Skip to main content

The Dictionary of Sydney
Multimedia
The Parramatta River with Searle's monument c1915

The Parramatta River with Searle's monument c1915

By

Contributed By

National Library of Australia

[nla.pic-an24616593]

Search

Browse

Browse
- Artefacts
- Buildings
- Events
- Natural Features
- Organisations
- People
- Places
- Structures
- Entries
- Multimedia
- Subjects
- Roles
- Contributors

Connections

Subjects

Memorials Rivers and Catchments Rowing

Natural features

Henley Point Parramatta River

Places

Henley

Structures

Searle's Monument

Footer

Home
About
Copyright
Contact

Footer Secondary

Contribute
Donate

Wilson, GW

National Library of Australia

Rivers and Catchments

Rowing

Memorials

Henley Point

Point on the Parramatta River at Henley which is marked by the Three Brothers, a grouping of three rocks visible at low tide. On one of these is Searle's Monument erected to commemorate the sculler Henry Searle.

full record »

Parramatta River

full record »

Major tributary of Sydney Harbour, which flows east from Blacktown Creek to meet Port Jackson between Greenwich and Birchgrove. The river is tidal to Charles Street Weir at Parramatta, 30 kilometres from Sydney Heads.

Henley

full record »

Suburb on the north side of the Parramatta River, nine kilometres west of the City of Sydney. It one of several riverside suburbs named after those along the banks of England's Thames.

Searle's Monument

full record »

Monument in Parramatta River off Henley Point to world champion rower Henry Searle who died of typhoid in 1889 at the age of 23. Designed by Shervey and Lenthall , with work carried out by the Patten Brothers, the memorial was unveiled on December 10 1891. Described in The Australian Town and Country Journal on January 2 1892 as consisting of a 21 foot high 'pedestal of Melbourne bluestone, on which is placed a broken column of white Sicilian marble, which is relieved for one third of its height with reeds and fluting, and above are wreaths of native flowers. A bust of the sculler in bas-relief with cross sculls and wreaths decorate the pedestal of marble', with inscriptions on all four sides of the plinth. It marks the finishing spot of the championship course where Searle became world champion in October 1888.

The monument was repaired in 1926 after being damaged when a boat crashed into it during a heavy fog on the river.