About Us Listings Development Heritage Council Publications & Forms Conservation About Heritage Research Funding Home    Listings    Heritage Database    State Heritage Register Search    Heritage Item Click on the BACK button of your browser to return to the previous page. Chinese Market Gardens Item Name of Item: Chinese Market Gardens Type of Item: Landscape Group/Collection: Farming and Grazing Category: Market Garden Location: Lat:151.23387848 Long:-33.97574371 Primary Address: Bunnerong Road, La Perouse, NSW 2036 Local Govt. Area: Randwick Property Description: Lot/Volume Code Lot/Volume Number Section Number Plan/Folio Code Plan/Folio Number LOT 1077 - DP 752015 DP 752015 LOT 1078 - DP 752015 LOT 1079 - DP 752015 All Addresses Street Address Suburb/Town LGA Parish County Type Bunnerong Road  La Perouse  Randwick  Botany  Cumberland  Primary  Owner/s Organisation Name Owner Category Date Ownership Updated Department of Planning  State Government    Statement of Significance The market gardens are of historical, agricultural and social significance to NSW and to Sydney Metropolitan area in particular. The place was supposed to be used as market gardens for more than 150 years, firstly used by Europeans and then by Chinese. In terms of historical significance, the area is seen to have the importance in the evolution of the area from a landscape occupied and modified by the area's Aboriginal population, to an area adapted to the settlement and food production needs of the European colony. The area also has great social significance for its association with the Chinese immigrants who became predominant in the Market Gardens of this area for about 100 years. In terms of aesthetic significance, the area has some scenic value, giving it a somewhat rural character which can be perceived from the surrounding area. The place has representative and rarity value. The remaining Market Gardens have the representative value as surviving examples of the Market Gardens which were originally fairly widespread in the area. The Market Gardens also have rarity value as they provide the last remaining evidence in the Randwick area of these early agricultural uses, many former Market Gardens having already been redeveloped for residential use. The Market Garden sites are remnants of earlier and more widespread agricultural uses in the area. Date Significance Updated: 16 Sep 99 Note: There are incomplete details for a number of items listed on the State Heritage Register. The Heritage Branch intends to develop or upgrade statements of significance for these items as resources become available. Description Physical Description: The market gardens are surrounded by Bunnerong Road to the east, Botany Cemetery to the north, Yarra Recreation reserve to the west (300 metres from Yarra Bay) and La Perouse Public School to the south with a block of unused land in between. Entrance to Robert Tang's market garden is on Bunnerong Road and the entrances to Tiy War & Co and Io Wun Leong's are on Koorooera Road. The site is of low lying land, growing all kinds of vegetables, including Choy Sum, Chinese Broccoli, English Spinach, Baby Buk Choy, Flower Choy Sum, White Radish, Green Radish, Watercress, Shallot, Coriander, Leek, Australian Parsley, Continental Parsley, Dill, Gay Choy, Spring Onion and Onchoy. Most of the vegetables were introduced from China by Chinese market gardeners. The gardens are equipped with a pipe irrigation system. An unnamed creek flows in the middle of the gardens and has been used for irrigation. An unnamed creek flows between the market gardens and Botany Cemetery. The two creeks flow from Little Bay area and meet at the west end of Leong's market garden and flow to Yarra Bay through a concrete tunnel. In each market garden, there is a group of buildings. The vegetables are washed in a large central shed, and some workers live in corrugate iron huts. Some other huts are used as storerooms for agricultural machinery, fertilizer and tools. Physical Condition and/or Archaeological Potential: The market gardens function well, providing fresh vegetables on daily basis. However, the market gardens suffer damages from hailstorms and flood each year. The physical conditions of the buildings are poor.   Date Condition Updated: 01 Jul 99 Further Information: The tunnel leading Yarra Bay is not capable to drain the water from two creeks when there is heavy rain. The creek between the market gardens and Botany Cemetery is not maintained properly by the local council. When there is heavy rain, water pours over the bank and washes vegetables away, leaving rubbish on the site. Sometimes, the sea water pours back to the market garden through the tunnel. Current Use: Market gardens Former Use: Market gardens History Historical Notes: pre-1780s - local Aboriginal people in the area used the site for fishing and cultural activities - rock engravings, grinding grooves and middens remain in evidence. 1789 - Governor Philip referred to 'a long bay', which became known as Long Bay. Aboriginal people are believed to have inhabited the Sydney region for at least 20,000 years (Turbet, 2001). The population of Aboriginal people between Palm Beach and Botany Bay in 1788 has been estimated to have been 1500. Those living south of Port Jackson to Botany Bay were the Cadigal people who spoke Dharug (Randwick Library webpage, 2003), while the local clan name of Maroubra people was "Muru-ora-dial" (City of Sydney webpage, 2003). By the mid nineteenth century the traditional owners of this land had typically either moved inland in search of food and shelter, or had died as the result of European disease or confrontation with British colonisers (Randwick Library webpage, 2003). Colonial History: One of the earliest land grants in this area was made in 1824 to Captain Francis Marsh, who received 12 acres bounded by the present Botany & High Streets, Alison & Belmore Roads. In 1839 William Newcombe acquired the land north-west of the present town hall in Avoca Street. Randwick takes its name from the town of Randwick, Gloucestershire, England. The name was suggested by Simeon Pearce (1821-86) and his brother James. Simeon was born in the English Randwick and the brothers were responsible for the early development of both Randwick and its neighbour, Coogee. Simeon had come to the colony in 1841as a 21 year old surveyor. He built his Blenheim House on the 4 acres he bought from Marsh, and called his property "Randwick". The brothers bought and sold land profitably in the area and elsewhere. Simeon campaigned for construction of a road from the city to Coogee (achieved in 1853) and promoted the incorporation of the suburb. Pearce sought construction of a church modelled on the church of St. John in his birthplace. In 1857 the first St Jude's stood on the site of the present post office, at the corner of the present Alison Road and Avoca Street (Pollen, 1988, 217-8). Randwick was...slow to progress. The village was isolated from Sydney by swamps and sandhills, and although a horse-bus was operated by a man named Grice from the late 1850s, the journey was more a test of nerves than a pleasure jaunt. Wind blew sand over the track, and the bus sometimes became bogged, so that passengers had to get out and push it free. From its early days Randwick had a divided society. The wealthy lived elegantly in large houses built when Pearce promoted Randwick and Coogee as a fashionable area. But the market gardens, orchards and piggeries that continued alongside the large estates were the lot of the working class. Even on the later estates that became racing empires, many jockeys and stablehands lived in huts or even under canvas. An even poorer group were the immigrants who existed on the periphery of Randwick in a place called Irishtown, in the area now known as The Spot, around the junction of St.Paul's Street and Perouse Road. Here families lived in makeshift houses, taking on the most menial tasks in their struggle to survive. In 1858 when the NSW Government passed the Municipalities Act, enabling formation of municipal districts empowered to collect rates and borrow money to improve their suburb, Randwick was the first suburb to apply for the status of a municipality. It was approved in Februrary 1859, and its first Council was elected in March 1859. Randwick had been the venue for sporting events, as well as duels and illegal sports, from the early days in the colony's history. Its first racecourse, the Sandy Racecourse or Old Sand Track, had been a hazardous track over hills and gullies since 1860. When a move was made in 1863 by John Tait, to establish Randwick Racecourse, Simeon Pearce was furious, expecially when he heard that Tait also intended to move into Byron Lodge. Tait's venture prospered, however and he became the first person in Australia to organise racing as a commercial sport. The racecourse made a big difference to the progress of Randwick. The horse-bus gave way to trams that linked the suburb to Sydney and civilisation. Randwick soon became a prosperous and lively place, and it still retains a busy residential, professional and commercial life. Today, some of the houses have been replaced by home units. Many European migrants have made their homes in the areaa, along with students and workers at the nearby University of NSW and the Prince of Wales Hospital. (ibid, 218-9). Market Gardens in Randwick Early market gardens were established in Randwick, Coogee and La Perouse, with the first farms in the La Perouse area recorded in 1830 on land granted to John Brown. John Brown's land grant on the shores of Botany Bay and adjacent to Bunnerong Creek was the site of Bunnerong House. Land reclamation in this area has relocated the shoreline and the site of Gardens. The Surveyor General's Map of 1889 indicates the Wassell Street Market Garden area, to the east of Bunnerong Road, in the vicinity of the Bunnerong Road Market Garden. According to the Perumal Murphy Study, market gardens were established at Phillip Bay in the 1860s in the wake of the Gold Rushes. The market gardens at Randwick and Coogee were overtaken by housing in the late nineteenth century, but due to the areas isolation and low-lying terrain, the market gardens in the south of the Municipality survived into more recent times. According to Glen Blaxland, a local historian and once a member of the local historical society in the Municipality, Count de La Perouse cleared a piece of land and established a vegetable garden in Phillip Bay to prepare vegetables for his return journey back to France. The first known name of this suburb area was the Frenchman's Gardens. It is believed that this vegetable garden was Australia's first primary industry site and the site was more or less the same site as the Chinese Market Gardens. According to Randwick - A Social History, published by Randwick Council in 1985, the Market Gardens in the south of the city were established to capitalise on the fertile soil and abundant water from the swampy Botany Bay hinterland, and at one time vegetables were among the chief products of the region. Because of the reliable water supply, produce from the area could command high prices when other areas were affected by drought. The Social History notes that until 1859, the market gardens were owned and tended by Europeans, some being attached to the wealthiest homes in Randwick. Following the end of the 1850s gold rushes, many Chinese came into the area and became involved in market gardening. According to recollections of local residents, the gardeners took the vegetables to market around 4:00am, although many set up as hawkers on Sydney streets. The gardens were fertilised with straw manure carried on the return cart trip, and by human waste (nightsoil), transported under cover of darkness. The related health issues let to the appointment (Randwick being the first municipality to do so) of an Inspector of Nuisances, later to become the Health Inspector. The gardens survived well into this century, many falling into the hands of large merchants in Dixon and Hay Streets. Recollections are that the men who worked on the gardens were very poor, being paid low wages on top of board and food. The vegetables were washed in a large central shed, and the men lived in corrugated iron huts, cooking over open fires. According to the Social History, the gardeners were much respected in the area and image of 'Old Chow' (as the gardeners were termed) was a vivid one for many older residents. A search of the Sands Directories by Council's Local History Librarian indicates that the first Chinese occupiers in the Bunnerong Road and Franklin Street area date from the late 1920s and early 1930. In 1961, there were nine market garden leases, confined to two areas in the Municipality. Four in the Franklin Street, Wassell Street, Knowles Avenue area, and five in the Little Bay Road, Bunnerong Road area. During the 1960s Council made considerable efforts to prevent long-term extensions of these leases by the Crown, in order to facilitate the future use of these areas for residential purpose. The title search shows Portion 1077 was used by current market gardener, Robert Tang, Portion was used by current market gardener, Tiy War & Co, since 1957 and Portion 1079 was used by Bing Sun Ng and Io Wun Leong since 1968. The leases for these market gardens have expired and the gardens are presently held under Permissive Occupancy. Historic Themes Australian Theme (abbrev) New South Wales Theme Local Theme 2. Peopling - Peopling the continent Ethnic influences - Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples. (none) - 3. Economy - Developing local, regional and national economies Agriculture - Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture (none) - 3. Economy - Developing local, regional and national economies Environment - cultural landscape - Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings (none) - 4. Settlement - Building settlements, towns and cities Land tenure - Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal (none) - Assessment of Significance SHR Criteria a) [Historical Significance] The area is seen to have the importance in the evolution of the area from a landscape occupied and modified by the area’s Aboriginal population, to an area adapted to the settlement and food production needs of the European colony. Further research of historic maps is necessary to obtain greater detail on the development of agriculture in the area. The area is seen to be the earliest agricultural area and this site was regarded as one of the oldest market gardens in Australia. The market gardens have played very important roles in the development of Sydney Metropolitan area. The vegetables provided by the market gardeners helped people to survive from the diseases such as scurvy. The Chinese market gardeners have introduced Chinese vegetables to Australia to make it marketing prosperous. SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic Significance] The market gardens have some scenic value, giving it a somewhat rural character, which can be perceived, from the surrounding area. Remaining buildings on the sites are utilitarian shed structures, which would require further investigation in order to determine whether they contributed to the significance of the place. SHR Criteria d) [Social Significance] The market gardens have great social significance for their association with the Chinese immigrants who became predominant in the Market Gardens of this area. Members of the Chinese community have managed the land for 90 or 100 years at least, without a break, passing from one generation to another generation and from one Chinese owner to another. Many Chinese immigrants started in market gardens and then developed their business such as restaurants, groceries, foreign trade on the basis of market gardens. Therefore, market gardens helped many Chinese immigrants to survive in Australia. It is felt that these two factors, long, ethnic attachment to the land and the fact that it is used for a purpose found nowhere else so close to the city centre, give these Chinese market gardens a special significance. The market gardens add variety, interest and charm to what might otherwise become a monotonous, suburban landscape. Many market gardeners are closely associated with long term established Chinese organisations that look after these market gardeners for their financial assistance, accommodation, legal assistance, funerals and other social welfare. Wally Har of Tiy War & Co was the Chairman of Australian Chinese Growers’ Association of NSW and the Director of Yiu Ming Society. Further research into sources of information on the Chinese community and oral histories would be necessary to determine the nature and importance of their association. In 1979, local residents launched a campaign to oppose residential redevelopment and required the government to conserve the site as long-term market garden. It indicates that these market gardens have some social significance for the wider community. SHR Criteria e) [Research Potential] The archaeological significance is to be determined with further investigation. Since aboriginal lived in this area before Englishmen arrived, there must be some archaeological potential for the study of aboriginal history. The area is also the place that Count de La Perouse landed, therefore there must be some archaeological potential for the study. Further research is necessary to determine whether this site is the place where La Perouse developed as a garden and grew vegetables on it. China is an agricultural country with 5,000 years civilised history. Most of the immigrants from Guangdong, China were skilled farmers. Their skills have contributed greatly to the development of agriculture. Most of the work is done in these market gardens by manual labour with simple tools. There are only one tractor and one rotary hoe in each market garden. The technical significance of agricultural technology used in these market gardens is to be determined by further detailed research. SHR Criteria f) [Rarity] The Market Gardens have the rarity value as they provide the last remaining evidence in the Randwick area of these early agricultural uses, many former Market Gardens having already been redeveloped for residential use. SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness] The remaining Market Gardens have the representative value as surviving examples of the Market Gardens which were originally fairly widespread in the area. It is one of the oldest sites of market garden in NSW and has maintained features of almost all the Chinese market gardens.   Assessment Criteria Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection. Procedures /Exemptions Section of Act Description Title Comments Action Date 57(2)  Exemption to allow work  Standard Exemptions  SCHEDULE OF STANDARD EXEMPTIONS HERITAGE ACT 1977 Notice of Order Under Section 57 (2) of the Heritage Act 1977 I, the Minister for Planning, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, do by this Order: 1. revoke the Schedule of Exemptions to subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act made under subsection 57(2) and published in the Government Gazette on 22 February 2008; and 2. grant standard exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977, described in the Schedule attached. FRANK SARTOR Minister for Planning Sydney, 11 July 2008 To view the schedule click on the Standard Exemptions for Works Requiring Heritage Council Approval link below.  Sep 5 2008     Standard Exemptions for Works Requiring Heritage Council Approval Listings Heritage Listing Listing Title Listing Number Gazette Date Gazette Number Gazette Page Heritage Act - State Heritage Register    01299  13 Aug 99   92  5797  Local Environmental Plan  Randwick Local Environmental Plan 1998 - Sch3    30 Apr 99       References, Internet links & Images Type Author Year Title Internet Links Tourism    2007  Chinese Market Gardens  Click here Tourism  Attraction Homepage  2007  Chinese Market Gardens  Click here Written  Pollon, F. & Healy, G.  1988  Randwick entry in 'The Book of Sydney Suburbs'  Note: Internet links may be to web pages, documents or images. (Click on Thumbnail for Full Size Image and Image Details) Data Source The information for this entry comes from the following source: Name: Heritage Branch Database Number: 5044696 Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager. All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of the Heritage Branch or respective copyright owners.   NSW Government | Site Map  | Contact Us   | Copyright   | Disclaimer   | Privacy