Before going to the station I photographed a few of Grafton's icons, three of which once represented a major part of business and industry in Grafton.
NOTE! ALL IMAGES ENLARGE WHEN CLICKED!
First on the list, and the furthest from the town centre, is the old Peter's ice-cream factory.
This was once a major milk-processing point for the dairy industry in the region and was one of many such facilities along the north coast, operated by such entities as Peters, Peeress and various dairy farming cooperatives.
A similar fate befell another Peters factory further south, at Taree............
Derelict Peters factory at Taree
Next up was the old Grafton Brewery.
My father bought shares in this business because in the 1950s he was managing a Returned Serviceman's Club (RSL) at Kendall, down the coast near Port Macquarie, and local clubs and pubs were able to get Grafton beer slightly cheaper than the products from the Sydney breweries (Resch's, Tooth's and Toohey's.)
Grafton's products were very popular up and down the coast - so popular, in fact, that Tooth's and Toohey's were pissed off to the extent that they managed to undercut Grafton by obtaining subsidised costs on the rail-freight of their products to the north coast.
In 1961 the brewery came under Toohey's ownership.
The Grafton recipes were terminated, as was the label, and the place was eventually closed as an operating concern in 1997.
Out the door went another local employer.
The third local "business", which was a major local employer, was closed only last year.
This is the local prison, run by NSW Dept. of Corrective Services.
Grafton gaol was completed in 1893 and for a detailed history you can read more HERE
The architecture is unique and it is listed with the NSW heritage Register.
The "correctional centre" ("gaol" is much more convenient, and shorter!) employed many people, not only directly but also through the various services.
After visiting these three locations I then went to the Memorial Park which, back in the 1950s, was adjacent the location on the Clarence River from where a flying-boat service operated.
The park's layout has changed somewhat since then...........
As mentioned, there was a flying-boat service which used the stretch of river here as its alighting area. This was Trans Oceanic Airways, owned and operated by Cpt. P.G. Taylor.
Here is an image courtesy the Clarence River Historical Society and the Ed Coates Collection, circa 1950 .......
The view across the river is not all that different today.
In the immediate foreground is the Grafton Rowing Club building, and that is in the same location as the building that you can see in that coloured postcard photo (two photos above) of the park
In the second of the following three photos it's possible to make out some buildings across the river which equate to those seen in the 1950s B&W photo (immediately above).
With reference to P.G. Taylor, this location was the point from which he departed in March 1951 for his proving flight across the South Pacific to Chile, a venture for which, along with other notable deeds, he was knighted in 1954.
Prior to his departure, Cpt. Taylor and his crew stayed overnight in this local hotel
His Consolidated Catalina, Frigate Bird II, resides in Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.
I was somewhat surprised - and not a little disappointed - to not find any reference to this historic event on a plinth or plaque or sign and have contacted the Historical Society in Grafton to see why there isn't anything...or, if there is, where it might be.
When I receive a response I'll update this entry.
UPDATE 28th. March
I have received advice from the Clarence River Historical Society to the extent that they are following this matter up and have sought the support of the director of the Powerhouse Museum.
That's great news and it is to be hoped that something positive comes from my original enquiry.
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