Brontewood

Everyone will tell you how great Bronte is, and I live here, and agree with that. I own a great house here in Hewlett Street. My street is fantastic. I recall with delight the lovely welcome we received when we moved in and the continuing friendliness and compassion exhibited by the community around us. But Bronte has a dark side too.

Bronte - Bronte/Gully is a recovering eco-system. For example, the houses between Alfred Street and Murray Street on the southern side of Hewlett Street are built on the old Bronte tip. Prior to their erection, building demolition rubbish from the eastern suburbs was dumped in the gully as it was convenient. Consequently, building rubbish, including asbestos fibro and broken glass can still be observed along the back of those houses and in the children's park. Ironic isn't it, that Bronte was once spurned for its working class origins and that houses built on dumps are now highly prized. Wish someone would so something about the asbestos though. Community spirit is great and the gully is being reforested with native trees. Not sure though that deals with the remediation issues.

I also have had difficulty finding out more about the history of Bronte. I encourage others to add to or correct my comments to enrich our knowledge about our area. I could wax lyrical about all the advantages of living in Bronte but just wanted to add some balance to that with the above comments.