A few weeks ago, I was awakened by the urge to write about the old family holiday house. Luckily not long ago I had scanned and saved all the memorabilia mum and dad accumulated from their time as part owners of Empire House at Empire Bay on the Central Coast of New South Wales. During that restless night my memories kept flooding back.
Why would I think tenderly about it? Let alone write about it? It was a rickety rundown holiday house on the water owned by a bunch of my parents camping friends. In the end they owned it for over 30 years and it was not only part of my my parents and siblings Family History but also my own family‘s memories.
The house was built in 1906 originally as Sorrento house at another location across the Brisbane Waters. It was a single-story timber cottage- a former boarding house.
The building had been transported across the water in two parts to the Sorrento subdivision and was located on two parcels of land in Sorrento Road Empire Bay. Being an ex-hospitality and former tourism teacher, I was fascinated that it was part of the early tourism of the Central Coast region; one of the few early boarding houses on the Brisbane Water when travelling from Sydney to Woy Woy was a big trip. It predated the Post Office and the General Store and its final resting place was next to the 22-foot public foreshore area overlooking Empire Bay.
When my parents and their friends paid $20,000 in total between 10 families in 1978 the size of the block and 3/4 parcel of land was the main interest. There was space to park their caravans. Expansion of their homes had meant they needed space for parking their caravans which had outgrown the parking spaces in their suburban blocks back in Carlingford.
When it was purchased Empire Bay was a small-town ship with only a small Progress Hall, Marina, some council baths and a General Store. Today, it is a vibrant suburb with Tavern, bottle shop, corner store, takeaway food etc.
For their $2000 per family ,the house was pretty rundown. It had no electricity or running water. The foundations had tilted under the house due to the stumps continuing to grow. It was in need of much-needed repair as the elderly lady who had owned it was beyond caring.
Never mind- it had a big backyard and the 10 or so families of Carlingford Campers and their hordes of children were experienced in the “working bee” having built their local Catholic school. All the trades came together and loved spending weekends there having working bees to reconnect electricity, install plumbing, concrete slabs and and a bathroom. Everyone else got together to paint and repair, clean and clear while enjoying weekends of fellowship and frivolity.
A few boats were parked out the front to add to the
weekend fun. To the locals they became known as the “caravan park”.
As was usual of the times much was offloaded – ah donated to replace the curtains, linen, doors, floor coverings and household items. The house came furnished with borer infested furniture and brass beds in the bedrooms but the camping ladies created the atmosphere with any necessary titivation.
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| One of the many brass beds |
The old piano had stayed along with the fancy Chaise Lounge, the plum coloured sofa and side chairs and the huge old wooden sideboard cabinets. A big old dining table filled the large lounge room and after the meal cards, games and jigsaws were played into the night.
The kitchen had the original cupboards, the original range oven, chimney and even a meat safe which my mother painted fashionable fluoro green. It also contained a huge kitchen table with plenty of room for the food laid out for morning teas and meals. Belinda remembers the really old stove in the kitchen with the anodized metal pots and containers.
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| The kitchen with original cooker, meat safe and the anodized containers |
At some point the house was renamed Empire House. An old name sign was taken to a sign writer, painted up in gold and reframed. The front door on the reserve side proclaimed its name. The house had an L-shaped Veranda perfect for housing some old church pews courtesy of our old Saint Gerard’s church building at Carlingford and they were much used to sit and watch early-morning walkers, foreshore visitors and passing boats. Of course, the veranda was very popular at drinks o’clock or morning tea.
Around the side was a big shady tree and it was a favourite spot of the weekenders to gather. It was officially known as the “Beer Garden”. It was all class being built in a u- shape of planks of wood supported on concrete blocks. Low to the ground and suitable for all assembled to enjoy the afternoon tipple and chat while watching the barbecue cook.
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At my 50th -The BBQ area and the salubrious Beer Garden seats |
The kids were well entertained in the “CB” room which was a closed in veranda filled with bunk beds sleeping six in which the kids used to operate their CB radios. The original Screen time!
Later to accommodate the crowds outdoor amenities, a ”Throne Room” toilet and concrete pads were added along with electricity and water to each of the caravan sites. Tracey remembers feeling Royal using the throne. It was the butt of many signs and jokes and certainly not posh.
Early on in its new life a freak cyclone hit the Bay one Friday afternoon 19th August 1984. Empire House was one of the worst hit with a couple of caravans overturned and the roof being ripped off. Insurance paid for repairs and the internal timber ceiling and roofing irons were replaced with bullnose zinc alum and gyprock interior. The house got an even better makeover than originally envisaged.
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| Empire House after the cyclone |
Gradually the campers began to enjoy the serenity of their little holiday haven with long weekend celebrations and weekends away common. The house was often rented out to relatives and friends to enjoy as well. It slept 14 and was perfect for family events. Christmas and Easter were especially busy. The campers were a friendly bunch and much loved by the locals especially when they supported local events and spent money in the town. I remember my six-month-old, Kylie eating ice passionfruit cream cones from the old General Store during her first summer at the bay.
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| Julie , second from L with friends 1995 |
During the off-season my relatives used to come and stay for a week or two. Cousin Julie and Auntie Airdrie loved the oldness. Grand Pop who only lived around the corner at Pearl Beach loved it for a short break and gifted a picture he painted of the old house to be displayed in the lounge room.
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| An early sketch and painting of the house by Frank Leonard Kelf 1980s |
I asked my children for some memories of their time at Empire Bay. Besides one saying that they were neglected (read “had the run of the place”) they vividly remember the morning of the Newcastle earthquake which occurred while we were staying there on 28 December 1989. We were sleeping but the girls were up at the playground when they earth shook. Quite a shake was felt from this quake 114 km away. The girls got the blame from my mother as she thought they were under the house shaking it!
They
loved the General Store which was so close and later being able to go and buy
ice cream cones by themselves and mini juice cartons filled with orange and
purple lollies when it became a corner store. My kids were among the first grandchildren born to the group. They
were loved and teased; such was the
novelty of little kids. Kylie was called Freck as a nickname for her freckles.
The kids remember long table New Year’s celebrations, fireworks in the backyard,
guitar playing and the traditional Zorba dance at midnight. 
New Year's Eve 1984
Of course, with such a large block there were always weekend mowing chores. My husband Steve will never get over the fact that they insisted on doing the lawns with a mower you could only work backwards.
Remember that a house that is so dilapidated does not come with truly serviceable rowing boats and canoes. Many were tempted to try out the craft found stored underneath the footings. One day my kids did try out an old craft only to find that the boat was not waterproof once they were in the water.
Beware of old craft found under the house
Another day little Tracey was fishing with her new Christmas rod at the wharf. She had an enormous tug and we were excited. She had caught someone else’s brand-new fishing rod lost over the wharf. I think she cried with all the fuss.
In years to come someone may well find my brother’s boat attracting fish down by the water‘s edge. Oh yes it was one of those things that came pretty cheaply, an old wooden thing from memory. During a period when it was tied up it sank out the front. There was always lots of hope out the front for a catch of the day. We took our boat out on Brisbane Waters. I can’t say we were that successful but any crabs that came mum‘s way she devoured. The kids remember her pulling up and eating crabs under the beer garden tree. They had probably feasted on our Christmas ham bone.
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| My girls with the Marina workshop in the rear |
It was never quite the same after Mum died in 1992 and we stopped booking it for our 10-day holiday at Christmas -it held so many memories.
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| Nanna with Belinda 1984 |
I returned for the 20th year celebration weekend around 1997. It was great to return to a place where so much “Carlingford” oozed out of the house. (You could read into that that not much had changed.) Even the back door was Carlingford- being our old front door from 26 Robin St. Everyone had a grand weekend with even a video shown that was taken by my deceased mum of a lengthy meatball preparation by a perfectionist- or was he just slow? Photo albums were unearthed of the weekend they were flooded in and a newsletter recorded the history and fun of the house.
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| My sister Helen at the 20th reunion |
Sadly, the Beer Garden tree had a Memorial plaque sporting the names of many of the prematurely deceased owners: Jan Carroll, my mum Marlene, Bill Daley and Bill Gibson.
I always wanted to take my own camping friends for a weekend to Empire Bay. Finally, I chose my 50th birthday as a way to show it to my friends and reunite with my kids and grandchild with our happy place. In October 2005 we had a great weekend of celebrations barbecuing breakfast, lunch and tea and having fun in the beer garden. My dad took us on one of his bushwalks –“ Now I just want to show you something. It won’t take long” he said. A good weekend was had by all despite the “bushwalking longer than you thought adventure” with Dad.
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| Kylie, Dale and Keyala inspecting a big aboriginal rock carving on Dad's walk |
By this time the Bay had expanded with lots of modern houses and a nearby Tavern. The corner store had expanded to add a bottle shop and takeaway.
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| The Kanahooka camping friends at my fiftieth |
We were lucky to get the gathering in. The house had been listed for sale the previous year. Some time in 2004 mainly because it was a non-income producing assessable asset some retirees in the group could not afford to keep it was it was agreed it had to be sold. At 1219 m² the house and land value of this waterfront land had high expectations of up to $1 million however the heritage order obtained to reduce the council rates held back the sale and the price. Besides that the Council had finally cottoned to the fact that they were storing so many vans. They had to go.
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| For Sale |
It eventually sold in May 2008, the week my dad died, for $710,000 . It saved a lot of complications as dad’s two shares were to be split three ways and my siblings were not keen to own part shares in the house they no longer visited regularly. The Heritage listing was a bit of a joke in the end. By the time our lot had finished the tiding up it had changed plus it had been heavily modified after the cyclone.
I returned a few years ago. It now a very done up house with a has a huge six bedrooms , four-bathrooms and a four car garage. It has a “heritage look” plus a huge extension and pool out the back. I almost cried.
* all mistakes and exaggerations in the stories are mine*
