Property Advert of the Week: Captain Cook Towers, Brighton-Le-Sands (1971)

Below is a 1971 newspaper advertisement for Captain Cook Towers, located on The Grand Parade at Brighton-Le-Sands.

Two bedroom apartments were eon offer from $22 000 and three bedroom apartments from $35 000. This is equivalent to $303 000 and $481 500 in todays money as based on the RBA Inflation Calculator.

 

Source: J. R. Baker Pty. Ltd. & Whiteman's Real Estate Co. 1971. "Captain Cook Towers" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, June 12: 42.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Novotel Brighton Beach (1986)

Source: Dainford Limited. 1986. "Unique Hotel" (Advertisement). The Weekend Australian, May 10: Page Unknown.

This is the last entry of our current series of Sydney's "Never Builts". 

Novotel Brighton Beach opened in 1990 as The Resort Hotel Brighton Beach before accquiring the Novotel Name in 1993. The four and a half star hotel rises 12 storeys above the suburb and replaced the Brighton Hotel.

Dainford Limited built the current hotel and retail complex, but in 1986 called for tenders to either manage the hotel/tavern operation or for an owner operator to joint venture the total complex.

The "Registration of Interest" as published in The Weekend Australian featured a different design to what was built. It appears that a taller, slender tower was proposed at around 19 storeys tall and was to be positioned in the south-western corner of the site. 

However, there was nothing else which mentioned this proposed scheme, not even in the local newspaper - The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. 

Dainford faced hurdles just to have a major hotel complex approved. It was opposed bv residents who feared that it could set the precedent for large scale developments along the western shores of Botany Bay while Rockdale Council supported the development for attracting tourists and commercial activity to the area. 

Why were the (1928) Brighton Baths demolished?

In May, The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader published a Flashback Friday Feature on the demolition of the 1928 swimming enclosure at Brighton-Le-Sands in 1980.

While the article was based on the content available within the archives of the newspaper, I felt that it didn't provide an explanation as to why or how its fate was determined.

The argument presented was that one storm in May 1968 all but sealed its fate, along with rising maintenance costs and declining patronage (access was via paid entry). The storm was reported to be one of the worst ever to impact on Botany Bay. The storm swells generated massive erosion of the beachfront at Brighton-Le-Sands, including the collapse of a number of Norfolk pine trees and a historic cannon. Homes were flooded at Kurnell, when waves crashed over Prince Charles Drive. Scans from the May 22, 1968, edition of The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader are included below including the editorial from page 2.

I wanted to also consider other sources as well. I consulted the local history collection of the former Rockdale City Council but also some of the scanned material that I have managed to obtain through my ongoing scans.

A search of the image collection through Bayside Council revealed images of significant storm damage to the baths as early as 1962. I found one image that had a concrete staircase overhanging from 1965. In addition, the beachfront at Brighton had been damaged in a number of storms in the lead up to 1968. The walkway on the perimeter of the baths had buckled during storms, forcing the baths to close

I found an article by former Rockdale Mayor and Alderman Ron Rathbone (date unknown) in a vertical file. Rathbone mentioned that council had prior to the 1960s faced difficulties in managing the baths. Patronage had declined as swimmers flocked to free enclosures located in nearby suburbs. Costs of maintenance had increased.

In 1970 the council struck an agreement with the Maritime Services Board and the Department of Lands and Planning to demolish the baths and replace it with a pier and floating net.The Seymour Pavillon was also to be demolished.

The former dressing sheds were converted into the Le Sands restaurant, opening in 1972. In 2017, the restaurant celebrates 45 years of trade.

A report in 1978, identified major structural concerns and it was recommended that the baths be demolished immediately. The following year, demolition took place.

Source: Anon. 1979. "Just a Rusting Ring of Mesh: Brighton baths may be rebuilt". The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, February 14: 19. 

In mid 1980, the tender to construct the new floating net and pier was awarded by Rockdale Council. By the end of 1980, the new baths were completed at an estimated cost of $160 000. It was in fact bigger than the one that it had replaced. In the 2000's the council demolished the pier.

Property Advert of the Week: President Towers, Brighton-Le-Sands (1974)

This week, we head to Brighton-Le-Sands when in 1974 apartments in the newly completed President Towers were available for sale. Four decades later, those views cannot be built out due to restrictions on building heights for developments along The Grand Parade by Rockdale Council.

Source: Lidan Realty Pty. Ltd. 1974. "President Towers" (Advertisement). The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, April 2, 30. 

Property Advert of the Week: 17 Trafalgar Street, Brighton-Le-Sands (1971)

This week's property advertisement takes us to Brighton-Le-Sands where apartments at "Seventeen" (17) Trafalgar Street were on sale. There was also a historical feature included giving a history of the suburb. 1971 was a significant year for the area given that Rockdale Council was celebrating its centenary.

Source: J. Haryison Real Estate. 1971. "Seventeen Trafalgar Street Brighton-Le-Sands (Advertisement). The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, September 8: 64-65.

Property Advert of the Week: Boulevarde Towers, Brighton-Le-Sands (1970)

In the St George area, one of the first high rise towers was built at Brighton-Le-Sands. Below is an advertisement from The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader dating back to 1970 promoting apartments for sale in the Boulevarde Towers. It was the first high rise building built within the Rockdale Municipality.

The eight level building certainly guaranteed the best views in the area (ocean, bay and city) for a while. Soon after, just to the east of the building, in the same block, a building of the same height was constructed taking away some of the ocean and bay views. City views were then eaten away by development in streets to its north (Princess and Gordon Streets). In 1990, the Resort Hotel (now Novotel) was completed which also ate away even more at the sweeping views into the city and eastern suburbs.

Source: John Blight Real Estate. 1970. "Boulevard Towers Advertisement," The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, January 21: 24.