Tuross Head boatshed histories

The Tuross Head boatshed histories 1 Bought to you by www.turosshead.org

The Tuross Head boatsheds have enjoyed a long and interes�ng history.

Star�ng back in the days of early Sydney Tuross Lake was frequented by coastal luggers that woud sail in

through a far deeper river mouth and make their way up as far as Turlinjah where they would take on dairy and

fame products grown on the extensive Bodalla Farm owned by TS Mort that is now the township of Bodalla.

Luggers were being built on the Tuross Lake from local �mber to

assist in the supply of produce to Sydney . Tuross Head played its

part of being a perfect loca�on to grow potatoes and the li$le

co$age above the boatsheds was the home of the “Potato

Overseer” . That co$age was originally the Araluen Police Sta�on

and was moved to Tuross in the late 1800’s

The boatsheds have had many lives and witnessed many floods.

The boatsheds have evolved from storing fishing gear to now providing excellent waterfront meals

Laing’s famous fleet of hire boats—photo by Doug Ingram

Tuross Head Histories The Boatsheds


The photo below taken in 1938 shows four sheds

On the le� is the boatshed, home and

garage of Mr Aileff. The Aileffs had a

service sta�on in Goulburn and moved to

the coast The big garage fronted the

laneway at the top of the block with large

double doors. The garage contained their

drop pit toilet.

To the right of Aileff's house and boatshed

is a shed and deck owned by Royd. These

two blocks were to become the Red Box

Co'age.

Winton bought the house and then Royd's

shed.

He was a fisherman and sold fish and prawns he caught from a small shop he constructed in the area that

was the old garage. Adjacent to this shop (now the Red Box cafe kitchen) he had his large freezer which is

now the concreted carport of the Red Box Cafe.

Winton sold to Ron Valen�ne who owned the Tern Inn at the �me. Ron used the coolroom for his milk

run and had his son living in the house. A;er selling the Tern Inn and the milkrun, Ron and Phyliss

Valen�ne se$led into the home and began preparing fish and chips from the small top building. They

were the first to offer any cooked food in the boatshed bay.

Though not officially allowed, Ron con�nued to sell fish and chips and was one day given the "go ahead"

to keep on with his business by a council building inspector. The permission had been given correctly or

otherwise, and from this the gates opened for others to follow.

The Red Box Co'age

1938 from the North looking at the Red Box boat shed


The property was then sold to Barrie Hansson who transformed the

shop area into a wood fired pizza kitchen for take-away and for lake

side enjoyment on tables by the water. Barrie painted the kitchen block

red and named it the Red Box living in the renovated house below.

Barrie established the pizza café with his hallmark quality gourmet

pizzas that had people come from far and wide seCng the standard for

the pizza’s known of the Red Box to follow.

In 2008 Barrie sold to Steve and Deb who traded it as a very successful

pizza café con�nuing on with quality food before leasing the business. In 2012 the pizza shop closed and

kitchen ceased. The house is now a holiday rental co$age by the water while the commercial kitchen is

undergoing renova�ons.

Red Box 2008

The Red Box Co'age


Above and below—looking south towards the southern end of the Tuross Head boat shed bay

Top shows Aileff’s house and boatshed in the background - Arthur Laing with a flathead

Below shows the old slipway boatshed before it was extended.

The Red Box Co'age


Pickled Octopus Café 2008

The two sheds on the right hand side above were owned by Eric Baulch. These two blocks were to become the

Pickled Octopus Café .

Over the years Eric established a boat hire business however lost his boats during the war when all the hire and

private boats were hidden for the war years in channels up the river where they eventually ro$ed.

Meanwhile the two sheds next door owned by Baulch sold to Tony and Laurel Mackenzie. The white one to the

right fell over with the push of a hammer and the other remained on the double block un�l it was sold to Lynch in

1995.

In the early 1990’s The Lynchs' constructed the new two story besser and cladding building on the double block

and opened it as the Lakeview Cafe in 1995 serving coffee and takeaways. Lynch built the first evolu�on of the

building with it's small verandah overlooking the lake.

The Fergusons then bought the property in 1997 opening it as The Pickled Octopus Café and extended the upper

and lower decks and closing in the verandah to make it weather proof.

Pickled Octopus Cafe


The Tuross “Boatshed” is one of the best known of the famous NSW South Coast boatsheds and has been

an icon for genera�ons of visitors to Tuross Head for boat hire, fishing tackle and food by the lake

"The Boatshed" was originally built by Howell a;er 1938 and before the start of the Second World War.

Comprising of local hardwood the Boatshed was built to withstand the harsh saltwater condi�ons and lake

floods. Originally the business was to service the local fishermen and their boats, with an internal rail dry-

dock and marine workshop.

Howell sold to Hedley Marks and Eric Ryall who both lived in Jutland Avenue

Ryall and Marks sold to Nossiter in the late 1950’s

Mr Nossiter understood the need for more facili�es and saw the first poten�al for tourism services on the

lake. He had the first sign wri�ng put on the front of the building, calling it Nossiter's Boatshed &

Fishermans store.

At the store they carried a range of fisherman's tackle, bait and provided freezing facili�es for fish caught in

the lake. Fuel was also introduced as the new boats had outboard motors and it made sense to provide fuel

on the lake to service them. S�ll providing a marine workshop Nossiter's Boatshed became the hub of the

Tuross Lake. Further development in the business as the years rolled passed was the provision of hire boats

and at the �me Nossiter's Boatshed had the largest Fleet of hire boats on the South Coast.

Nossiter's Boatshed was eventually sold and over the next half a century remained virtually unchanged,

other than for newer boats, passing through many memorable names, un�l the 1990's when the café came

into existence to cater for the increasing demand for more facili�es for the growing Tourist trade.

Nossiter sold to Bruce Rainbow

Bruce Rainbow sold to Arthur Blacker

Arthur Blacker sold to Tony Mackenzie in 1976

Tony Mackenzie sold to Lynch 1995

Lynch sold to Hooks in 1999

Hooks sold to the O'Brien's 2001

O'Brien's sold to Anderson 2011 to present

• John and Janine Suthern leased the buildings in 2009 trading as the Tuross Boatshed and Café

• Shannon and Casey leased the Boatshed, lower building and other sheds in September 2014

trading as the Tuross Boatshed and Café

"The Boatshed"


Early 1950's - the

“Boatshed” owned

by Ryall and Marks

To the right of the

“Boatshed” is the

li$le shed first built

Early 1950's looking south

to the Boatshed

Le;: the first image

we have of the

Howell’s “Boatshed”

in the distance circa

1938


Nossiter's Boatshed : This photo was taken in 1957. The people in the boat are: Mr Harold Nossiter,

Robert Corfield, Ben Nossiter, Mr Bill Corfield and Howard Corfield. - photo courtesy of Robert Dalziel

1963 - Nossiter's Boats sign

"Nossiter’s Boatshed"


Nossiter's 1963 Mr Nossiter

"Nossiter’s Boatshed" The name of Maurice Bramley is of special interest to

discerning collectors of Australian comic books.

This New Zealand-born illustrator came to comics

quite late in his career, but proved a prolific and

talented comic ar�st during the twilight years of

Australian comics during the late 1950s and early-to-

mid 1960s

Maurice was always using his wife Dell and the other

Tuross locals as drawing models.

In some of his war themed comics Maurice Bramley

depicted Mr Nossitor of Nossiters Boatshed as a sea

captain


"Blacker’s Boatshed"

Arthur Blacker

Mr and Mrs Blacker (right)


"Mackenzies’s Boatshed"

Tim Kilbourne and Tony Mackenzie


“Terry and Deb O'Brien’s Boatshed”

Muffy the cat: Muffy was the longest

boatshed resident of all living for 21 years

by the lake watching thousands on

thousands of visitors arrive and leave,

experiencing floods and storms and all

the �me just happy for a fish or two if

they were spare and the occasional pat


“The Tuross Boatshed & Café “ 2009 - Sept 1st 2014

Whilst the buildings were

owned by O’Briens and then

Anderson, John and Janine

Suthern took over the lease of

the boatshed in 2009 and

renamed it the Tuross Boatshed and Café in line with what all the locals called it for years.

The business was quickly analysed and segregated into different sec�ons, hire boats, fishing tackle, marine

workshop and café. A further sec�on was then added to cater for surfing and diving equipment missing

from the area, each offering a different specialised tourism experience.

The Tuross Boatshed has become a NSW state a$rac�on and is marketed to both intrastate and interstate

visitors. As one of the major a$rac�ons within the Tuross, Coila and the Eurobodalla combined with the

natural beauty and tranquillity of the lake The Boatshed significantly contributes to the visitor's tourism

experience within the South Coast Area.

The Tuross Boatshed Sept 1st 2014 - to present

Shannon and Casey have taken over the lease of the

Tuross Boatshed and Cafe

John and Janine Suthern

Shannon and Casey


Laing's Boatshed

Mr Albert Laing came to Tuross Head on long service leave

from the City of Sydney Fire brigade. It was during the war

years and he camped for three months at Lavender Point

fishing and prawning. His son Jim came down for a weeks

holiday during this �me. Over the following years the

Laings enjoyed holidays in Tuross and one year they saw

that Tiedemans boatshed was being auc�oned.

In those days only one shed was built on the site (the

original shed is s�ll there - being the southern "half" of the

boastshed. The property failed to reach its reserve price however the Laings (Snr and Jnr) were the

highest bidders on the day. As they drove through Moruya back to Sydney they called into Kings Real

Estate and le; a further £50. They were contacted a week later to be informed their offer had been

accepted.

At the �me Alan Baulch (Eric's father) was leasing the boatshed from Tiedeman for £10 per year and the

Laings allowed him to con�nue using it for several years more. Baulch was mainly prawning Coila Lake

and taking out tons of prawns. One night Laing Snr went prawning

with Baulch. There was the sound of an approaching storm with

rumbling that soon revealed itself as millions of prawns running. The

volume of prawns being caught in Coila in the 1950's was staggering.

Jim Laing at this �me was s�ll working with an engineering company in

Mascot and didn't manage to permanently come to Tuross un�l 1960.

One year the Coila Lake entrance opened and the prawns escaped to

move en-mass down the coast and come back into Tuross Lake. That

was a bumper summer for boat hire.

Albert Laing

Jimmy Laing The best on the coast


The original

boatshed as it

was when first

bought by the

Laings.

Laing's Boatshed


Above: 1966 - note new Holden

HD sta�on wagon - the

boatshed is in two sec�ons - the

righthand sec�on is the original

Tiedeman shed - the le; hand

side is the addi�on built by

Laings. The house above was

built in the late 1950's with the

house extension and double

garage added a few years later

Laing's Boatshed


1959 - the new fleet of Laing's rental boats arrives in

Tuross Head - the fleet was built up over two years,

1958 and 1959 The boats remained in service un�l the

1990's remaining unused at dock un�l 2008.

The boats were a famous drawcard for Tuross Head

and have been photographed and painted for decades

�ed up at Laing's je$y.

Sheryl Miller

Laing's Boatshed


The last remaining Laing boat leaving the boatshed Nov 9th, 2010. Its new owners, Andersons Boatshed at

Booker Bay, are intending restoring it back to working order and puCng it back on hire.

Jim Laing , long �me Tuross resident, boatshed owner, absolute character and true gentleman passed

away July 23rd, 2010

Laing's Boatshed

2008

2010


Farmers Boatshed

Originally built by Hart who was a local plumber this

building, it's boatshed and slip and je$y was then

owned by Harold Black, a Tuross builder. The house

was sold to Farmers in 1977.

The original access to this house was via Laings

property via the je$y however a long drive was later

put in place that accessed Trafalgar Road.

Above: In this photo is Harold Black, Jim Laing and one of Harold's grandaughters.

Harold was the next door neighbour at what is now the Farmer co$age and boatshed.

2008


Tuross Marine Rescue Shed

VRA Sheds 1989

VRA Shed 1993

Opening Day Nov 6th, 1994

VRA Shed July 2009 THMR 2014

Documents

Tuross Head boatshed histories