Dealing with the Dwellings

While I have been making progress in recording details of Carey Bay People I have not done much research on the places they inhabit.  According to the 2021 Australian Census there are 444 private dwellings in Carey Bay.

As it is important to record all of these dwellings I have set up a page on this blog for each street that has a recorded address in Carey Bay. As there are no long streets in Carey By a page per street should suffice. It is to be noted that while, some of these are not within the official boundaries, I will record all instances nominated as in Cary or Carey Bay. The list of pages can be found on the Places page here. 

From time to time I hope to write stories on remarkable residences and their inhabitants. 

I have haphazardly recorded references to various properties on their appropriate pages as I come across them in newspaper articles etc. I am currently going through real estate listings on the internet and adding details of recent property sales. realestate.com.au has been most useful for this task. When time permits I will search the old rate records from Lake Mac council that are available online.

Over 55s Development at Carey Bay

Modern waterfront apartments in Carey Bay

Autumn Calm in Carey Bay

Carey Bay 19 March 2026 at 6:37pm

Many residents in Carey Bay are afforded this view from waterfront homes and residences on the slopes behind.

23a Amelia Street - Church for Sale

Currently being advertised for sale by L J Hooker is 23a Amelia Street. 

What makes this property special is that on the 1,096 m² site is a modern residence and the former St Saviour's Church of England. Several years ago the church building was refurbished and  operated as Bell Chapel,  a self-contained AirBnB. 

The site is listed on several real estate sites. These links may disappear after the sale.

https://www.realestate.com.au/property/23a-amelia-st-carey-bay-nsw-2283/

https://www.domain.com.au/23a-amelia-street-carey-bay-nsw-2283-2020635642

https://www.property.com.au/nsw/carey-bay-2283/amelia-st/23a-pid-9544427/

There are references to bookings for "Bell Chapel" on the internet but these lead to dead links. 

As I am always concerned about impinging on copyright I may wander past the property in the next few days to take a photo.

Images of Carey Bay

While I continue to organise my research on the people and places in Carey Bay I haven't been blogging so much. As living on the edge of the Bay provides me a 180 degree+ view I regularly grab my phone to run out and grab an image of a current activity or condition.

The purpose of a One Place Study is to record and preserve the past. I just realised that once I take a photo I have captured an image of the past, a moment in time which immediately afterwards becomes recent history.

As I have an archive of Carey Bay photos at my fingertips I am going to start using this blog to share and preserve the visual history of my One Place - Carey Bay. I launched this site in April 2024, however, as Blogger software allows me to predate posts, I will predate some image posts to the date on which they were taken. Sharing these images online they will assist in preserving them for future generations. 

To start the ball rolling I'm sharing three images taken around dusk this evening. I took these pics because I was entranced by the light at that time. The bonus was that two images showed a person on a kayak who was out checking on his/her crab pots. Recreational fishers in Lake Macquarie are currently allowed to have 2 crab pots. Information is available on the Government Fisheries Site.

 

Santa's Visit

Santa, supported by his friends from the Rotary Club Toronto Sunrise NSW,  took their annual cruise around Lake Macquarie on Christmas Eve This year the event supported a local charity  "Got your back sista".

This year the flotilla left Bolton Point at 4:30 pm and travelled to Wangi Wangi via Toronto, Carey Bay, Kilaben Bay and Rathmines reaching its destination at 7:15pm.

Santa is greeted by the many locals who gather, party or picnic at homes, in parks and on jetties around our Western side of the Lake. He is joined on his sailpast by locals in water craft ranging from tiny tinnies and jazzy jet-skis to sleek speedboats and costly cruisers. An addition to the crew this year was one of Santa's reindeer who kept a lookout from the upper deck of Santa's boat. 

The event is popular with Carey Bay residents and visitors who cheer Santa along his way. Thanks to Santa's skipper who navigated the vessel close in to Carey Bay. Following are a few images taken from an Ambrose Street property. 

Seasons Greetings

 

Christmases Past at Carey Bay

 A search for "Carey Bay" and "Christmas " on our wonderful Australian resource Trove shares several stories of Christmassy activities at Carey Bay.  

1920  

1920 'TORONTO.', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 17 December, p. 6. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140082972

1921 

1921 'Y.W.C.A. HOLIDAY CAMP.', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 17 December, p. 4. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139916615

1938 

1938 'Of Interest to Women', The Maitland Daily Mercury (NSW : 1894 - 1939), 22 December, p. 4. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125704855

1948

1948 'about newcastle people', The Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), 23 December, p. 6. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158234533

1953  

1953 'Party For 80 Pensioners', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 8 December, p. 6. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140301579

1954

1954 '500 EXPECTED AT BARBECUE', Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), 9 December, p. 5. , viewed 19 Dec 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134089538