Sydney Historian Uncovers Origin of Concrete Pillars at Coogee Beach

A Sydney historian has solved the mystery behind concrete pillars that periodically emerge from the sand at Coogee beach. For years, these supports were thought to be remnants of a pier that once stood on the shore about 100 years ago.

However, Ashley Kingston, vice president of the Randwick & District Historical Society, has revealed that the pier actually used cast-iron screw pylons. Instead, the concrete supports belonged to two shark towers and a tower that held up a shark net. Archival photographs confirm that the bases of these towers were cylindrical columns matching those found on the beach.

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They basically had a long piece of cast iron that had an attached thread and they were screwed in with an electric winch.

Kingston believes these structures represent the world's first shark towers, erected in 1922. These towers, built on concrete bases supported by the pillars, were part of a larger effort to enhance beach safety following two fatal shark attacks in Coogee in 1922. The initiative also included a shark-proof fence and a rescue boat.

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As far as I know it's the first shark tower in the world.

One shark tower was built in 1922, later making way for the Coogee pier. A new shark net was constructed, supported by a tower on the beach, which also featured the columns now identified by Kingston. Lifeguards could staff these towers to watch for sharks. Another shark tower was erected in the 1940s.

The concrete piles were removed by Randwick Council in 2022 because their movement in the sand posed a hazard to beachgoers. They are now stored at a council depot, their historical significance finally understood.

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At some point, the flattened concrete part either eroded away or was taken away and the cylindrical bases were just all that was left.