Remembering The Early Days Of Eimeo

Local Historian Brings Decades Of Stories To Life In New Book Launch

By Hannah McNamara

A lifelong Northern Beaches local, Mr Doug Peterson grew up roaming the sands and streets of Eimeo, Bucasia and Shoal Point long before they became the busy seaside suburbs they are today. Now, after a lifetime of collecting memories, tracking down old-timers and digging through historical records, he has gathered the region’s rich past into a book that will be launched at the Eimeo Hotel next Monday.

Mr Peterson said his passion for documenting local history was sparked by a simple truth.

“Everybody’s got a story, but not many people write them down. Even a tragedy today becomes a good story in twenty years.”

His new book, available exclusively at the Eimeo Hotel, traces the hotel’s origins, early ownership and colourful evolution from a humble coastal escape to the well-loved venue it is today. The hotel, he notes, once even featured a skating rink, which has since been transformed into the modern function room where his book launch will be held.

A natural storyteller, Mr Peterson has an eye for the quirks that make history human. He laughed as he recalled scenes that would leave today’s patrons stunned.

“One publican rode an old horse straight into the bar. Another fellow brought a snake in and put it on the counter… and he got a two-second warning to get it out.”

He also described the nearby Mango Avenue as it once was, lined not only with its signature mango trees, but also pineapples and coconuts. These stories, stitched together, paint a vivid picture of a region much changed yet somehow still familiar.

Some things, he says, haven’t changed at all.

Eimeo Beach has always been the place to be on a hot summer’s day. “Packed” hardly covers it. Public holidays were famous for crowds, just as they are today, and in those days, the Eimeo Hotel even served food and drinks directly to beachgoers on the shoreline.

For Mr Peterson, preserving these memories is more than nostalgia.

“If no one writes this history, no one will ever know… I reckon everybody should know the history… especially the younger generations. If we don’t pass it on, it disappears.”

The community is invited to celebrate the launch of his book next Monday, 15 December, in the upstairs Blue Room at the Eimeo Hotel, fittingly, the very space where the old skating rink once stood. Attendees can meet the author, hear stories firsthand and purchase one of the first signed editions for $16.50.

For those unable to attend, copies will also be available for purchase at the hotel.

In capturing the past, Doug Peterson has ensured the region’s stories aren’t lost to the tides, giving future generations the chance to understand the Northern Beaches’ evolution and appreciate what it has become today.

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Doug Peterson’s new book tells the colourful history of the Eimeo Hotel, from skating rink to a seaside icon. Photo credit: Hannah McNamara and imagery supplied

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