In the 1870s, Lane Cove was an early source of timber, charcoal and grasses for feed. Wharves were built along the Lane Cove River, including one by an ex-convict, Joseph Fidden, in the area now known as Fiddens Wharf Reserve. By the end of the 1870s, many small vineyards were flourishing in the area. By 1910 some of the higher ridges near the Lane Cove River boasted substantial gentlemens’ villas, but subdivision did not occur until the 1920s, accelerated by the extension of the tramway in 1909...