[Sir Joseph Banks Hotel] Zoological Gardens, Botany.

Description

Rare colonial engraving of Sydney’s first zoo.

The zoo was established by former army sergeant Thomas Kellett at Botany. In 1834 Kellett bought land at Botany to establish the Banks Inn. He later expanded the inn into a large hotel complex naming it the Sir Joseph Banks Hotel. BAYSIDE PLEASURE GARDEN The hotel was later acquired by local timber merchant William Beaumont and his business partner James Waller who, in the 1840s, began creating a landscaped “pleasure garden” stocked with a mixture of native and exotic animals. In 1851 they acquired an elephant and a Bengal tiger from Captain William Charlesworth, who was known for procuring animals for colonists from India. Charlesworth had displayed his animals since 1848 in Hyde Park under the aegis of the Australian Museum. To celebrate his new acquisitions Beaumont organised a fete that year, chartering a steamship to bring people from Port Jackson. The zoo and the hotel grounds became a popular picnic destination for Sydneysiders wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, as well as a favoured place for weddings and parties.

From the original edition of The Illustrated Sydney News.

References:
Gibbs & Shallard. Illustrated Sydney News. ISSN 2203-5397.

Collections:
State Library New South Wales: F8/39-40
State Library Victoria: PCINF SLVIC=1853-1872
National Library Australia: Bib ID 440095