For more than 20 years, commencing in 1911, Manly held a Venetian Carnival as a fundraiser for the local hospital and other causes. It was a great success, with huge crowds attending over what became typically a two-week period in late January, early February.
The name came from the procession of illuminated boats in Manly Cove, particularly on the closing night. A newspaper report claimed that 80,000 people watched it from the harbour beach in 1916.
An advertisement in the Sydney Mail of January 1930 lists some of the attractions as aquatic display, fireworks, monkey speedway, swimming carnival, surf carnival, fortune wheel, magic carpet, dancing, Giggleville, night air raids and aeroplane rides. If you are wondering, a Giggleville could contain various amusements, but almost invariably they included an assortment of distorting mirrors. There are the remnants of a Giggleville in Coney Island at Luna Park.
The aeroplane rides began in 1920. An AVRO 504K biplane, fitted temporarily with floats, gave demonstration and joy flights from Manly Cove. For a fee, the public could take a 10-minute trip.
This offering proved very popular. What had been planned as a weekend activity had to be expanded to six days a week to cater for the demand.
The flights raised a goodly sum for the hospital, and an interesting observation made in the press at the time was that 60 per cent of the passengers were female.
Times were a little more relaxed then than now. The plane was hangered at Mascot but for the Venetian Carnival appearance, it was simply fitted with floats and lowered into the adjacent Cooks River, where it took off for Manly.
Richard Michell is the vice-president of the Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society and the secretary of Friends of Dee Why Lagoon. Visit mwphs.org.au and fodyl.au respectively.
