What a successful Heritage Festival for 2016. Discovering and Rediscovering old gems of Leichhardt North with tour guide Patrick Callaghan . A strong and enthusiastic crowd of 40 joined the tour at 10am at Pioneers Park starting off with the history of Balmain cemetery, and the WW1 Memorial which historically used to be located in the middle of Marion and Norton Street.

Patrick Callaghan grew up in Leichhardt and remembers walking through Pioneers Park as a young boy when it was a cemetery before it became a park in 1946.

Leichhardt WW1 Memorial has engraved some very significant names such as VC Private Matthew William V.C. , Corporal John Mackey who was a recipient of the Victoria Cross in World War Two.

The tour continued around to Allen Street to look at the old site of the John Heine Factory, Cyclops Toys, Kings Lawn mowers,  St Columbus school and finally Roebuck Rocking Horses. We heard about the early subdivisions and land grants given to Captain Piper and Hugh Piper. Originally known as  Piperston prior to 1871 when it was renamed “Leichhardt” after Leichhardt Councils first mayor Walter Beames , in an a friendly exchange named the place after the great explorer Ludwig Leichhardt.

Cyclops Toys established business in 1913 and were originally located at 1 Hay Street Leichhardt.

Currently the building is made-up of designer apartments with brilliant spaces and views, however this building was once the well known factory of Cyclops Toys. Next door to this building  in William Street is the former machine tool manufacturing plant of John Heine and Sons.

Aerial view of John Heine & Son Engineering Works, Leichhardt : with Cylops Toy Factory in background c.1920.