AustLit

Sydney's first coastal amusement park and one of the earliest in Australia, the Royal Aquarium and Pleasure Grounds, Bondi, was built and initially operated by a consortium of businessmen trading as Bondi Aquarium Ltd. Officially opened on 28 August 1887 by Sir Henry Parkes, the principal entertainments on offer that day were Fred Dark's Star Artistes Combination, which included comedians W. B. Warner and Frank York, along with Lucy and Harry Cottier, Kate Carey and the Sisters Murray.

Eventually known simply as the Bondi Aquarium, even though in fact situated at nearby Tamarama, the park's main attractions were the aquarium and its 'creatures from the deep' as well as the well-manicure gardens which surrounded it. On weekends and public holidays the management also presented free entertainments, including vaudeville and minstrel acts, brass bands and orchestras. Two particular attractions over the years were the Switchback Railway (which carried passengers 930 feet from cliff to cliff in 10 seconds) and in later years a plunging roller coaster that dived and twisted over the beach. The popularity of the park also led to a rival aquarium being built at nearby Coogee.

Although the Bondi Aquarium and its pavilion were destroyed by fire on 11 July 1891 management worked quickly to rebuild the facilities, reopening in time for the anticipated school holiday crowds. Among the host of special attractions that day were Frank Smith's Alhambra Music Hall company, the Theatre Royal orchestra, and the "Australian team" of specialty dancers known as Delohery, Craydon and Holland. During its almost thirty years of operations the Aquarium was a source of additional income for countless Australian and occasional international variety performers. Indeed, most of the leading Australian or Australian-based performers of that period played there at one time or another, including Harry Clay, Charlie Fanning, the Perman Trio, Martyn Hagan, the Leopold Brothers, the Leslie Brothers, Sam Rowley, the Faust Family. In 1892 the management also procured Meston's Wild Australia, a company which boasted 35 of the 'Fiercest Aboriginal Fighting Men' (Sydney Morning Herald 24 December 1892, 2)

Ownership and management changed several times throughout the Aquarium's existence. Arguably the best-known proprietor, however, was Alfred Wyburd (1890-1894, 1). The last identified concert at the Aquarium was a fund raiser for the Waverley Benevolent Society in July 1906. That same year the site was sold by Mrs Margaret J. Lachaume to William Anderson who transformed the amusement park into Wonderland City.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]