Hawthorne Canal
Encyclopedia
The Hawthorne Canal is a short canal that connects with Port Jackson
, in Sydney
, Australia
. It was originally a natural waterway known as Long Cove Creek, that has been straightened and given artificial banks. It borders on Summer Hill
, Lewisham
, Leichhardt
and Haberfield
. Hawthorne Canal and Iron Cove Creek
are two significant tributaries that flow into Iron Cove.
so that the new waterway could be brought within reach of centres of denser population. However, the extension of the canal was never realised.
The canal had a ferry service operating from 1903 through 1904. The service was operated by the Drummoyne - Leichhardt Ferry Company, and there were nine ferries operated each weekday and twelve on Sundays. The ferry wharf was on the eastern side of the canal aligned with Barton St, and a footbridge was built from the western side. The ferry service became impractical due to sedimentation in the canal, and competition from the tramway.
The canal at the time of its construction was variously known as the Long Cove Canal, the Leichhardt Canal and the Hawthorne Canal. The name Hawthorne Canal was in honour of John Stuart Hawthorne MLA, who first agitated for the construction of the canal in parliament in 1890. The name Hawthorne Canal was officially gazetted in 1974.
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was originally a natural waterway known as Long Cove Creek, that has been straightened and given artificial banks. It borders on Summer Hill
Summer Hill, New South Wales
Summer Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Summer Hill is located 8 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield....
, Lewisham
Lewisham, New South Wales
Lewisham is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lewisham is located 8 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Marrickville Council. The postcode is 2049...
, Leichhardt
Leichhardt, New South Wales
Leichhardt is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Leichhardt is located 5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt...
and Haberfield
Haberfield, New South Wales
Haberfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Haberfield is located 9 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield....
. Hawthorne Canal and Iron Cove Creek
Iron Cove Creek
Iron Cove Creek was a creek in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the inner-western suburbs of Croydon, Ashfield, Haberfield and Five Dock...
are two significant tributaries that flow into Iron Cove.
History
In January 1890 a team of thirty men, employed by the Harbours and Rivers Department, began clearing the mangroves that lined the banks of Long Cove Creek. It was the beginning of the construction of the first stage of the canal. Within twelve months a navigable stretch of water would exist between Iron Cove and Marion Street. Some housing development had already occurred close to the banks of the creek when parts of the Dobroyd Estate were subdivided in the 1880s, and there was a good deal of local pressure for the extension of the canal to Battle Bridge on Parramatta RoadParramatta Road
.Parramatta Road is the major historical east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney, Australia, connecting the Sydney with Parramatta. It is the eastern-most part of the Great Western Highway. Much of its traffic has been diverted to modern expressways such as the M4 and the City West Link...
so that the new waterway could be brought within reach of centres of denser population. However, the extension of the canal was never realised.
The canal had a ferry service operating from 1903 through 1904. The service was operated by the Drummoyne - Leichhardt Ferry Company, and there were nine ferries operated each weekday and twelve on Sundays. The ferry wharf was on the eastern side of the canal aligned with Barton St, and a footbridge was built from the western side. The ferry service became impractical due to sedimentation in the canal, and competition from the tramway.
The canal at the time of its construction was variously known as the Long Cove Canal, the Leichhardt Canal and the Hawthorne Canal. The name Hawthorne Canal was in honour of John Stuart Hawthorne MLA, who first agitated for the construction of the canal in parliament in 1890. The name Hawthorne Canal was officially gazetted in 1974.