RealSurf Surfers' Forum

Yep, I recall the 74 storm. Was on hols on the Central Coast, with a mate from school and his folks. I recall at least one Trawler moored at the Haven at Terrigal came to grief. My clearest recollection was helping out filling sandbags along Wamberal beach. Some of those houses were looking very iffy on top of the Dune, which runs I guess from mid-way up to the the northern end. The owners were lucky insofar as it was School Holidays and there were alot of volunteer Tourists (Sydney Eggs as we were referred to back then) on hand to help out. They obilged with free Barbie's and plenty of K.B lager. I had just turned 14y.o and it was decreed by my Mate's oldman that I could have a can. Horrible stuff.
My recollection of the 76 storm I'll post shortly, I have some pics of that.

yer, could someone explain to me in laymans terms how to post a photo, please

Create an account here: http://photobucket.com/ it's free

Once you've done that, you can upload photos there from your harddrive - it's fairly straight forward once you're at your account on the website.

When a pic is uploaded, you can see it sitting on your account page with a few different lines of code underneath it

Highlight and copy the line that starts with [img]

Paste that line of code into a reply window here, and you're done.

Burnsie: Go to www.photobucket.com and register. When you have, login then upload the photo from your hard drive. Then copy the tags from the site and paste into the message body.

~~~~

Now back on topic.

I asked Mum if she remembered the '74 swell. She does, but was in the US at the time. Though her Mum (my Nana) had a cousin, a lady named Poppie, who was washed off Blue Fish Point (around from Winki Pop, Manly) and died.

They did find her body eventially and because she was depressed at the time they thought it was suicide. Our family believes she was washed into the surf as it was raging. She'd always go up there no matter what the surf was like. Pretty angry stuff.

They couldnt get a search for a couple of days because of the conditions but found her wedged in the rocks there.

There was a mention in the Manly Daily as well. But my Nans sister (Marge) wanted to keep it out of the media, because of the suicide rumours, so she remained nameless.

If anyone is good at searching archives and stuff our family would appreciate any articles you find. Her name was Poppie Shanks daughter of Marge Healy. Cheers.

Sorry for family mate,

Think I heard of Healy family but not sure.

regards

Thats for the tip about up loading photos, crew. I'll work on it.
Coops, I remember mid 70's to mid 80's, the times I hit the Bower.
There was a group of women, sourcing a feed from around the jump off spot. At the time we pegged them as 'Ethnics". One day I enjoyed a quick taste of the feed that they were bagging. I recall somewhat hesintatley, tasting their fare, which was offered to me. These Mamas were pulling crabing Sea Urchins, diffley cutting them open and with a little viganer, engoying their fill. Right there right then. So long along ago I dont recall the taste. This was at a time when you could do what you liked, on the Seashore.

[url]http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?req ... 2.0.CO%3B2


Click the PDF version and it show synoptic charts etc for the event.
Beautiful[

In relation to my comments about the waves inside Botany Bay at Sir Joseph Banks Park, to give a better perspective to the younger members, just imagine if you took out Port Botany so the wave could then run from inside Bare Island all the way down Foreshore Drive(which wasn't there) to Southern Cross Drive. Admittendly it shrank the further it went but it was our Super bank in reverse. Also remember being at Collaroy with no sand & apartment blocks there being undermined by big seas around 66 or 67

Hey Hornet

Any chance you may be able to simplify that link.Can't seem to get it to work.Cheers

MacGregor take out the [url] bit at the start of the line and it works.

I was too young to be concerned with any storms other than the ones going on regularly in my nappies in 74. However I did remember talking to my Grand dad about a storm that was so big it caused a Greek Cafe to slide into Port Botany. I remember thinking at the time "yep another one of Pop's stories" but this thread got me searching and I found a bit about it and that maybe not all my grandad's stories were full of rubbish.

There's a photo and small piece about it from this website
http://www.omerosbros.com/history.html

Is there any correlation between these big storms and cyclone Tracy?

Was there a bit of a 'low pressure system season' or something?

I remember both swells like they where yesterday. That is what happens when you are a teenager and see sights you cannot even begin to imagine.

In 1976 the German Bank, the real one way way outside, not the one the youngsters talk about was throwing back in the offshore and closing out the whole visible horizon spectrum from headland to head land.

We surfed inside Palm Beach about 4ft and running down the bank like mini me Ulu.

In 74 I watched the Manly baths get pounded into their grave and caught the South Steyne across to Circular Quay for a freaky white water hell ride.

If you didn't catch these swells it is impossible to imagine what they where like.

We where rocking off the steps of the Palm Beach surf club for years after the 74 storm and North Avoca was just boulders and tractor tires.

Archive photo retrieved from an Historical piece on the '74 swell and its
impact on Manly Boardwalk
quality isn't great, but I reckon you'll get the idea!!

More Photos Guys!

I was only six at the time of the '74 swell and I remember me Leroy and Matt talking to Bear down by the old Balmoral Pier.

He turned to me and said "Sonny this is nothing, this is just the lemon next to the pie."

There was another huge swell in June 1966. The wall at Manly was destroyed and the Bower, Bombie and Frenchman's was at times one wave. The Palm Beach surf boat was wrecked at the bower and Billy Hannan was riding waves in the 20-25ft range. One surfer (it may have been Billy) lost his board and it was recovered years later in Vanuatu.

Both breaks at Fairlight, Chinaman's, Neilson Park and Kurnell were all on fire.

Probably wasn't quite as big as '76 or as destructive as '74 but it was large.

Its been interesting trying to find data/photos/facts about '74.
As Felix mentioned '66 was a significant swell event as well.
Here is a chart beow of no "severe" storms recorded over the years
Look at 1950


And here is an archival shot of the North Steyne wall in 1950.


1974 had a lot going on in Sydney, January saw Major floods which have been extensively recorded.
May 1974, "the swell" followed fairly quickly by another intense swell in June 1974 (as large but didn't last as long) which had recorded swell of
17M on the South coast

I'll search some more tommorrow.

I am not sure that shot is as early as 1950. I can recall similar circumstances prior to the sloping wall being erected at Nth Steyne which would put it at around 1963 or 1964. Also the Queenscliff Swimming Club clubhouse is in the background and I think I can recall that being built in the '60s. I think this may have been the swell that led to the construction of the sloping wall at Queenscliff also.

I am not sure though. There have obviously been a few swell events that have caused similar destruction. I'm old and the 60's destroyed the memory a little. As they say, if you can remember the 60's you were not not there.