Heritage Trail Tanilba Bay
1. Centenary or Water Gate
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Henry F Halloran left an enduring legacy to the people of Port Stephens and in particular to Tanilba Bay.
The gates at both ends of the Avenue of the Allies, the Water or Centenary Gate, and the Land Gate are 2 of the physical features of this legacy.
The gates were constructed during the years when the Great Depression had a detrimental effect on land sales which had taken a considerable downturn. Henry Halloran’s attention turned to constructing features in the Tanilba Bay & Tanilba House Estates.
2. The Change Room
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3. Circular Stone Fence
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The Circular Stone Fence at the corner of Caswell Crescent and Pomona Place was constructed as a turning point for traffic. The facilities in this area included Halloran’s Change Room at the end of Pomona Place where he planned to build a swimming enclosure and Sunrise Point viewing area.
The council rejected his proposal to build the swimming enclosure so the traffic he was anticipating did not eventuate.
4. Convict Stone Wall & Circle of Palms
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The convicts at Tanilba House were all assigned tasks, usually in pairs, no one was ever idle. There were ongoing tasks like removal of tree stumps and the building of stone walls and fences which was a constant chore.
5. Land Gates
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Henry F Halloran designed and erected the Tanilba Centenary Gates and the Land Gates. The Gates were completed on 31 March 1931, 100 years to the day after Henry F Halloran’s grandfather signed the Crown grant which gave possession of Tanilba in 1831 to William Caswell.
6. Meridian Park
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Located opposite Tanilba House, Meridian Park, like Sunset Park is an example of the Garden City principles of subdivisions.
Henry’s subdivisions were aesthetically more pleasing and more interesting than the chessboard design in other subdivisions in the 1920s and 1930s.
7. The Summer House
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This is another example of the constructions that Henry Halloran had built on some of his estates during the Great Depression.
These structures were mainly confined to 3 areas: Tanilba Bay, Stanwell Tops near Wollongong, and Environa near Queanbeyan, but Tanilba Bay was the principal focus of Henry Halloran’s stonework and constructions.
8. Sunset Park
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Part of Henry Halloran’s legacy were his Garden City subdivisions. His subdivisions work with nature rather than against it. Large areas of vegetation were retained. His subdivisions recognise the value of trees, parks and gardens to the physical and mental well-being of their inhabitants.
Sunset Park and Meridian Park are two examples of these Garden City principles. These two parks are both located in the Tanilba Estate subdivision.
9. Tanilba House
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Tanilba House is a historic stone homestead built by convicts for Lieutenant William Caswell who retired from the English Navy and sought his fortune in the colony of NSW. He arrived with his young wife Susan in 1829 and took possession of a 50-acre land grant in 1831.
Tanilba House (c1831) is the oldest original home in Port Stephens. State heritage listed, this house sits proudly on a peninsula surrounded by the bay on 3 acres of manicured gardens on the Tilligerry Peninsula,
10. Temple of the Stork
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This is another example of stonework structures by Henry Halloran that were built during the Great Depression when land sales had taken a downturn. Henry changed his attention to erecting stonework and other constructions on his estates.
All the stonework is of a similar style and was constructed of local materials.