Scarness…the Entertainment Area of Hervey Bay.

John Andersen and his wife Lynette ran the fun parlour for decades in Scarness. 

John Andersen's family were integral to the early years of Hervey Bay. The following is a reflection by John of Scarness:
As the town of Hervey Bay developed after the railway line to Pialba was completed in 1896, the small hamlets of Point Vernon, Pialba, Scarness, Torquay and Urangan were separate identities. Up until as late as the 1960s, Main Street  Pialba was the shopping area of the Bay and Scarness was the entertainment area.
Holiday makers and locals alike would flock to Scarness during school holiday periods and festive occasions to enjoy the many attractions on offer. With the great sandy beach, jetty, shark proof swimming enclosure, large shady camping area on the beach, tennis court for night tennis, three picture theatres, dance hall, fun parlour, outdoor skating rink, carnivals, milk bars and cafes, the Scarborough Hotel (now the Beach House) and numerous boarding houses; Scarness indeed was the place to be!
In this story, we look at two of these attractions… Haddows Hall and the skating rink.

Scarness Fun Parlour

Haddows Hall was built by the Haddow family at 348 Esplanade, Scarness as an extension to their large Café, Newsagency and Billiard Rooms in the early 1930s. Built as a dance hall, it went on to be used as a venue for a great variety of purposes including the Fun Parlour which operated for over 45 years and became an iconic attraction in Scarness. It was operated by John Andersen, (grandson of George and Ida Haddow snrs) and his wife Lynette. With mini-golf, penny arcade machines, slot cars, pool tables, pinballs and juke box, the family friendly attraction saw three generations of families enjoying the thrills on offer. Unlike the electronic world of today, people still recall the excitement of actually inserting a penny (cent) into an arcade machine and playing. We still meet many people today, eager to recall their experiences in the Scarness Fun Parlour.

Scarness Skating Rink

In the 1930s, a wooden floored skating rink was built right on the beach front at Scarness. It was acquired by George Haddow jnr, who operated the Rink for some 60 years right through to 1990. After World War two, steel plates replaced the wooden floor and in the late 1950s, the old building was replaced with a new building and a concrete skating floor. Over the years, with splinters from the wooded floor, cuts, bruises and rust from the steel floor and broken wrists and arms from the concrete floor, people young and old flocked to strap on their rented Chicago skates and spend hours circling the rink, playing games and enjoying the sea breezes and views. Unlike today’s world, not once, in all of that time, did anyone blame the owner for causing broken limbs or splinters! Visitors were happy to sit in the gallery for hours and watch the excitement as newcomers learnt how to skate. Fancy dress carnivals over holiday periods were always a great attraction and it was always amazing to see the ingenuity of holiday makers improvising to create costume masterpieces!
The days of camping in canvas tents, with no electricity and cold showers have been replaced by modern caravans and ultra-modern units, but I doubt if today’s holiday makers experience the fun and games of yesteryear and will never know how much their forebears enjoyed Scarness, by the Sea.

John Andersen is a fifth generation local and historian for Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum. The opening hours for entire museum are  Friday and Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm,  Sunday 10.30am to 4.30pm. It is open all Queensland school holidays and public holidays except Christmas Day and Good Friday. The entry price Adults $10.00 Children (under 16) $3.00.  Children under school age free.

Published with consent from John Andersen.

Tags #scarness #HerveyBay #frasercoast #skatingrink #haddows #funparlour #museum #historical