Moruya Heritage Walk Timeline
This timeline starts in 1862, around 150 years ago! It includes heritage buildings in the central area of Moruya.
In the 1850s Moruya was buzzing – shortly after being gazetted in 1951, the town took off with the Gold Rush. People and money flowed into the region – and bushrangers too! By 1859 Moruya was already the main centre of the region, and in 1868 granite mining commenced. Moruya was proclaimed a town in 1885, and a municipality in 1891. ;xNLx;;xNLx;Step back in time and appreciate some of Moruya's amazing buildings - hotels and shops, stately buildings and magnificent granite churches. ;xNLx;This timeline is provided by the Moruya & District Historical Society. For more information including maps and walking guides to these sites see [Moruya Heritage Walk](https://mdhsociety.com/moruya-heritage-walk/).
1860-06-26 00:54:25
GOLD AND GRANITE - The Foundations
In the 1850s Moruya was buzzing, the town took off with the Gold Rush. People and money flowed into the region – and bushrangers too!
1862-07-01 10:16:29
Emmotts Beehive Store
64 Vulcan St, now Harris Scarfe
1864-07-01 10:16:29
Harvison's Auction Rooms & Moruya Examiner
8 Page St 1865, Victorian weatherboard Georgian building, office of the “Moruya Examiner”, after it was purchased by editor and auctioneer R. H. Harvison.
1864-07-01 10:16:29
The Uniting Church
7 Page St 1864, Victorian Gothic designed by Sydney architect Thomas Rowe. Moruya’s first granite building, stonework by Henry Ziegler, local stonemason and quarryman. The beautiful glass windows, Gothic door and wonderful acoustics add to the appeal of this classic church building.
1867-12-31 10:17:03
Sundial Clock
78 Vulcan St. This sundial was crafted by master stonemason and quarryman Henry Ziegler and donated to the public in 1867. Originally installed at the Courthouse, the clock moved to Council chambers on Campbell St, and then to the current Council Chambers on Vulcan St.
1875-07-01 10:16:29
Emmott House
85-7 Campbell St, built 1875
1875-08-01 10:16:29
Vivian Cottage
~1875, for local blacksmith Peter Williams. Victorian Georgian weatherboard, originally a 3-bedroom cottage. Williams arrived in NSW from Cornwell in 1859, moving to Moruya after a period in Bodalla. He named the cottage after his relatives the Vivian family.
1876-12-31 10:17:03
MORUYA BRIDGE & BOATSHED
The current bridge was built in 1966 and is the fourth on this site. The first was built in 1876. The second opened in 1900 and but was destroyed in the 1945 floods. A “temporary” replacement was built, finally replaced by the current bridge over 20 years later! The River was the lifeblood of Moruya’s economy, providing the main transport route for produce, timber, gold and granite. The journey through the Moruya Heads was treacherous and many lost their lives.
1878-01-03 05:50:11
Early Victorian Residence
21 Page St, late 1870s.
1879-07-01 22:10:59
Court House & Police Precinct
65 Vulcan St 1879-80. Victorian Italianate, designed by James Barnet of the Colonial Architects Office. Painted and rendered brickwork with timber balustrades and columns. A prominent building, it reflects the Colonial Architect’s grand concepts for major regional centre public buildings. The Police Station is adjacent, and the lock-up keeper’s residence is at the rear.
1879-07-03 22:13:39
Police Residence
3 Page St 1879, Victorian style, designed by Colonial Architect’s Office. Initially used as temporary Court House and Police Station, then became the Police Sergeant’s quarters when the new Court House on Vulcan St was completed. With the expansion of gold diggings came bushrangers, and a need to improve security. The NSW Government responded by allocating £1536 for new police buildings and court house. Now a private residence, the building is still owned by the NSW Police Force.
1880-01-01 00:54:25
AGE OF PROSPERITY
Moruya was able to capitalise on the wealth that gold & granite had brought, and became the undisputed commercial and social centre of the region.
1880-01-03 05:50:11
Victorian Style Residence
19 Page St. 1880
1880-07-24 19:32:41
Carpenter’s Cottage
39 Queen St 1880 by Thomas Edward Walter, a carpenter and the town’s undertaker.
1880-09-17 21:08:07
Newsagent
42 Vulcan St 1880-89, Victorian era. Remains as the only substantial timber commercial building in Moruya from the late 1880s period of commercial expansion. Originally a general store selling hardware, drapery and groceries with a residence above.
1881-07-01 10:16:29
Stonemason’s Lathe
Made 1881 in Aberdeen, displayed in Museum grounds.
1881-07-01 20:53:05
Mechanic's Institute
13 Page St 1881, Neo-Gothic style, brick with iron roof. Designed by Reginald Heber Barlow, local teacher and architect. Centre of local life in late 1800s, now used as a community centre with regular art exhibitions.
1883-07-01 08:14:49
Bank of NSW
59 Vulcan St 1883, bank with manager’s residence. Federation Italianate style, designed by Benjamin Backhouse. Granite construction with rendered architraves and slate roof. Granite from Louttit’s quarry on the south side of the Moruya River.
1887-07-01 10:16:29
Post & Telegraph Office
52 Campbell St 1887, Late-Victorian Filigree architecture of refinement reflects the importance of postal services in an era of growing prosperity. The telegraph office was added to southern side 1926. The Post Office established a new civic precinct for Moruya. The building is now run as a boutique B&B.
1887-07-09 15:09:38
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
36 Queen St Built 1887-88, Victorian Gothic, granite and sandstone construction designed by Sydney architects Sheerin & Hennessy. Stonework by Henry Ziegler, local stonemason and quarryman. Extensive grounds house the St Mary’s Catholic School and until 1996 the Convent of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. The convent building is now used for parish and school administration.
1890-07-01 10:16:29
The Commercial Bank
Enter story info here
1891-05-21 03:05:15
Masonic Hall
16 Page St 1891, southern annex was constructed in 1946. Victorian Gothic, rendered brick with corrugated iron roof. The only building of its type in the region and was an important place for social gatherings.
1891-07-01 20:53:05
St John's Church & Rectory
15 Page St 1891, designed by colonial architect Arthur Blacket. Brick & stone with slate roof, Victorian Gothic style. Replaced an original wooden church built in 1861. Stonework by Henry Ziegler, local stonemason and quarryman. Rectory built 1870-74, granite stone rendered on the outside. Hall built 1903, used for Sunday school and meetings.
1900-01-01 10:30:14
FEDERATION ERA
Granite mining set Moruya apart, raising its status in Sydney and bringing more people and investment. Moruya was the undisputed commercial centre of the region, and was declared the seat of the new Eurobodalla Shire in 1906.
1910-01-30 20:30:59
Adelaide Hotel
36-8 Vulcan St 1910, Federation style. Roughest rendered and painted brickwork. Replaced the previous Adelaide Hotel built in 1865, making it the oldest hotel still operating in Moruya. Built on the banks of the Moruya River, “The Addie” remains a popular meeting place.
1913-01-03 05:50:11
Queen Anne style Residence
17 Page St. 1913, substantial residence.
1913-07-01 10:16:29
The Moruya Examiner
56-8 Campbell St 1913, by Robert Henry Harvison, owner of the Moruya Examiner. Federation Italianate style, granite construction rarely used in domestic building. The Examiner previously operated from Harvison’s auctioneer rooms on Page St, these new buildings illustrate the paper’s rising influence.
1914-01-03 05:50:11
Federation Cottage
17 Page St. Federation Cottage
1914-01-30 23:35:22
Pink Gates
The Pink Gates were originally at one of the two entrances to the showground. These replica gates now mark a walk through the golf course to the showground. The present showground dates from 1914, having moved from its riverside location near the current bowling club site. The first show in 1879 was held on land at the corner of Murray and Evans Street.
1914-07-01 10:16:29
Shire Chambers
73 Campbell St 1914, Federation Queen Anne, rendered brick with iron roof. Moruya was chosen as the seat of the Eurobodalla shire due to its central location, commercial importance and because there was a newspaper.
1915-07-01 03:46:32
Club House Hotel
43 Queen St 1915, Victorian Tudor style. Distinctive white silica bricks thought to have come from the Botany Brick Company in Sydney. Replaced Kilkenny's "The Club House" Hotel.
1920-01-01 17:58:33
TOURISM & SEA CHANGE
By the 1920s tourism started to take off, fuelled by the new Federal Capital in Canberra, the post-war boom and the arrival of the automobile. Hotels were booked, movie theatres started up and commerce thrived.
1920-09-23 01:16:34
Garnet Chewying Shops
68 – 72 Vulcan St 1920-9, Inter-War Art Deco, brick with stucco parapet. Marks the start of the developer-led expansion of post-war retailing in the main commercial street.
1921-07-01 10:16:29
Amusu Theatre
78 Vulcan St 1921 by A H Preddy for use as a cinema, Inter-War Moderne style. Moruya’s first Cabaret Ball was held there in 1946. Now trading as Silly Willy’s discount store.
1922-07-01 17:33:57
Keating Residence
51 Queen St 1922, an “up-to-date” residence for publican Martin Keating on the site of the Kildare Hotel, which Keating had previously leased. Keating also ran a hotel at the site now occupied by the Air Raid Tavern.
1925-11-14 07:57:02
Power House
10 Page St 1925, a corrugated iron shed with a stepped timber-framed parapet at the Page Street frontage. Housed the town’s first electricity power generating unit from 1931-1941, and later as the office of the Southern Star newspaper.
1928-07-01 10:16:29
Lawyer’s Cottage
54 Campbell St Late 1920s, attractive interwar cottage. Early use as a dental surgery, then became a private home, now a lawyer’s office. Replaced a 2-story general store and residence run by the Kee Chong family.
1928-07-02 08:37:00
Commonwealth Bank
51 Vulcan St 1928, Inter-War Simplified Free Classical, brick with iron roof. Significant role in consolidating commercial centre and expanding local Banking services.
1932-07-01 23:48:23
Mylott’s Bakery
57-9 Queen St 1932, by local baker Paddy Mylott. The building has been modified but some fine 1930s detailing remains – leadlight windows, period tiling and unpainted brickwork. A residence was located above the bakery and a resident’s doorway and several windows open onto the Vulcan Street facade.
1939-02-14 15:45:18
Hotel Monarch
54 Vulcan St. 1939 Art Deco. An iconic landmark in Moruya, noted for Art Deco parapet above the street awning. Terracotta Marseilles pattern tiles decorate the roof. The Monarch is named after a navy battleship, built in the site of the previous Commercial Hotel.
1953-07-01 20:53:05
RSL Memorial Hall
Enter story info here
1953-12-26 11:41:01
Air Raid Tavern
73 Vulcan St 1953, Post-War Neo-Federation. The building follows the footprint of former Keating’s Hotel which burnt down in 1943. After the fire, the bar re-opened in the stables – blackout rules were in place due to Japanese submarine activity off the coast – hence it became known as the Air Raid Shelter.
2022-01-01 08:12:43
CONTINUE THE STORY
This is where our timeline ends.