Hi, its Adrian Bo here and today I’m at Shark Point in Clovelly to talk about the time when this area was considered a highly strategic part of defending the City of Sydney from invaders. You see, back during the late 1800s, Sydney felt under threat from invasion. The potential invaders ranged from enemies of the British Empire to Japan and in particular, in the 1880s, the Russians. This led to 3 major clifftop fort installations across the Sydney coastline. One was at Bondi, at Ben Buckler, another was installed at Vaucluse’s Signal Hill and the third was installed here at Shark Point in what at that stage was known as Little Coogee. After the construction of sandstone fortifications here in 1871, as nerves jangled then over an invasion, in 1893 a team of horses was deployed to tow a colossal 9.2 inch Mark 6 British Armstrong gun from the Victoria Barracks in Paddington to here at Shark Point in Clovelly. The gun weighed 22 tonnes and had a range of over 16 kilometres, which meant it could attack warships approaching Sydney Harbour. The weapon was known as a “disappearing gun” because it could be lowered into a protected pit to be loaded and then raised in order to be fired.

The Depression of the 1890s, however, meant that manning the forts was not made a priority and the local press were continually complaining that Sydney’s land infantry at that stage was only 1,370 people. When the First World War broke out in 1914, the gun here was manned for several months, 24/7, then again in 1918 after 2 German boats were detected. Of course, the harbour was attacked by the Japanese submarines in 1942, just in the middle of the Second World War there. But as this had not been anticipated, the Shark Point Fort was not operative. Clovelly said goodbye to fast bowler Pat Cummins a few months ago. A first home buyer, Cummins bought 3 at 15 Beach Street in 2013 for just over $1.3 million when he was a raw 21-year-old coming off those early injuries that beset his bowling career. But his recent and new $9.2 million purchase in Bronte means he leaves the area having sold his Beach Street pad for $3.7 million. Also leaving Clovelly is former Olympic sprinter and good friend of mine, Dean Capobianco. Dean represented Australia at both the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. Now he earns a crust as chief executive for Geoscape Australia. He sold his extended 4 bedroom home at 257 Clovelly Road for $5.4 million. Shark Point, by the way, is known to be a magnificent diving site. Though very much in the advanced category, with plenty of dangers lurking as the name suggests, but also some stunning fish commonly seen there, including longfin bannerfish, firefish, giant boarfish, amongst others, including the Blue Groper and the Eastern Blue Devilfish.

Now, I have been selling real estate for over three decades in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. And many of my sales have been in Clovelly and Coogee. I sold 271 Clovelly Road, a 4 to 5 bedroom semi-attached home there for $2,640,000. As well as 142 Arden Street bordering Coogee there, a 6 bedroom home. I sold that for $4,095,000. Also more in the entry point was unit 3 at 202 Clovelly Road next to the Clodeli cafe, a very popular eatery. That was an entry point, 40 square metre 1 bedroom unit, for $732,000. And also sold 40 Dudley Street, a free-standing home there, for $5.3 million. I really hope you have enjoyed the story of Fort Clovelly. It’s vital that we retain our local history and stories. And I’m 100% committed, as a local patron, to deliver these vignettes of history to you. Keep smiling despite the unreasonable lockdown and always remember, your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.