Hi, it’s Adrian Bo here, and this week I’m on Avoca Street in Randwick to talk about the story behind a local landmark, as well as the local legend that developed a diverse enterprise around it. Here at 147 Avoca Street, behind me currently stands the Coach and Horses Hotel. However, back in 1856, the very first business established here was the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens by a gentleman named John Grice. The original Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens was established in London in the early part of the 18th century, and became a hub within London high society. The London version had simply been nicely landscaped gardens with classical music playing, providing a nice environment to get people out of the city and enjoy a lovely picnic, which is quite relevant in current days. Now, when the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens right here behind me was established, they also featured nicely landscaped gardens, but it also included an array of fun and sporting facilities, including a bowling green, croquet lawns, skittle alleys, swinging boats, quoit grounds, a dancing room, and a menagerie. For its time this would have been the equivalent of the modern Disney World for adults and families. Grice established the very first horse drawn bus service between Wynyard and Randwick to facilitate the flocks of people wanting to get out of the city and enjoy the beautiful environment here in Randwick.

Grice also established a building which was initially a general store in 1858, but soon became the Coach and Horses Hotel as you can see behind me, which is now a local landmark with a liquor licence. And that was established in 1864, enabling visitors to stay overnight, or even on a few days for a holiday. Now between 1858 and 1864, Grice also used his fleet of horse-drawn buses to establish the area’s first postal service, delivering mail and using the Coach and Horses in effect as a post office. The growing evolution of Randwick Racecourse provided further opportunity for Grice. He already had horse boxes on the property to accommodate his horses that powered the buses. However, he further decided to use them to attract a growing clientele from the racing community who would stay overnight on the way to and from the racetrack, stabling their horses overnight as well. Now, the introduction of steam trams in 1881 caused both a decline in the horse driven bus service but also an increase to the local population. The 1880s were boom time for large subdivisions of land in Randwick to facilitate that growing population. Now, in future episodes I’ll talk more specifically about the subdivisions, but suffice to say pre 1880s, Avoca Street had very few properties. Fast forward to today in 2021, and according to the records Avoca Street has 146 houses, 643 units, 8 townhouses, as well as a raft of commercial and retail property. Now 65% of people on Avoca Street are owner-occupiers, with a massive 45% of those owner occupies having been here for 10 years or more.

There have been six sales on Avoca Street this year compared to 16 sales in 2020. Last year number 253 Avoca Street, a three bed, one bathroom house, sold for $2.35 million. But the street record for a residential dwelling appears to have been set in 2017, when number 28 Avoca Street sold for $2.525 on a 302 square metre block. Now I’ve been selling for 32 years in Randwick, Coogee, Clovelly, and Maroubra areas. I’ve sold hundreds of properties in Randwick alone in the last few years. Last weekend in fact, I sold apartment 5 at number 9 Frenchmans Road, a two bedroom apartment owned by high profile TV sports presenter, Erin Molan, and that achieved just over $1,680,000, being a huge record price and adding to the cache of record prices that I’ve achieved in the immediate precinct. A few months ago, I also sold 7/2 Clara Street, a two bedroom deceased estate. Now, that sold for $1,035,000, being well above the reserve price. Also 9 at 6 Botany Street, a two bedroom unit I sold for $956,000, also above the reserve price. Now entrepreneurs like John Grice should be considered major influences on how Randwick has established as a suburb. He started the first post office, the first bus service, the first hotel, the first resort of sorts. And he was also one of the contributors to the fund that built St. Jude’s Anglican Church, a little further down Avoca Street from where I am now. Now, I’m committed and determined to continue keeping the stories alive of these local legends like John Grice. And on behalf of my community I make a commitment to delivering those to you on a weekly basis. Now keep smiling, and always remember your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.