HistoryMuch of the suburb of Oyster Bay is contained by a peninsula known as Caravan Head. The name Oyster Bay appears to have been noted on a map from 1840. It became part of the estate owned by Shire pioneer Thomas Holt in the 1860s. A description of the area was included in a report prepared for Holt by Robert Cooper Walker in 1868. The land was described as scrubby and rocky. Land was later leased to the Holt Sutherland Estate Land Company and made available for residential settlement. The first subdivision was called "By the Water" Estate and was released in 1910. As access was difficult settlement was slow. Those first to settle in the area were the Hall and the Love families. Shops and services were slow to arrive. Bates Drive was opened in 1962 which improved access. In 1971 the Oyster Bay Festival of Arts was held. Oyster Bay also has an observatory at Green Point.
