Historical photos bring back memories of earlier days in the shire

Seen above is the last and largest version of the Lugarno Ferry which made this crossing of the Georges River from 1961 to 1974 after replacing an earlier vessel. On its regular run from Sutherland Shire this image shows the ferry approaching the opposite shore where a small number of cars line up to make the return trip. The boatshed on the left is a prominent landmark with boating also being a popular pastime on the river. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the closure of the ferry service which ended on the 12th of December 1974.

Miranda Fair seen here in 1970 visible above the roofline of Barters store at the end of the street, celebrates its sixtieth anniversary this year having opened its doors on the 16th of March 1964. The centre was designed originally to have an inner landscaped court enclosed under a glass dome as a focal point from which access was provided to Farmer's Department Store, a supermarket and specialty shops. In this image the top of the dome and the name Farmer's to the left can still be seen. In 1969 Westfield purchased the centre but Farmer's remained as a tenant. Apparently, calling the shopping centre a Fair had been Farmer's idea, expecting that visiting would be as much for fun as it was for business. To this day the shopping centre is commonly referred to by locals as the Fair.

Work underway widening the railway crossing bridge near Jannali shopping centre in 1970. From the mid-60s there had been discussions around the need to extend the width of the bridge due to an increase in use. Construction commenced at the beginning of 1970 and the official opening was held in October that year. The original crossing bridge had officially opened nearly 40 years earlier on 7 February 1931 sharing that day with a new train station on the Illawarra line at Jannali providing passengers and traffic with access to both sides of the line.

Cars parked near the building site of what would become the Sutherland Civic Centre later Entertainment Centre. Located in Eton Street, construction work is well underway as seen here in 1975. Work began on January 2, 1974 and was completed in 1976, serving the community in this form until refurbishment work began in 2022 and the centre reopened on March 4, 2023 as The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre.

The distinctive platform at the Sydney Tramway Museum at Loftus seen here after 1988 is used by passengers to begin a ride back in time on an historic tram. As the current site it was officially opened on the 19th of March 1988. Before then the Museum had from 1956 been a landmark located on the edge of the Royal National Park. After the move in addition to continuing to run iconic trams, the new site incorporated some fascinating heritage items which are important examples of Sydney's transport history. The platform, for example, was once located at Central and formerly used as the Railway Square Waiting Shed from 1907 to 1973. The tramway is a popular venue to visit to this day.

Images and info courtesy of the Local History Collection, Sutherland Shire Libraries. For more historical images visit: localhistory.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au