tanilba House, all of which are cherished heritage items today.

Lithograph of Salamander Estate by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery.

Henry’s Plan for Salamander Estate 1916

Henry didn’t always own the land that he developed, and such was the case at the Salamander Estate, which he designed and sold in 1916 for Henry Wilson of Mosman in Sydney. As a selling point, he described the estate as the “nearest land to the Naval Base at Salamander Bay”.

Lithograph of Mallabula Estate by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery

Mallabulla Estate

In 1919, the Mallabula Estate was surveyed, but sales were slow during the Great Depression, and a great proportion of blocks, where a creek had been filled in, were closed off.

The plan for Mallabula included a curvilinear symmetrical layout on the flatter areas and a contour-controlled layout around Panorama Lookout.

Lithograph of Port Stephens City by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery.

Henry’s Most Notorious Development

Henry’s most notorious development was the Port Stephens City in 1918, planned by his friend Walter Burley Griffin, with the proposed railway and Australian Navy submarines. The imminent development of Port Stephens into an important and thriving regional centre seemed assured at that time.

There are certainly marked parallels between the Pacific City proposal at Jervis Bay and the Port Stephens City proposal. Both were solely reliant on the port development going ahead and the completion of a railway line, so both estates were ultimately a failure.

Lithograph of Karuah Estate by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery

Karuah Estate

In 1920, Henry also submitted plans for a proposed subdivision at Karah, which had initially been James Callaghan’s Estate, which he named Karah Estate.

Plans of Tomaree Estate by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery

Tomaree Estate

The Tomaree Estate was the first of two subdivisions at Shoal Bay. It consisted of 35 residential lots right on the water. In the centre of the plan sat the clubhouse and headquarters of the Pacific Big Game Fishing Club (later known as Shoal Bay Country Club). The estate was promoted as the “Vaucluse and Watson’s Bay of Port Stephens”.

Lithograph of Nelson Bay Estate by Henry F Halloran. Source: Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery

Nelson Bay Estate

Tomaree Estate No. 2 was essentially an extension, but it was much bigger than the Tomaree Estate.

Henry had two further estates in Nelson Bay: Nelson Estate No. 1 and Nelson Bay Estate No. 2, which were each located on opposite sides of Gowrie Avenue.