What did Budgewoi and Long Jetty look like 100 years ago?
The two Central Coast suburbs are among 400 regional towns across the state to have their historic plans digitised and made available on the State Library of NSW’s website.
The library’s maps expert Maggie Patton said subdivision plans were an “absolute goldmine” for genealogists and local historians.
“They allow us to place ourselves in the past — on a street, in a town, where we once lived, where our ancestors established themselves,” she said.
“What’s more, they are filled with fascinating details like property prices, town descriptions and sometimes a photograph.”
Patton said subdivision plans were ephemeral items, usually discarded once a development site was sold.
“Luckily, the State Library has acquired and preserved these 100-year-old plans for the people of NSW and beyond to access and use,” she said.
Dating from as early as the 1880s up to the 1930s, the plans were produced by real estate agents and auctioneers to advertise new subdivisions and land sales.
They range from hand-drawn surveyors’ plans to beautifully designed colour posters.
“They provide a fascinating visual record of how your town was imagined by town planners of the past, and how it has developed and expanded over time,” Patton said.
“Some of the plans are annotated with sales figures, and you can see how public transport or access to shops, parks and local attractions influenced the popularity of a town.
“Estate agents used creative marketing strategies to entice people to regional locations by promoting special events with free transport, refreshments or entertainment for the kids.”
For the past 10 years the State Library has been progressively digitising its collection of 40,000 plus subdivision plans of suburban and regional NSW with funding support from the NSW Government.
They are now publicly available on the library’s website with residents able to order a print of their suburb.
To order a print, search your suburb name at sl.nsw.gov.au/subdivision, copy the link and send an enquiry to order your print at library.shop@sl.nsw.gov.au.
Source:
NSW Government