Until the 1870s, Peninsula inhabitants had to row or walk their goods to the city. The Peninsula Road Board was formed to construct and maintain a low road from the city to Portobello. By 1872-3 the road had reached Macandrew Bay. There were three toll gates (to help pay for the construction), the last at Challis Point. There was a sliding scale for tolls, cyclists paying one of the highest. By 1879 the road had reached Portobello. It had had to be constructed with landowners' co-operation, since many considered their land extended right to the water's edge.
There was a poll to allow cars onto the lower road. Busses had been using the road since 1921. The shot shows the road around the corner from Grassy Point, heading towards Macandrew Bay.