Manly Quarantine Station History

Early European Phase

1828 - The "Morley" arrived with whooping cough aboard. Quarantine was too late to stop the disease spreading and Governor Darling's sone was amongst those who died.

The "Bussorah Merchant" was quarantined in 1828 because of having smallpox on board. The passengers lived in tents on shore.
The Quarantine Station was like a campsite at this stage with passengers helping to cut wood, clear bushland, and pitch their own tents. The "Alligator" was used as a hospital ship.

1832 - Arrival of ships with cholera on board
1832 - Bourke's Government passed a law to legally enforce quarantine in order to halt thespread of cholera.
1833 - Spring Cove was declared a quarantine area.
1836 - There were 36 tents for the healthy people while sick people were kept on board the ships.

North Head is a "tied island" of land making it a suitable area for quarantine. It was not easy to escape from North Head. Convicts were sometimes put on guard duty to make sure no one left the Quarantine area. There were even convicts put into boats to patrol the water so that no one would escape and carry disease to the main settlement of Sydney.

A natural spring provided fresh water and there is shelter from the open sea as Spring Cove is within Sydney Harbour.

QS501.jpg (20389 bytes)
The Quarantine Station is built on a
"tied island" joined to the mainland by
a narrow spit of land. It features steep
rock cliffs.
Photo : J.Simpson

References:
Quarantine Station : Sydney Harbour National Park CONSERVATION PLAN,
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service 1997 printing
43 Bridge St, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia

Quarantine Station : Sydney Harbour National Park Open Day booklet 1999
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Visitors Services Unit, Scenic Drive, Manly, NSW 2220, Australia

Manly Quarantine Station

Quarantine Station History 1828 - 1836