Old Dunsborough images by Brad Leonhardt (Part 1 of 2)

Dunsborough resident Brad Leonhardt has kindly shared some of his family’s 1970-80s images of old Dunsborough.

This collection is based on Brad’s images of the former Dunsborough Beach Cottages and Beach Store.

It is understood the wooden beach cottages were originally worker huts at a South West timber town. They were dismantled and moved to the foreshore at Dunsborough in the 50’s for use as holiday homes.

Dunsborough Beach Cottages

From the 50s to 70s Dunsborough Beach Cottages/ Greenacre Caravan Park (located on absolute beach front at Dunsborough) was run by the Greenacre family. It was a popular holiday venue for family holidays and visiting surfers.

Images #1. 1964 City Beach surfers enjoying holidays at Dunsborough Beach Cottages. Ron Moss pics.

Images #2. 1971 and 1973 King family holidays at Dunsborough Beach Cottages. Jim King pics.

Brad – In the early 70s the Greenacre family split the Cottages and Caravan Park between their sons Peter and David. Peter got Dunsborough Beach Cottages and David got the Greenacre Caravan Park.

During the mid-1970s Peter sold the Dunsborough Beach Cottages to the Evans family.

The other son David subsequently sold the Greenacres Caravan Park and it continued to run until it was sold by the Baker family on 25 February 1998. The strata titled Regency Beach Club on Gifford Road Dunsborough is located on the site of the former Greenacres Caravan Park.

I guess my path was set in the early days at the Dunsborough Beach Cottages when the Evans’ family bought the cottages off the Greenacres. The Evans’s and my family came across from Bridgetown like a lot did back then.

Image #3. 1976 Brad (age 6) and Colin Leonhardt (age 7) in their cricket outfits leaving Dunsborough Cottages to play cricket.

Images #4. 1977 Installing a water tank at Dunsborough Beach Cottages.

Brad – The guys putting the tank up at the Cottages were Col Leonhardt snr, Bob Evans and Wayne Evans.

Image #5. 1977 resident donkeys at Dunsborough Beach Cottages.

 

Beach Store Dunsborough

Brad –  My parents bought the Beach Store at Dunsborough after running the Dunsborough Cottages with the Evans family.

Image #6. 1980 Leonhardt’s Beach Store with petrol bowsers on the corner of North Street and High View Road Dunsborough.

Brad –  In those days at Dunsborough Primary School you would ring and order your lunch through the Beach Store, then mum would deliver it to school at lunch time and hand it out from the back of the Holden Sandman, they were different times, no health and safety back then.

Image #7. 1980 Leonhardt’s residence behind Beach Store on High View Road Dunsborough.

Image #8. 1980 Beach Shop residence with Holden Sandman panel van out the front.

Image #9. 1980 view from Beach Store residence – sailboards in foreground and  Geographe Bay in background.

Image #10. 1980 Colin Leonhardt with his TIGA wind surfer.

Brad – That is my brother Col with the Tiga board. Col took those pics of the inaugural Yallingup Mal Comp in 1985. Chris Bowen had Windspeed in Busselton and had the Tiga sponsorship at the time. The wind surf boards were made at Greg Laurenson’s milk shed factory in Dunsborough. Greg Laurenson lived in the house next door to us at that time.

I worked a bit at Neil Strong’s Dunsborough Sail and Surf which he later changed the name to Country Waves. In Yahoo Surfboards there’s a board shaped by Greg Laurenson with the Windspeed decal on the bottom.

Image #11. 1980 Brad with his wave riding wind surfer made by Greg Laurenson.

Coming soon Old Dunsborough images by Brad Leonhardt (Part 2 of 2).

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