While you're perusing the shops and cafes of Manning Street, Kiama, over the break, take a moment to reflect on what it used to be like.
Manning Street was named after Sir William Montagu Manning. Manning was born in England in 1811. Shortly after emigrating to Australia in 1837, Manning supplemented his income as a barrister by purchasing large allotments of land in the Illawarra and South Coast, including the Bonaira Estate in Kiama, which he purchased from Captain James Farmer in 1839. He subsequently had the area cleared and subdivided into farms.
Manning was appointed the acting Judge of the NSW Supreme Court and Solicitor General in 1849. He drafted the proclamation for the separation of Queensland from New South Wales, and he was knighted in 1858. William Manning was the Vice Chancellor of the University of NSW and he was active in giving women the opportunity to study at university. He died in 1895.
Manning Street, Kiama, at the intersection with Terralong Street, looking south, c.1910.
Manning Street, Kiama, looking south, c.1909
Manning Street shops, c.1900s
Manning Street, c.1950s