Description
Glenlee
by Glenyss Barnham
This beautifully presented documents the long history of Lugarno’s “Glenlee”, including its Aboriginal heritage, early European story, and the two pioneering families who settled it. The book is filled with colour photographs, capturing the contemporary, historical, cultural, and environmental features of this unique site.
“Glenlee”, 80 Boronia Parade Lugarno, is 2.5 hectares of largely undeveloped land on the edge of the Georges River. It is a living history, a time capsule of the early settlement of NSW. For thousands of years, it was home to the Bidjigal people, whose footprints are etched into the rocks, the soil, and the creek bed of the land. The well-preserved, tangible evidence of their life on Glenlee makes the site unique and irreplaceable for the narrative it holds.
On 20 January 1788, it is believed to have been the most likely site of the first amicable interaction between the First Fleet and the Bidjigal people.
Its European settlement began when it became one of two land grants made in 1856 by Governor William Thomas Denison on the eastern side of Lugarno. While it changed hands a number of times, it was only settled by two families, Geddes and the Matthei, the latter owning the site for 110 years. Four generations who protected the land, cohabited with the wildlife in a way that enabled it to flourish, and respected the Aboriginal heritage around them. It is a haven for wildlife, including many vulnerable species.
“Glenlee” has been classified by the National Trust for its Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and significant Early Settler history. Its irreplaceable value has been recognised by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, and a GML Heritage report, commissioned by Georges River Council, states, “Due to its comparative integrity, and landmark quality, within the Lugarno area, ‘Glenlee’ is likely to have exceptional significance within NSW as a rare, intact, early European riverfront settlement.”
Book Details
Published: April 2025
Format: Coffee table, hard cover
Language: English
Number of Pages: 43
ISBN: 0646713472
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