If you know someone who visited Bermagui over the years, their names might be in this guest book. Photo: Bermagui Historical Society Facebook.
Over about 30 years, dozens of people unknowingly signed their names into what’s become a treasured piece of Bermagui history.
A typed letter, signed by the “interested citizens of Bermagui south”, rests on the inside of the book’s front cover, which asks visitors to write some comments about what they thought of their visit.
Bermagui Historical Society publicity officer Stephen Mills said the book’s early days were a mystery, even to them.
“How it survived from when it stopped being a visitor’s book in the 1960s through to now is a bit of a mystery,” he said.
“Obviously, someone was looking after it with a view to its historical content. Exactly who that is, I don’t know.
“That’s one of the things which I’m very keen to find out myself, actually.”
READ ALSO: Braidwood’s Vetro e Metallo shapes the world of upcycling with new acquisitions/a>
Over the decades Bermagui saw international and domestic visitors from all walks of life, with entries dating between 1935 and 1963.
Mr Mills said the earlier entries from the late 1930s were more frequent, before they became “a bit more sporadic” during the Second World War.
“In the late 1930s, Bermagui was difficult to get to … Most of the people in those days came for the big game fishing, and they tended to be wealthy men and their families,” he said.
Among those who signed their names were American Western writer and keen fisherman Zane Grey who helped to raise the town’s profile among fishers, a German World War I veteran and businessman who visited several times while looking for places to build car production plants and Australian artist Margaret Preston.
Several politicians were also invited to sign, such as former prime minister William McMahon and NSW premier Jack Renshaw.
A German businessman described Bermagui as “this little pearl in the world’s crown” during a visit in the 1930s. Photo: Bermagui Historical Society Facebook.
Mr Mills said the entries also showed “a real tension” play out between ideas of what Bermagui should look like.
While some entries praised the natural beauty of the area, others called for more development – such as when one person suggested an aerodrome or paving more roads leading towards the town.
“We use our 2025 eyes to read this document, and we can discern this tension – which is still manifesting today – between people who want to make a coastal village like Bermagui more modern and [have] better facilities, versus those who want to keep it the same,” he said.
“That is why I think it’s a really interesting kind of time capsule about the history of tourism over 90 years on this beautiful bit of coastline.
“People are still talking about [questions like] should there be more facilities? How do we grow? How do we provide more housing for people?”
The next task for the Bermagui Historical Society is creating displays so more people can see the handwritten entries.
Mr Mills said the book was “a bit fragile for people to leaf through”, but it was safe inside the Bermagui Museum.
“As far as I’m aware, this is unique. It’s a very valuable thing to have in a collection,” he said.
“It speaks more clearly and more powerfully about tourism, compared to many [other] objects that you see on display in museums.
“To have these voices, the names and dates, what they’re actually doing here, it’s an incredible time capsule and incredible insight into their lives.”
The Bermagui Museum is located at the Bermagui Community Centre, 3-5 Bunga Street in Bermagui. The Bermagui Historical Society can be reached by emailing [email protected].
