150 Years of the City of Ryde

In November 2020, the City of Ryde celebrated its sesquicentenary - the 150th anniversary of its formation as a council in November 1870.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time, an online celebration was held in place of an in-person birthday party.

Find out what has made us who we are by exploring our history and development through an online exhibition of 150 photos and objects. Grouped into People, Places and Progress, the exhibition brings together items from the collection of Ryde Library as well as the Ryde District Historical Society and immerses you in Ryde's history, which will be informative, endearing and, we hope, entertaining. 

Explore a time when Ryde was known for its market gardens, orchards and poultry farms, when you could build an aeroplane in your backyard, when children made billy carts from old fruit boxes and when Council developed an innovative post-World War II housing scheme.