Cooranbong, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Cooranbong is a town and rural suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales
, Australia
, and is located west of the town of Morisset
off the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
.
The town's name is derived from the Aboriginal
word "Kour-an-bong", meaning "rocky bottom creek" or "water over rocks".
s. The Awabakal peoples lands included the Newcastle region and Lake Macquarie. As European settlers moved north from the Sydney region from the 1790s, encroaching on Awabakal land, a number of military battles occurred in the Central Coast region. The ongoing battles in the areas north of Sydney, the invasion of Awabakal land, the discovery of coal at Newcastle and its subsequent settlement, and the impact of disease left the Awabakal peoples displaced from their lands.
The invasion and dispossession of the Awabakal lands opened the way for land in the Cooranbong area to be allocated to members of the military. The first European settler was Lieutenant Percy Simpson, who received a 2000 acres (809 ha) land grant from the government and was assigned six convicts who cleared the land, grazed cattle and built a homestead near Dora Creek. Although Simpson only stayed there for two years, one of his convicts, Moses Carroll, became a stockman in the area, eventually becoming the area's police constable. The Robertson Land Act of 1861 allowed the town to grow, encouraging the construction of a Catholic church and later, police station and courthouse (1873), a post office (1881) and an Anglican church. Timber became the backbone of the economy and during the 1880s the population reached 700.
When the railway was built from Sydney
to Newcastle
, the line passed around 5 km east of the town centre. The station and associated settlement were originally labelled as Cooranbong but later became known as Morisset
. This was devastating to the local economy and the population dropped to 206 people by 1891. This economic depression continued until the Seventh-day Adventist Church
bought 1500 acres (607 ha) on the northern bank of Dora Creek where they built Avondale College
(1897) and Sanitarium Health Food Company
(1909).
owned estate opposite the Cooranbong shops. The estate is home to Avondale College
, a Seventh-day Adventist tertiary education institution, the Sanitarium Health Food Company
, Avondale College Church, Avondale Memorial Church, a dairy farm (Which has been closed down) and Avondale Retirement Village. A number of Avondale College students and staff also live on the estate.
Avondale School (P-12, private Christian)
2006 census, 4,477 people lived in the Cooranbong area. The median age of Cooranbong residents was 40 years, compared with 42 years in the surrounding region. By far the highest religious affiliation was Seventh-day Adventist at 36.1%, compared to 5.6% in the region and 0.88% in the Newcastle Statistical District. This was followed by Anglican, no religion, Catholic and Uniting. The median weekly individual income was $349, which was lower than the regional average.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and is located west of the town of Morisset
Morisset, New South Wales
Morisset is a commercial centre and suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, and is located west of Lake Macquarie just off the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway.-History:...
off the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
.
The town's name is derived from the Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word "Kour-an-bong", meaning "rocky bottom creek" or "water over rocks".
History
The original inhabitants of the Cooranbong area are the Awabakal peopleAwabakal people
The Awabakal are an Indigenous Australian people of coastal New South Wales.Awaba is the word for Lake Macquarie – Awabakal therefore meaning people of Lake Macquarie...
s. The Awabakal peoples lands included the Newcastle region and Lake Macquarie. As European settlers moved north from the Sydney region from the 1790s, encroaching on Awabakal land, a number of military battles occurred in the Central Coast region. The ongoing battles in the areas north of Sydney, the invasion of Awabakal land, the discovery of coal at Newcastle and its subsequent settlement, and the impact of disease left the Awabakal peoples displaced from their lands.
The invasion and dispossession of the Awabakal lands opened the way for land in the Cooranbong area to be allocated to members of the military. The first European settler was Lieutenant Percy Simpson, who received a 2000 acres (809 ha) land grant from the government and was assigned six convicts who cleared the land, grazed cattle and built a homestead near Dora Creek. Although Simpson only stayed there for two years, one of his convicts, Moses Carroll, became a stockman in the area, eventually becoming the area's police constable. The Robertson Land Act of 1861 allowed the town to grow, encouraging the construction of a Catholic church and later, police station and courthouse (1873), a post office (1881) and an Anglican church. Timber became the backbone of the economy and during the 1880s the population reached 700.
When the railway was built from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, the line passed around 5 km east of the town centre. The station and associated settlement were originally labelled as Cooranbong but later became known as Morisset
Morisset, New South Wales
Morisset is a commercial centre and suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, and is located west of Lake Macquarie just off the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway.-History:...
. This was devastating to the local economy and the population dropped to 206 people by 1891. This economic depression continued until the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
bought 1500 acres (607 ha) on the northern bank of Dora Creek where they built Avondale College
Avondale College
Avondale College of Higher Education is an Australian tertiary education provider affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Avondale College has two campuses, Lake Macquarie being the primary campus situated in Cooranbong, New South Wales...
(1897) and Sanitarium Health Food Company
Sanitarium Health Food Company
The Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies . Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church....
(1909).
Present day
The Avondale Estate is a Seventh-day AdventistSeventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
owned estate opposite the Cooranbong shops. The estate is home to Avondale College
Avondale College
Avondale College of Higher Education is an Australian tertiary education provider affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Avondale College has two campuses, Lake Macquarie being the primary campus situated in Cooranbong, New South Wales...
, a Seventh-day Adventist tertiary education institution, the Sanitarium Health Food Company
Sanitarium Health Food Company
The Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies . Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church....
, Avondale College Church, Avondale Memorial Church, a dairy farm (Which has been closed down) and Avondale Retirement Village. A number of Avondale College students and staff also live on the estate.
Education
Cooranbong Public School (P-6, public)Avondale School (P-12, private Christian)
Demographics
At the ABSAustralian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
2006 census, 4,477 people lived in the Cooranbong area. The median age of Cooranbong residents was 40 years, compared with 42 years in the surrounding region. By far the highest religious affiliation was Seventh-day Adventist at 36.1%, compared to 5.6% in the region and 0.88% in the Newcastle Statistical District. This was followed by Anglican, no religion, Catholic and Uniting. The median weekly individual income was $349, which was lower than the regional average.