ALL All these, and many other stories of the kind, certainly did not improve the market value of this land for suburban villa sites. It had, however, the effect of keeping the price low—there laid the speculation. I bought the place with a perfect and thorough knowledge of its foul reputation, and set to work in real good earnest to redeem it—the position being good, the proximity to town an advantage, and above all the fact that this peninsula, with a main thoroughfare on the top of the hill, running from Ryde to Onion’s Point, admitted of sub-divisions giving deep water frontages to every allotment. All that was needed was some easy mode of access to and from the city, and, if possible, the closing up of the Field of Mars common, which, besides being a harbour for questionable characters, cut off the settlement from Ryde, Pennant Hills, and Parramatta.
The only road to Sydney was a circuitous one involving a crossing of the Parramatta river by means of an antiquated punt ferry at Tarban—a distance of eleven miles; as the crow flies the actual distance from Hunter’s Hill to the Sydney Post Office is barely four and a-half miles.
But in order to carry the bee-line from the one point to the other it was necessary to cross the water twice—first from Pyrmont to Balmain, then again from Five Dock to the northern side of the Parramatta River, near the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum. These two bridges, and the formation of the road, I estimated at £60,000. To raise that amount I proposed that the Government should re-assume the Field of Mars common; issue debentures bearing 5 per cent. interest, payable in 20 years; build the bridges, and, when the thoroughfare was open, survey and cut up the common, which I felt convinced would, besides benefiting all parties concerned, leave a fair margin of profit, and open up a large area of Government land now entirely locked up owing to want of access.
The first meeting to discuss this scheme I called at the end of 1853. Like all such matters, it met with most violent opposition—first of all from John Bull and his rights. The common had been given to the people—what right had the Government to take it back? Then every man wanted the bridge at his own door. The thousand and one difficulties raised against the scheme—the dead-set opposition, in and out of Parliament—far from deterring me from my object, acted as a stimulant. The fight was a long and bitter one to the very end, but the end came at last.
Thirty-three years, almost to a day, after the first meeting held in No. 227 George street, in 1853, the bridges were finished and opened for public traffic; and since that day several sales of land have been held in the Field of Mars common—the results showing that my first estimate of the value of that land was under-rated.
During the thirty years’ war for the bridges, other means had to be resorted to to bring population to Hunter’s Hill. The Parramatta river trade was a monopoly. Steamers, calling at unsuitable hours, charged an exorbitant rate. The company was an old-established and powerful one, and all attempts to run an opposition had failed. So did all endeavours to get anything approaching unanimity amongst the few people interested in the locality. Messrs. P. N. Russell and Co. had on hand a small screw steamer which they were anxious to sell. I looked at her, and after some haggling, chartered her at a low monthly figure for six months, with right of purchase. On the first of the following month the “Isabel” made her appearance at the wharf, and in lieu of 2s. 6d. single, carried passengers to and from Sydney at 1s. return. The first week or two proved rather uphill work, but when the first month came to an end the number of passengers increased materially, and it soon became evident that a larger boat would be required.
The neck of the monopoly was broken. Overtures were made for a compromise, fares were lowered, accommodation increased; but all of no avail. I made up my mind that we should remain independent, and from that day to this we have remained so. The fleet of handsome, swift boats belonging to Hunter’s Hill have all originated from the little unpretending “Isabel,” which all the jeering, ridicule, and bitter jealousy of its powerful opponents could not put down. She was nick-named the “Jezebel” and the “Puffing Billy,” and her safety was cried down. But she kept up her course in spite of it all, and with all her insignificance proved to be the originator of a new line which has tended to bring up the value of land from £5 an acre to £5 a foot!! The opening of the direct communication over the bridges has also, as it was natural to expect, brought on railways and trams from the city, and further increased the value of the land, which has now reached £10 and £15 a foot, and converted the locality into one of the most populous, thriving suburbs of Sydney.
Building having always been a favourite hobby of mine, led me to put up a good many houses at Hunter’s Hill. In order to carry out my building scheme, and to do so profitably, I sent home to Lombardy for some artisans under special contract. This, as might be expected, gave rise to a good deal of discontent amongst the working class. However, I had made a very binding agreement with my men, and held them more particularly by the fact that they had no knowledge of English. Besides, on the first attempt made to turn them off their engagements, I at once met the difficulty by a system of piece-work, which enabled them to work long hours, and actually make wages far beyond their expectations. When my operations at Hunter’s Hill came to an end, the assistance of these seventy odd tradesmen enabled me to take contracts in and around Sydney for large buildings, wharves, &c., which we carried out on the co-operative system most profitably, in spite of trades and trades’ unions.