Sutherland Shire
Encyclopedia
The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney
region of Sydney
, Australia
. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay
and the Georges River
. The administrative centre of the local government is located in the suburb of Sutherland
, with council chambers located in Eton Street.
It is known as the Birthplace of Modern Australia, as it was the first landing site of Captain James Cook
, who went ashore onto what is now the suburb of Kurnell
on 29 April 1770. It was originally intended to be the site of the first British Settlement, before Sydney Cove was chosen as the location during the First Fleet
.
With a Population of 219,828, it is the second most populous Local Government Area in Sydney and New South Wales
(behind The City of Blacktown
), and the eighth largest overall in Australia. It is 26 km (16 mi) south of Sydney CBD
, and is bordered by LGA's, The City of Bankstown
, City of Wollongong
, The City of Liverpool, The City of Hurstville
and The City of Campbelltown. The Sutherland Shire is also known simply as "The Shire".
The original inhabitants of the Sutherland area were some clans of the Dharawal people
. Archaeological work in the Sutherland Shire has revealed evidence for Aboriginal
settlement dating back at least 8,500 years. The original coastline around Sydney has retreated about 20 km and that those flooded coastal plains may hold evidence showing occupation of this area going back well beyond the 8,500 years revealed in the 1966 Archaeological exploration.
Within the Royal National Park
, field surveys have revealed many hundreds of Aboriginal rock shelters. In other locations (The Military Area near Holsworthy
and Darkes Forrest) there are thousands of sites, camping areas and sacred places. These areas mentioned have not been affected greatly by European occupation and building and may give a clearer example for the quality of life and abundance of resources in Sutherland/Liverpool areas.
Since 1966 when there was an Archaeological dig in Cabbage Tree Basin archaeologists have uncovered parts of an extensive open-air midden
or cooking and camp sites. Successive layers of habitation show the diet of the native Aborigines - oyster
s, mussel
s, snapper
, bream, and Sydney cockle
. There is also evidence of seal
, dolphin
, a range of marsupial
s, dingo
and even whale
. Several edge-ground axe
s have also found.
There are many existing sites where paintings and engravings of great age show changes in art style over thousands of years. Some of these changes can be linked to the extinction of some animals in the area and also with the coming of European
s to Sutherland. Some have interpreted these changes in style to changes in culture and people which would indicate that there have been a number of changes of communities over time.
an discovery of what is now Sutherland Shire was made by Lieutenant
James Cook
, who entered Botany Bay
on 29 April 1770. Cook and his party explored around Kurnell
Peninsula
, and left the bay on May 6. During their brief stay, a Scottish
seaman named Forbes Sutherland died of tuberculosis
. In his honour, Cook named the northwest point of the peninsula Point Sutherland.
The British government needed a new site for transported convict
s as they had lost their American colonies following defeat in the American Revolutionary War
. Botany Bay was chosen as the new penal settlement and the First Fleet
under Governor Arthur Phillip
anchored off Kurnell on 18 January 1788. After sending a party to clear land for settlement, Phillip soon realised the area was unsuitable. There was lack of shelter for ships, inadequate water and poor soil. On 24 January, two French
ships were sighted off the coast, causing Phillip to raise English colours near Sutherland Point. Governor Phillip sailed north to explore Port Jackson
, and eventually settled at Sydney Cove
.
The first landowner in Sutherland Shire was James Birnie, a mercantile trader who was granted by promise 700 acres (2.8 km²) at Kurnell in 1815. After the completion of official surveying, a large part of what is now Sutherland Shire was proclaimed as the Hundred of Woronora by Governor Richard Bourke
in 1835. Title
to land was not granted by the Crown
until 1856, before which there was practically no settlement. Timber
cutting was the primary industry, supplemented by shell gathering in the Port Hacking
area.
With the opening of Crown Lands sales in the Shire, Thomas Holt
purchased 12,000 acres (49 km²). His developmental projects included oyster
farms, cattle grazing
, and coal
mining. The investment which proved profitable however, were his timber leases. He constructed a magnificent manor on the foreshores of Sylvania
, called Sutherland House, based on English feudal lines.
The main mode of transport in the area was originally by water. Farmers' ships sailed up the coast into Botany Bay, and up the Georges
and Woronora
rivers, avoiding the wharf
age and custom dues
at Port Jackson. The first public road, the Illawarra Road (now called the Old Illawarra Road) to the "Five Islands" (now Wollongong
), was constructed between 1842 and 1845 with convict labour. A new southern line of road was completed in 1864, linking up with the Illawarra Road at Engadine
. Today this virtually is the line of the Princes Highway
, the main north-south thoroughfare through Sutherland Shire.
A railway line was extended from Hurstville
in 1884 to develop the rich Illawarra district. The railway brought into being firstly a huge shanty town
on the heights of Como
, and later developed the area into a holiday centre. Sutherland railway station was opened in 1885, named after John Sutherland, a Minister of Works during the 1870s who had argued most forcefully for the railway.
At this time, the greater part of the Shire was connected only by access tracks. A road soon opened between the railway station and Cronulla Beach
, catering mostly to families and fishing parties. This was followed by the Sutherland-Cronulla steam tram
service, which was inaugurated in 1911. Not only did the service greatly increase the popularity of the Cronulla
beaches, but it was of great advantage to the slowly developing business interests in the Shire.
Increasing motor traffic caused a falling-off of passengers and the passenger service close in 1931. The goods service ceased the following year. The increased traffic with the north led to the opening of the first bridge into the Sutherland Shire, at Tom Ugly's Point
, in 1929. The six-lane Captain Cook Bridge
over the Georges River, spanning Rocky Point and Taren Point
, was opened in 1965, replacing the completely inadequate ferry service.
, became popular as country retreats. A form of voluntary local government was attempted in 1888, but law and order
was still administered by the court
at Liverpool
until 1905. In that year, the Local Government (Shires) Act provided that the whole of New South Wales
be divided into shire
s. The State Governor, Harry Rawson
selected the name, and proclaimed this district "Sutherland, No. 133" on 6 March 1906 and fixed the boundaries. At the time the Shire had 1600 residents, and it was divided into three Ridings.
With only a small rates base, one of the early problems of the Council was the provision of new roads. The construction of the Sutherland-Cronulla tramway by the Railway Commissioner went far in stimulating business activity and driving land sales. The population of the Shire increased from 2,896 in 1911, when the tramway opened, to over 7,500 in 1913. By 1931 the population had exceeded 12,000. It was not until the early 1950s that this district of scattered dwellings, vacant blocks and quiet villages became a suburban area of Sydney. Until this time Sutherland Shire was not considered part of Sydney.
Associated with this growth of population was industrial and commercial development. The Captain Cook Drive from Caringbah
to Kurnell was constructed in 1953 in conjunction with the establishment in 1956 of the Australian Oil Refinery at Kurnell. At Lucas Heights, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
) built its research station complex in 1958.
In terms of residential development, one of the most imaginative homebuilding concepts has been Sylvania Waters
. Here, individually designed family homes have been built around a series of man-made canals. The urban release of land in the Menai
district, to the west of the Woronora River, commenced in the 1970s.
, who was elected on the 20 September 2010.
In December 2005, following incidents on Shire beaches culminating in an assault on a lifeguard by youth of Lebanese descent, an anonymous message was sent out by SMS, publicised by major media outlets in Australia, that called on people to gather at Cronulla beach on the following Sunday and attack "wogs and lebs". In the days that followed, a series of riots and counter riots broke out in Cronulla
and other beachside suburbs in Sydney's east which saw numerous assaults. There was minor property damage and one non-fatal stabbing, although there were many people arrested and extensive national and international media interest.
Under the 1853 proclamation, the western boundary of district was the Woronora River. With the formation of the Sutherland Shire in 1906, the western boundary was extended to take in more agricultural land in an area which is now modern day Menai
. In 1919, the Illawong
area was also transferred to Sutherland Shire. The Shire now has an area of 370 km², of which 173 km² is state-designated national parkland.
The northern border of the Shire can be crossed via four bridges: three road bridges (Alfords Point
, Sylvania Waters and Taren Point) and one railway bridge (Como). To the west, the Heathcote Road leading out of the Shire passes by the Holsworthy military reserve
. To the south, the Princes Highway
runs out of Waterfall
towards the city of Wollongong. The eastern border is bounded by the Tasman Sea
.
On the east the Shire has a varying landscape of rugged sea cliffs and sandy beaches, and swampy bay coasts backed by sand dunes. To the west the surface consists of a broad plateau rising gently to the southwest, and cut into by several deep river gorges.
The geology
of the Sutherland Shire, whilst sharing characteristics with the North Shore
, is very different from the western and central suburbs of Sydney. The oldest rock unit in the Shire is the Illawarra Coal Measures, exposed from drilling at Helensburgh
where it is 305 metres below sea level
. Above the coal
-bearing rocks is found the Narrabeen Group, mostly made up of layers of sandstone
and characteristic red claystone
beds. Overlying the Narrabeen Group is the Hawkesbury Sandstone, the rock unit most characteristic of the Shire. Occasional patches of Ashfield shale overlay the Hawkesbury sandstone. Some time later than the Triassic
period - possibly early Tertiary - minor volcanic activity occurred in the region. This took the form of intrusion
of a number of dykes
of basalt
ic rock which forced their way up through the sedimentary rocks. Due to the wetting and drying action of the weather the basaltic rock of the dykes has changed to clay.
From the end of the Triassic period to the middle of the Tertiary
period, soft material was worn down or removed by wind and running water. In the final stages of this period of erosion
the climate was apparently rather wetter and more humid than today's, causing the exposed rocks to change and form laterite
soil, which is abundant in the Shire.
A little later in the Tertiary, tilting occurred south of the Georges River
. The slow uplift
, taking perhaps several million years, formed the present Woronora Plateau, a surface which rises gently in the south. This process caused the river system in the Shire to flow in steeper watercourses. They then became more active, carving the steep gorges
of Woronora
, Hacking
, Georges Rivers and their tributaries
which can be seen today. Waterfall
s such as those at Waterfall and Undola also formed during this period. Water supplies within the shire are of two kinds. The main source is the surface supply provided by the Woronora Dam
, which is built in the deep gorge of Woronora River. A second source exists in the form of underground water
.
During the last ice age
, the rivers had to do additional work cutting down through the rocks to reach the lower and more distant ocean, leading to the "valley-in-valley" shape of many of the deep gorges in the Shire. When sea levels rose again, the silt and sand carried by the rivers gradually built up a considerable thickness of sediment
. Sediment filled the area between Kurnell (then an island) and Miranda. Sand dune
s began to accumulate in the Kurnell area and the mud and sand flats of Quibray and Gunnamatta Bay
s began to form. The Kurnell sand dunes have provided a cheap source of sand for the southern suburbs of Sydney but in the process of exploitation this area has been robbed of its character and the removal of vegetation has opened the way to erosion.
) in 1879, making it the second oldest park of its kind in the world after Yellowstone National Park
in America
. "The National Park" was publicly gazetted as a National Park in 1879, whilst no public gazette record for Yellowstone National Park
until sometime in the 1880's, making a valid claim for The Royal National Park being the oldest in the world as only after being publicly gazetted were national parks recognised. In 1880 the Park was increased to 33,000 acres (134 km²). Today it is just under 44,000 acres (178 km²). The National Park was given the prefix "Royal" after the visit there of Queen Elizabeth II
in 1954.
, Miranda
(home to a large Westfield shopping centre, traditionally known as Miranda Fair), Cronulla
, Caringbah
, Menai
and Engadine
. Sutherland Shire
's old mantra was
Sutherland
"The centre of business"
Miranda
"The centre of shopping"
Cronulla "The centre of leisure"
This lead to the decline of Kirrawee shopping centre.
The Sutherland Shire also includes the suburb of Kurnell
, close to the first landing site of James Cook
, Sydney's oil refinery
and Towra Point Nature Reserve
, a wetland
of international importance. The Sutherland Shire is also where Australia's first and only nuclear facility is based, at Lucas Heights
. The reactor, run by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
(ANSTO) does not produce electricity but is used for the production of radiopharmaceuticals
, for research
and irradiation
.
The isolated bayside suburbs of Bundeena
and Maianbar
are situated between the northern edge of the Royal National park and Port Hacking
. They are only accessible through the park or by the ferry
from Cronulla.
Population growth in the shire has been limited by approval of residential development. The population increased from 193,000 in 1996 to over 202,000 in 2001. Recent growth has occurred largely in the Barden Ridge
and Menai areas (where the new releases of land for urban development have been) and around the main railway stations. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics
, the population of the Shire has been largely static over the past two years, falling slightly by 0.04% in 2003 and 0.07% in 2004. The age structure of the shire is described as being an "urban mix", with a broad range of different age groups.
38.6% of employed residents work within the Shire, whilst 61.4% work outside the Shire, especially in the Sydney Central business district
(CBD) (16.8%). Of those employed within the Shire, 74.1% were residents. The largest occupations included clerical, sales and service workers, professionals and tradespersons. The unemployment rate in Sutherland Shire was lower than the Sydney Statistical Division in 2001 (3.5% compared to 6.1%). The reason for the lower rate in Sutherland Shire includes a comparatively smaller share of the population aged 18–24, who often have higher unemployment rates than older workers (25-59).
Sutherland Shire has a smaller proportion of overseas-born residents and less diversity in the range of countries of birth, relative to other parts of Sydney. About 80% of Sutherland Shire residents are born in Australia, followed by those born in the United Kingdom
, New Zealand
and South Africa
. The percentage of residents claiming Australian ancestry is among the highest in Sydney.
Whilst the overseas population is growing, it is growing at a significantly slower rate than the rest of Sydney. A comparison of the top 5 nationalities in the Sutherland Shire with the Sydney Statistical Division in 2001 shows the major difference was a lower share of the population of Chinese
ancestry.
More than three-quarters of the population professed a religion in 2001. Like many areas across Australia, the top five religions in Sutherland Shire in 2001 were all forms of Christianity
, with the largest groups including Shirelive Church
, Catholic
s, Anglican
s and Uniting Church
adherents. Sutherland Shire also noted very little change in the share of persons with non-Christian beliefs between 1996 and 2001, which was against the broader pattern of growth.
, a technology high school - Gymea Technology High School, more than twenty secondary schools, preschool centres and schools provided to serve children with special needs.
and Kareena Private Hospital are both located at Caringbah and President Private Hospital is located in Kirrawee.
is the retail and commercial centre of the Shire, being home to Westfield Miranda along with two other shopping centres, Kiora Mall and Parkside Plaza. Westfield Miranda
, known locally as Miranda Fair, has several department stores and many specialist stores, and was once the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. The centre is now the fourth largest shopping centre in Sydney.
Southgate
is another major shopping complex, located in Sylvania
and consisting of a number of supermarkets, a K-Mart and various specialty stores. Cronulla
is also a popular retail and commercial centre, with numerous restaurants and cafes and a considerable number of surf stores and other clothing and fashion shops.
Other neighbourhood shopping centres have also developed at Caringbah, Bangor
, Illawong and Menai together with a small centre at Alfords Point. Gymea Shopping Village attracts many people, with a regional arts centre, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre
, and a cafe and restaurant scene.
Sutherland Shire Council is composed of fifteen councillors elected proportionally. The area is divided into five wards, each electing three councillors. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:
The current council, elected in 2008, is:
The Sutherland Shire contains three Federal Government
electorates, Cook
(which includes Sutherland, Jannali, Como, Caringbah, Miranda, Sylvania, Gymea, and Cronulla), Hughes
(which includes Sutherland, Menai, Bangor, Engadine and Alfords Point) and Cunningham
(which includes Heathcote, Bundeena and Waterfall).
The state member for Miranda
is Graham Annesley
. The state member for Menai
is Melanie Gibbons
. The state member for Heathcote
is Lee Evans
. The State member for Cronulla
is Mark Speakman
. Each district is held by the Liberal Party.
Scott Morrison
(Liberal) is the Federal MP for Cook
. Craig Kelly
(Liberal) is the Federal MP for Hughes
. Sharon Bird
(Labor) is the Federal MP for Cunningham
.
Localities administered by the Sutherland Shire are:
, Colorado
, USA Chūō
, Tokyo
, Japan
There are also two informal relationships: Sutherland
, Scotland
, UK
Bangor
, Wales
, UK
Southern Sydney
This article refers to an area the same as a combination of St George and SutherlandSouthern Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the southern metropolitan area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
region of 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...
, 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...
. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
and the Georges River
Georges River
The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...
. The administrative centre of the local government is located in the suburb of Sutherland
Sutherland, New South Wales
Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, with council chambers located in Eton Street.
It is known as the Birthplace of Modern Australia, as it was the first landing site of Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
, who went ashore onto what is now the suburb of Kurnell
Kurnell, New South Wales
Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
on 29 April 1770. It was originally intended to be the site of the first British Settlement, before Sydney Cove was chosen as the location during the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
.
With a Population of 219,828, it is the second most populous Local Government Area in Sydney and New South Wales
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...
(behind The City of Blacktown
City of Blacktown
The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area...
), and the eighth largest overall in Australia. It is 26 km (16 mi) south of Sydney CBD
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
, and is bordered by LGA's, The City of Bankstown
City of Bankstown
The City of Bankstown is a city and Local Government Area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, centred on the suburb of Bankstown....
, City of Wollongong
City of Wollongong
The City of Wollongong is a Local Government Area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Freeway and the South Coast railway line....
, The City of Liverpool, The City of Hurstville
City of Hurstville
The City of Hurstville is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The city centre is located 17km SSW of the Sydney central business district and west of Botany Bay....
and The City of Campbelltown. The Sutherland Shire is also known simply as "The Shire".
Aboriginal heritage
Tharawal people
The Tharawal people were the Aboriginal inhabitants of southern Sydney and the Illawarra region in 1788, when the first European colonists arrived. The Tharawal people lived in the areas from south side of Botany Bay, around Port Hacking to north of the Shoalhaven River and inland to Campbelltown...
. Archaeological work in the Sutherland Shire has revealed evidence for 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....
settlement dating back at least 8,500 years. The original coastline around Sydney has retreated about 20 km and that those flooded coastal plains may hold evidence showing occupation of this area going back well beyond the 8,500 years revealed in the 1966 Archaeological exploration.
Within the Royal National Park
Royal National Park
Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...
, field surveys have revealed many hundreds of Aboriginal rock shelters. In other locations (The Military Area near Holsworthy
Holsworthy, New South Wales
Holsworthy is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Holsworthy is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and partly in the Sutherland Shire.Holsworthy is most notable for...
and Darkes Forrest) there are thousands of sites, camping areas and sacred places. These areas mentioned have not been affected greatly by European occupation and building and may give a clearer example for the quality of life and abundance of resources in Sutherland/Liverpool areas.
Since 1966 when there was an Archaeological dig in Cabbage Tree Basin archaeologists have uncovered parts of an extensive open-air midden
Midden
A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
or cooking and camp sites. Successive layers of habitation show the diet of the native Aborigines - oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s, mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s, snapper
Australasian snapper
The Australasian snapper or Pagrus auratus is a species of porgie found in coastal waters of New Zealand and Australia. Although it is almost universally known in these countries as snapper it does not belong to the Lutjanidae family...
, bream, and Sydney cockle
Sydney cockle
Sydney cockle , or ark cockle , Anadara trapezia, is an estuarine filter-feeding bivalve. Its calcareous, heavily-ribbed, shell can grow to approximately 7 to 8 cm across. Its current range is along the east coast of Australia, from Queensland to Victoria...
. There is also evidence of seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
, dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
, a range of marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s, dingo
Dingo
The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
and even whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
. Several edge-ground axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s have also found.
There are many existing sites where paintings and engravings of great age show changes in art style over thousands of years. Some of these changes can be linked to the extinction of some animals in the area and also with the coming of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s to Sutherland. Some have interpreted these changes in style to changes in culture and people which would indicate that there have been a number of changes of communities over time.
European settlement
EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an discovery of what is now Sutherland Shire was made by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
, who entered Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
on 29 April 1770. Cook and his party explored around Kurnell
Kurnell, New South Wales
Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
Peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, and left the bay on May 6. During their brief stay, a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
seaman named Forbes Sutherland died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. In his honour, Cook named the northwest point of the peninsula Point Sutherland.
The British government needed a new site for transported convict
Convictism in Australia
During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their...
s as they had lost their American colonies following defeat in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Botany Bay was chosen as the new penal settlement and the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
under Governor Arthur Phillip
Arthur Phillip
Admiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...
anchored off Kurnell on 18 January 1788. After sending a party to clear land for settlement, Phillip soon realised the area was unsuitable. There was lack of shelter for ships, inadequate water and poor soil. On 24 January, two French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ships were sighted off the coast, causing Phillip to raise English colours near Sutherland Point. Governor Phillip sailed north to explore Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
, and eventually settled at Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove is a small bay on the southern shore of Port Jackson , on the coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia....
.
The first landowner in Sutherland Shire was James Birnie, a mercantile trader who was granted by promise 700 acres (2.8 km²) at Kurnell in 1815. After the completion of official surveying, a large part of what is now Sutherland Shire was proclaimed as the Hundred of Woronora by Governor Richard Bourke
Richard Bourke
General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837.-Early life and career:...
in 1835. Title
Title (property)
Title is a legal term for a bundle of rights in a piece of property in which a party may own either a legal interest or an equitable interest. The rights in the bundle may be separated and held by different parties. It may also refer to a formal document that serves as evidence of ownership...
to land was not granted by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
until 1856, before which there was practically no settlement. Timber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
cutting was the primary industry, supplemented by shell gathering in the Port Hacking
Port Hacking
Port Hacking is an Australian estuary, located in Southern Sydney, New South Wales and fed by the Hacking River and several smaller creeks, including Bundeena Creek and The Basin. It is a ria, a river basin which has become submerged by the sea...
area.
With the opening of Crown Lands sales in the Shire, Thomas Holt
Thomas Holt
Thomas Holt may refer to:*Tom Holt , author of humorous fantasies and historical fiction*Thomas Holt , English architect*Thomas C. Holt, American writer and historian...
purchased 12,000 acres (49 km²). His developmental projects included oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
farms, cattle grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
, and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining. The investment which proved profitable however, were his timber leases. He constructed a magnificent manor on the foreshores of Sylvania
Sylvania, New South Wales
Sylvania is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania is located 22 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
, called Sutherland House, based on English feudal lines.
Development of transport
Georges River
The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...
and Woronora
Woronora River
The Woronora River flows north from near Helensburgh into the Georges River between Como and Illawong.- Crossings :The river is crossed by high level and low level road bridges and a footbridge in Woronora, New South Wales...
rivers, avoiding the wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
age and custom dues
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
at Port Jackson. The first public road, the Illawarra Road (now called the Old Illawarra Road) to the "Five Islands" (now Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
), was constructed between 1842 and 1845 with convict labour. A new southern line of road was completed in 1864, linking up with the Illawarra Road at Engadine
Engadine, New South Wales
Engadine is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Engadine is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire...
. Today this virtually is the line of the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
, the main north-south thoroughfare through Sutherland Shire.
A railway line was extended from Hurstville
Hurstville, New South Wales
Hurstville is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hurstville is located 16 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of...
in 1884 to develop the rich Illawarra district. The railway brought into being firstly a huge shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
on the heights of Como
Como, New South Wales
Como is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Como is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The postcode is 2226, which it shares with neighbouring Jannali and Bonnet Bay...
, and later developed the area into a holiday centre. Sutherland railway station was opened in 1885, named after John Sutherland, a Minister of Works during the 1870s who had argued most forcefully for the railway.
At this time, the greater part of the Shire was connected only by access tracks. A road soon opened between the railway station and Cronulla Beach
Cronulla Beach
Cronulla Beach , is a patrolled beach on Bate Bay, in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia. The Cronulla Pavilion and the Cronulla Lifesaving Club are two prominent buildings located close to the sand. Cronulla Park sits behind the beach. The Cronulla Rock Pools are between Cronulla Beach and North...
, catering mostly to families and fishing parties. This was followed by the Sutherland-Cronulla steam tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
service, which was inaugurated in 1911. Not only did the service greatly increase the popularity of the Cronulla
Cronulla, New South Wales
Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
beaches, but it was of great advantage to the slowly developing business interests in the Shire.
Increasing motor traffic caused a falling-off of passengers and the passenger service close in 1931. The goods service ceased the following year. The increased traffic with the north led to the opening of the first bridge into the Sutherland Shire, at Tom Ugly's Point
Tom Uglys Bridge
Tom Uglys Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the Georges River in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It consists of two separate bridges that carry the Princes Highway, linking the St George area at Blakehurst to the Sutherland Shire at Sylvania.- Origin of the name :Tom Uglys...
, in 1929. The six-lane Captain Cook Bridge
Captain Cook Bridge, New South Wales
The Captain Cook Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the Georges River in Sydney, Australia. It crosses at the mouth of the river into Botany Bay....
over the Georges River, spanning Rocky Point and Taren Point
Taren Point, New South Wales
Taren Point is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Taren Point is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, was opened in 1965, replacing the completely inadequate ferry service.
Local Government Development
Coastal and river frontage areas, such as Como, Illawong, Cronulla, Illawarra and Yowie BayYowie Bay, New South Wales
Yowie Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Yowie Bay is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, became popular as country retreats. A form of voluntary local government was attempted in 1888, but law and order
Law and order (politics)
In politics, law and order refers to demands for a strict criminal justice system, especially in relation to violent and property crime, through harsher criminal penalties...
was still administered by the court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
at Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales
Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...
until 1905. In that year, the Local Government (Shires) Act provided that the whole of New South Wales
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...
be divided into shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
s. The State Governor, Harry Rawson
Harry Rawson
Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, GCB, GCMG RN , is chiefly remembered for overseeing the British Benin Expedition of 1897 that burned and looted the city of the Kingdom of Benin, now in Nigeria...
selected the name, and proclaimed this district "Sutherland, No. 133" on 6 March 1906 and fixed the boundaries. At the time the Shire had 1600 residents, and it was divided into three Ridings.
With only a small rates base, one of the early problems of the Council was the provision of new roads. The construction of the Sutherland-Cronulla tramway by the Railway Commissioner went far in stimulating business activity and driving land sales. The population of the Shire increased from 2,896 in 1911, when the tramway opened, to over 7,500 in 1913. By 1931 the population had exceeded 12,000. It was not until the early 1950s that this district of scattered dwellings, vacant blocks and quiet villages became a suburban area of Sydney. Until this time Sutherland Shire was not considered part of Sydney.
Associated with this growth of population was industrial and commercial development. The Captain Cook Drive from Caringbah
Caringbah, New South Wales
Caringbah is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Caringbah is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Sutherland Shire...
to Kurnell was constructed in 1953 in conjunction with the establishment in 1956 of the Australian Oil Refinery at Kurnell. At Lucas Heights, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is a statutory body of the Australian government, formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Its head office and main facilities are in southern outskirts of Sydney at Lucas Heights, in the Sutherland Shire...
) built its research station complex in 1958.
In terms of residential development, one of the most imaginative homebuilding concepts has been Sylvania Waters
Sylvania Waters, New South Wales
Sylvania Waters is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania Waters is located 21 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
. Here, individually designed family homes have been built around a series of man-made canals. The urban release of land in the Menai
Menai, New South Wales
Menai is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Menai is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.-History:...
district, to the west of the Woronora River, commenced in the 1970s.
Contemporary Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire is currently the second most populous Local Government Area in Sydney, and 8th in Australia overall. The current Mayor is Phil Blight of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, who was elected on the 20 September 2010.
In December 2005, following incidents on Shire beaches culminating in an assault on a lifeguard by youth of Lebanese descent, an anonymous message was sent out by SMS, publicised by major media outlets in Australia, that called on people to gather at Cronulla beach on the following Sunday and attack "wogs and lebs". In the days that followed, a series of riots and counter riots broke out in Cronulla
2005 Cronulla riots
The 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence originating in Cronulla, New South Wales and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional Sydney suburbs....
and other beachside suburbs in Sydney's east which saw numerous assaults. There was minor property damage and one non-fatal stabbing, although there were many people arrested and extensive national and international media interest.
Geography
Menai, New South Wales
Menai is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Menai is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.-History:...
. In 1919, the Illawong
Illawong, New South Wales
Illawong is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Illawong is located 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney Central Business District, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire in the area commonly called Menai...
area was also transferred to Sutherland Shire. The Shire now has an area of 370 km², of which 173 km² is state-designated national parkland.
The northern border of the Shire can be crossed via four bridges: three road bridges (Alfords Point
Alfords Point Bridge, New South Wales
Alfords Point Bridge is one of three major road crossings of the lower Georges River. It was opened on the 7 September 1973. The bridge links Padstow Heights in the City of Bankstown to Alfords Point in the Sutherland Shire...
, Sylvania Waters and Taren Point) and one railway bridge (Como). To the west, the Heathcote Road leading out of the Shire passes by the Holsworthy military reserve
Holsworthy Barracks
Holsworthy Barracks is located in the outer south-western Sydney suburb of Holsworthy. It is part of the Holsworthy military reserve, which has been a training area and artillery range for the Australian Army since World War I. Following World War II it became a major base for the permanent...
. To the south, the Princes Highway
Princes Highway
The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....
runs out of Waterfall
Waterfall, New South Wales
Waterfall is a small suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waterfall is located 38 kilometers south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
towards the city of Wollongong. The eastern border is bounded by the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
.
On the east the Shire has a varying landscape of rugged sea cliffs and sandy beaches, and swampy bay coasts backed by sand dunes. To the west the surface consists of a broad plateau rising gently to the southwest, and cut into by several deep river gorges.
Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
of the Sutherland Shire, whilst sharing characteristics with the North Shore
North Shore (Sydney)
The North Shore is an informal term used to describe the primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, up to...
, is very different from the western and central suburbs of Sydney. The oldest rock unit in the Shire is the Illawarra Coal Measures, exposed from drilling at Helensburgh
Helensburgh, New South Wales
Helensburgh is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Helensburgh is located 45 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and north of Wollongong. Helensburgh is in the local government area of Wollongong City Council and marks the northern end of the Illawarra region...
where it is 305 metres below sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Above the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-bearing rocks is found the Narrabeen Group, mostly made up of layers of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and characteristic red claystone
Claystone
Claystone is a geological term used to describe a clastic sedimentary rock that is composed primarily of clay-sized particles ....
beds. Overlying the Narrabeen Group is the Hawkesbury Sandstone, the rock unit most characteristic of the Shire. Occasional patches of Ashfield shale overlay the Hawkesbury sandstone. Some time later than the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
period - possibly early Tertiary - minor volcanic activity occurred in the region. This took the form of intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
of a number of dykes
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic rock which forced their way up through the sedimentary rocks. Due to the wetting and drying action of the weather the basaltic rock of the dykes has changed to clay.
From the end of the Triassic period to the middle of the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
period, soft material was worn down or removed by wind and running water. In the final stages of this period of erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
the climate was apparently rather wetter and more humid than today's, causing the exposed rocks to change and form laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
soil, which is abundant in the Shire.
River system
Georges River
The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...
. The slow uplift
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
, taking perhaps several million years, formed the present Woronora Plateau, a surface which rises gently in the south. This process caused the river system in the Shire to flow in steeper watercourses. They then became more active, carving the steep gorges
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
of Woronora
Woronora River
The Woronora River flows north from near Helensburgh into the Georges River between Como and Illawong.- Crossings :The river is crossed by high level and low level road bridges and a footbridge in Woronora, New South Wales...
, Hacking
Port Hacking
Port Hacking is an Australian estuary, located in Southern Sydney, New South Wales and fed by the Hacking River and several smaller creeks, including Bundeena Creek and The Basin. It is a ria, a river basin which has become submerged by the sea...
, Georges Rivers and their tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
which can be seen today. Waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s such as those at Waterfall and Undola also formed during this period. Water supplies within the shire are of two kinds. The main source is the surface supply provided by the Woronora Dam
Woronora Dam
Woronora Dam collects water from the catchment of the Woronora River, which drains into the dam and then to Georges River. The dam supplies water to residents within the Sutherland Shire in Sydney's south and also the northern Illawarra suburbs of Helensburgh, Otford, Stanwell Tops, Stanwell Park...
, which is built in the deep gorge of Woronora River. A second source exists in the form of underground water
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
.
During the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, the rivers had to do additional work cutting down through the rocks to reach the lower and more distant ocean, leading to the "valley-in-valley" shape of many of the deep gorges in the Shire. When sea levels rose again, the silt and sand carried by the rivers gradually built up a considerable thickness of sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
. Sediment filled the area between Kurnell (then an island) and Miranda. Sand dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s began to accumulate in the Kurnell area and the mud and sand flats of Quibray and Gunnamatta Bay
Gunnamatta Bay
Gunnamatta Bay is a small bay in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Gunnamatta Bay is located off the Port Hacking estuary, in the Sutherland Shire...
s began to form. The Kurnell sand dunes have provided a cheap source of sand for the southern suburbs of Sydney but in the process of exploitation this area has been robbed of its character and the removal of vegetation has opened the way to erosion.
Royal National Park
The Premier John Robertson dedicated 18,000 acres (73 km²) to "The National Park" (now the Royal National ParkRoyal National Park
Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...
) in 1879, making it the second oldest park of its kind in the world after Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. "The National Park" was publicly gazetted as a National Park in 1879, whilst no public gazette record for Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
until sometime in the 1880's, making a valid claim for The Royal National Park being the oldest in the world as only after being publicly gazetted were national parks recognised. In 1880 the Park was increased to 33,000 acres (134 km²). Today it is just under 44,000 acres (178 km²). The National Park was given the prefix "Royal" after the visit there of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
in 1954.
Urban Structure
The Sutherland Shire is predominantly a residential area but also has substantial industrial, commercial and rural areas. The major commercial areas of the shire are located in the suburbs of SutherlandSutherland, New South Wales
Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, Miranda
Miranda, New South Wales
Miranda is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Miranda is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the Sutherland Shire....
(home to a large Westfield shopping centre, traditionally known as Miranda Fair), Cronulla
Cronulla, New South Wales
Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
, Caringbah
Caringbah, New South Wales
Caringbah is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Caringbah is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Sutherland Shire...
, Menai
Menai, New South Wales
Menai is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Menai is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.-History:...
and Engadine
Engadine, New South Wales
Engadine is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Engadine is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire...
. Sutherland Shire
Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...
's old mantra was
Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
"The centre of business"
Miranda
Miranda
-Places:Australia* Miranda, New South Wales, a community in Sutherland Shire, New South Wales* Miranda railway station, a railway station in Sutherland Shire, New South WalesBrazil* Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, a município in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul...
"The centre of shopping"
Cronulla "The centre of leisure"
This lead to the decline of Kirrawee shopping centre.
The Sutherland Shire also includes the suburb of Kurnell
Kurnell, New South Wales
Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, close to the first landing site of James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
, Sydney's oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
and Towra Point Nature Reserve
Towra Point Nature Reserve
Towra Point Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern shores of Botany Bay at Kurnell, within the Sutherland Shire. It is a Ramsar site , as it is an important breeding ground for many vulnerable, protected, or endangered...
, a wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
of international importance. The Sutherland Shire is also where Australia's first and only nuclear facility is based, at Lucas Heights
Lucas Heights, New South Wales
Lucas Heights is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lucas Heights is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
. The reactor, run by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is a statutory body of the Australian government, formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Its head office and main facilities are in southern outskirts of Sydney at Lucas Heights, in the Sutherland Shire...
(ANSTO) does not produce electricity but is used for the production of radiopharmaceuticals
Radiopharmacology
Radiopharmacology is the study and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, which are radioactive pharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are used in the field of nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Many radiopharmaceuticals use technetium-99m which has many...
, for research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
and irradiation
Irradiation
Irradiation is the process by which an object is exposed to radiation. The exposure can originate from various sources, including natural sources. Most frequently the term refers to ionizing radiation, and to a level of radiation that will serve a specific purpose, rather than radiation exposure to...
.
The isolated bayside suburbs of Bundeena
Bundeena, New South Wales
Bundeena is a village on the outskirts of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bundeena is located 29km south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
and Maianbar
Maianbar, New South Wales
Maianbar is a village on the outskirts of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Maianbar is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Sutherland Shire....
are situated between the northern edge of the Royal National park and Port Hacking
Port Hacking
Port Hacking is an Australian estuary, located in Southern Sydney, New South Wales and fed by the Hacking River and several smaller creeks, including Bundeena Creek and The Basin. It is a ria, a river basin which has become submerged by the sea...
. They are only accessible through the park or by the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
from Cronulla.
Demographics
Barden Ridge, New South Wales
Barden Ridge is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Barden Ridge is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire...
and Menai areas (where the new releases of land for urban development have been) and around the main railway stations. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian 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...
, the population of the Shire has been largely static over the past two years, falling slightly by 0.04% in 2003 and 0.07% in 2004. The age structure of the shire is described as being an "urban mix", with a broad range of different age groups.
38.6% of employed residents work within the Shire, whilst 61.4% work outside the Shire, especially in the Sydney Central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD) (16.8%). Of those employed within the Shire, 74.1% were residents. The largest occupations included clerical, sales and service workers, professionals and tradespersons. The unemployment rate in Sutherland Shire was lower than the Sydney Statistical Division in 2001 (3.5% compared to 6.1%). The reason for the lower rate in Sutherland Shire includes a comparatively smaller share of the population aged 18–24, who often have higher unemployment rates than older workers (25-59).
Sutherland Shire has a smaller proportion of overseas-born residents and less diversity in the range of countries of birth, relative to other parts of Sydney. About 80% of Sutherland Shire residents are born in Australia, followed by those born in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The percentage of residents claiming Australian ancestry is among the highest in Sydney.
Whilst the overseas population is growing, it is growing at a significantly slower rate than the rest of Sydney. A comparison of the top 5 nationalities in the Sutherland Shire with the Sydney Statistical Division in 2001 shows the major difference was a lower share of the population of Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
ancestry.
More than three-quarters of the population professed a religion in 2001. Like many areas across Australia, the top five religions in Sutherland Shire in 2001 were all forms of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, with the largest groups including Shirelive Church
Shirelive Church
Shirelive Church is a Pentecostal Christian church affiliated with Australian Christian Churches, the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God denomination. The church's main campus is located in the commercial district of Sutherland, a Southern suburb of Sydney, Australia, in the local...
, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s, Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
s and Uniting Church
Uniting Church in Australia
The Uniting Church in Australia was formed on 22 June 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, the Presbyterian Church of Australia and the Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union....
adherents. Sutherland Shire also noted very little change in the share of persons with non-Christian beliefs between 1996 and 2001, which was against the broader pattern of growth.
Education
There are now nearly 100 schools in the Shire including the Gymea and Loftus Colleges of Technical and Further EducationTechnical and Further Education
In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
, a technology high school - Gymea Technology High School, more than twenty secondary schools, preschool centres and schools provided to serve children with special needs.
Health
The Sutherland HospitalSutherland Hospital
Sutherland Hospital is part of the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service and is located in Caringbah, a southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The hospital has a general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, aged care, rehabilitation...
and Kareena Private Hospital are both located at Caringbah and President Private Hospital is located in Kirrawee.
Transport
The area of Sutherland Shire is serviced by Veolia Transport bus services and City Rail trains on the Illawarra line.Surf life saving
There are four surf life saving clubs and one offshore rescue boat located at Cronulla. The clubs and boat provide life saving and first aid services to the many visitors to the Shire's beaches. The four surf clubs from south to north are: Cronulla SLSC, North Cronulla SLSC, Elouera SLSC and Wanda SLSC. The offshore rescue boat operated by the Cronnulla District Lifesaver Rescue frequently assists in major marine rescues along the Sydney coast.Culture
- The National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
football club, the Cronulla SharksCronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
are the major local professional sports team. They have an average attendance of 12,000-15,000. - Cronulla BeachCronulla BeachCronulla Beach , is a patrolled beach on Bate Bay, in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia. The Cronulla Pavilion and the Cronulla Lifesaving Club are two prominent buildings located close to the sand. Cronulla Park sits behind the beach. The Cronulla Rock Pools are between Cronulla Beach and North...
has been used as the setting for a number of movies, including Puberty BluesPuberty BluesPuberty Blues is a 1981 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford. The film is based on the 1979 novel Puberty Blues, by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, which is a proto-feminist teen novel about two 13 year-old girls from the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, Australia...
. - North Cronulla Surf Life Saving club doubled as a police station in the television series White Collar BlueWhite Collar BlueWhite Collar Blue was an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003.Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the police force working in the city of Sydney and the personal and...
. - Four winners of the worlds biggest triathlon, the Hawaiian Ironman, call the Sutherland Shire home. Greg WelchGreg WelchGregory John Welch OAM is an Australian triathlete. He is acknowledged as one of the greatest triathletes due to his remarkable dominance in winning the "The Grand Slam" which includes the ITU Triathlon World Championships , The Ironman World Championship , the ITU Duathlon World Championships and...
(1994), Michellie JonesMichellie JonesMichellie Yvonne Jones is an Australian triathlete. She has won two ITU Triathlon World Championships, an Olympic Silver Medal, and the 2006 Ironman World Championship.-Athletic career:...
(2006), Chris McCormack (2007 & 2010) and Craig AlexanderCraig Alexander (triathlete)Craig Alexander is an Australian triathlete who is the 2008, 2009 & 2011 Ironman Triathlon World Champion. He is only the fourth man to win the Ironman World Championship two years in a row; the others were Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and Tim DeBoom. He is also only the fourth man to win the Ironman...
(2008, 2009 & 2011). A resident of the Sutherland Shire has won the race, considered the worlds toughest one day sporting event, for the last 6 years. - The film The SquareThe Square (2008 film)The Square is a neo-noir thriller film directed by Nash Edgerton, written by his brother Joel Edgerton and Matthew Dabner, and starring David Roberts and Claire van der Boom. Based upon an original idea by Joel, the project was written and then shelved by the actor because he felt it was not...
was shot predominantly around the Shire.
Retail
MirandaMiranda, New South Wales
Miranda is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Miranda is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the Sutherland Shire....
is the retail and commercial centre of the Shire, being home to Westfield Miranda along with two other shopping centres, Kiora Mall and Parkside Plaza. Westfield Miranda
Westfield Miranda
Westfield Miranda , owned and managed by the Westfield Group, is a large shopping centre in the suburb of Miranda in the Local Government Area of Sutherland Shire in southern Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:Miranda Fair was originally opened in 1964 and was purchased by...
, known locally as Miranda Fair, has several department stores and many specialist stores, and was once the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. The centre is now the fourth largest shopping centre in Sydney.
Southgate
Southgate, Sylvania
Southgate is a shopping centre in the Sydney suburb of Sylvania, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.-Stores:Southgate has a variety of shops and services including supermarkets, a discount department store, delicatessen, bakery, liquor shop, butcher, seafood shop, clothing shops, surf shop,...
is another major shopping complex, located in Sylvania
Sylvania, New South Wales
Sylvania is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania is located 22 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
and consisting of a number of supermarkets, a K-Mart and various specialty stores. Cronulla
Cronulla, New South Wales
Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
is also a popular retail and commercial centre, with numerous restaurants and cafes and a considerable number of surf stores and other clothing and fashion shops.
Other neighbourhood shopping centres have also developed at Caringbah, Bangor
Bangor, New South Wales
Bangor is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bangor is located 28 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire in the area commonly called Menai...
, Illawong and Menai together with a small centre at Alfords Point. Gymea Shopping Village attracts many people, with a regional arts centre, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre is a complex in the suburb of Gymea, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hazelhurst features two Art Galleries, Theatrette, art studios, meeting rooms, gardens, gift shop and cafe. The facility also acts is available for hire as a function centre...
, and a cafe and restaurant scene.
Council
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Shire Watch Independents | 5 | |
| Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
6 | |
| Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
3 | |
| Community First Alliance | 1 | |
| Total | 15 | |
The current council, elected in 2008, is:
| Ward | A Ward | Kevin Schreiber | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Provan | Shire Watch | ||||
| George Capsis | Community First | ||||
| B Ward | Lorraine Kelly | Shire Watch | |||
| Kent Johns | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
||||
| Phil Blight | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
Mayor | |||
| C Ward | Mark Buttigieg | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
|||
| Craig McCallum | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
||||
| Margaret Hargrave | Shire Watch | ||||
| D Ward | Jan Forshaw | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
|||
| Howard Boorman | Shire Watch | Deputy Mayor | |||
| Bruce Walton | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
Replaced Community First Councillor David Redmond in a by-election, 23 October 2010 | |||
| E Ward | Steve Simpson | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
|||
| Melanie Gibbons | Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
||||
| Peter Towell | Shire Watch |
The Sutherland Shire contains three Federal Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
electorates, Cook
Division of Cook
The Division of Cook is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1969 and is named for James Cook, who mapped the east coast of Australia in 1770. It is located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, including Caringbah, Cronulla, Miranda and Sylvania...
(which includes Sutherland, Jannali, Como, Caringbah, Miranda, Sylvania, Gymea, and Cronulla), Hughes
Division of Hughes
The Division of Hughes is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1955 and is named for Billy Hughes, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1915-23...
(which includes Sutherland, Menai, Bangor, Engadine and Alfords Point) and Cunningham
Division of Cunningham
The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Allan Cunningham, a 19th century explorer of New South Wales and Queensland. It is located on the coast of New South Wales between southern Sydney and Wollongong, and...
(which includes Heathcote, Bundeena and Waterfall).
The state member for Miranda
Electoral district of Miranda
Miranda is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Graham Annesley of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Miranda:-Election results:...
is Graham Annesley
Graham Annesley
Graham Annesley MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Miranda for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011...
. The state member for Menai
Electoral district of Menai
Menai is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Melanie Gibbons of the Liberal Party of Australia. Currently, it is the only state seat in the state of New South Wales to have always been represented by a woman.-Members for...
is Melanie Gibbons
Melanie Gibbons
Melanie Rhonda Gibbons MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Menai for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011.-Early years and background:...
. The state member for Heathcote
Electoral district of Heathcote
Heathcote is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Lee Evans of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Heathcote:-Election results:...
is Lee Evans
Lee Evans (politician)
Lee Justin Evans MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Heathcote for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011.-Early years and background:...
. The State member for Cronulla
Electoral district of Cronulla
Cronulla is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Mark Speakman of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Cronulla:-Election results:...
is Mark Speakman
Mark Speakman
Mark Raymond Speakman SC MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Cronulla for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011.-Early years and background:...
. Each district is held by the Liberal Party.
Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison (politician)
Scott John Morrison is a member of the Australian House of Representatives, and is a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He is the shadow immigration minister, and represents the Division of Cook, an electorate in the southern suburbs of Sydney, which include Cronulla, Caringbah, and Miranda...
(Liberal) is the Federal MP for Cook
Division of Cook
The Division of Cook is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1969 and is named for James Cook, who mapped the east coast of Australia in 1770. It is located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, including Caringbah, Cronulla, Miranda and Sylvania...
. Craig Kelly
Craig Kelly (politician)
Craig Kelly , an Australian federal politician, is a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the seat of Hughes, New South Wales for the Liberal Party of Australia, elected at the 2010 federal election....
(Liberal) is the Federal MP for Hughes
Division of Hughes
The Division of Hughes is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1955 and is named for Billy Hughes, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1915-23...
. Sharon Bird
Sharon Bird
Sharon Leah Bird is an Australian politician.She was elected to the Australian House of Representatives for the Division of Cunningham, New South Wales, at the October 2004 election...
(Labor) is the Federal MP for Cunningham
Division of Cunningham
The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Allan Cunningham, a 19th century explorer of New South Wales and Queensland. It is located on the coast of New South Wales between southern Sydney and Wollongong, and...
.
Suburbs
Suburbs in the Sutherland Shire are:
|
Dolans Bay, New South Wales Dolans Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dolans Bay is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Engadine, New South Wales Engadine is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Engadine is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire... Grays Point, New South Wales Grays Point is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Grays Point is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Gymea, New South Wales Gymea is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gymea is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The postcode is 2227, which it shares with adjacent suburb Gymea Bay.-History:The... Gymea Bay, New South Wales Gymea Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gymea Bay is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire... Heathcote, New South Wales Heathcote is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Heathcote is located 36 km south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire.... Illawong, New South Wales Illawong is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Illawong is located 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney Central Business District, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire in the area commonly called Menai... Jannali, New South Wales Jannali is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Jannali is located 28 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire... Kangaroo Point, New South Wales Kangaroo Point is a tiny, picturesque suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kangaroo Point is located 22 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Kareela, New South Wales Kareela is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kareela is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... |
Kirrawee, New South Wales Kirrawee is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kirrawee is located 25 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire. Kirrawee lies between Sutherland, to the west and Gymea and Grays Point, to the east... Kurnell, New South Wales Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Lilli Pilli, New South Wales Lilli Pilli is a small suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lilli Pilli is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire... Loftus, New South Wales Loftus is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Loftus is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Lucas Heights, New South Wales Lucas Heights is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lucas Heights is located 31 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Maianbar, New South Wales Maianbar is a village on the outskirts of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Maianbar is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Sutherland Shire.... Malabar, New South Wales Malabar is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Malabar is located 12 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick.-Location:... Menai, New South Wales Menai is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Menai is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.-History:... Miranda, New South Wales Miranda is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Miranda is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the Sutherland Shire.... Oyster Bay, New South Wales Oyster Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Oyster Bay is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.-Location:... Port Hacking, New South Wales Port Hacking is a small suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Port Hacking is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire... |
Sandy Point, New South Wales Sandy Point is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sandy Point is located 28km south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Sutherland, New South Wales Sutherland is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sutherland is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Sylvania, New South Wales Sylvania is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania is located 22 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire.... Sylvania Waters, New South Wales Sylvania Waters is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania Waters is located 21 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Sutherland Shire.... Taren Point, New South Wales Taren Point is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Taren Point is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... Waterfall, New South Wales Waterfall is a small suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waterfall is located 38 kilometers south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire.... Woolooware, New South Wales Woolooware is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woolooware is located south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire. It shares the 2230 postcode with Cronulla.... Woronora, New South Wales Woronora is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woronora is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Woronora Heights is a separate suburb, to the south-west.-Placename... Woronora Heights, New South Wales Woronora Heights is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woronora Heights is located 29 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Woronora is a separate suburb, to the north... Yarrawarrah, New South Wales Yarrawarrah is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Yarrawarrah is located 32 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The postcode is 2233, which it shares with neighbouring ... Yowie Bay, New South Wales Yowie Bay is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Yowie Bay is located 24 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.... |
Localities administered by the Sutherland Shire are:
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Garie Beach Garie Beach is a beach located in the Royal National Park, on the outskirts of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:... Gundamaian, New South Wales Gundamaian is a locality in the Royal National Park on the outskirts of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located about 2.5 km southeast of Gymea Bay on the southern side of Port Hacking.... North Cronulla Beach North Cronulla Beach or North Cronulla is a patrolled beach on Bate Bay, in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia. The Wall is the local name given to the area between North Cronulla Beach and Eleoura... North Engadine, New South Wales North Engadine is a locality in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the northern part of the suburb of Engadine.... Royal National Park Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term... |
Shelly Beach (Cronulla) Shelly Beach is the southernmost beach in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia. Shelly Park sits behind the beach. Shelly Pavilion is located between the beach and the park. There is also a Shelly Beach in the Manly area, near North Head.-History:... Sylvania Heights, New South Wales Sylvania Heights is a locality in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Sylvania Heights is located in the north-western part of the suburb of Sylvania.... Wanda Beach Wanda Beach or Wanda is the northernmost patrolled beach on Bate Bay in Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia. Green Hills or Green Hills Ridge is the name given to the sand hills, just north of Wanda. -History:... Warumbul, New South Wales Warumbul is a locality in the Royal National Park on the outskirts of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Warumbul is located about 1.5 km southwest of Lilli Pilli on the southern side of Port Hacking.... |
Sister cities
Sutherland Shire maintains sister city relations with the following cities: LakewoodLakewood, Colorado
Lakewood is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Lakewood is the fifth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 172nd most populous city in the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that in April 1, 2010...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, USA Chūō
Chuo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
There are also two informal relationships: Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
See also
- Bangor BypassBangor Bypass, New South WalesThe Bangor Bypass, completed in February 2005, was designed to alleviate traffic on the main road through Bangor and Menai as well as increasing travel speed through the area. The bypass project had been planned many years earlier and some residents were surprised when the development finally...
- Botany BayBotany BayBotany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
- Puberty BluesPuberty BluesPuberty Blues is a 1981 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford. The film is based on the 1979 novel Puberty Blues, by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, which is a proto-feminist teen novel about two 13 year-old girls from the Sutherland Shire in Sydney, Australia...
- Royal National ParkRoyal National ParkRoyal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...
- Cronulla sand dunes, Kurnell PeninsulaCronulla sand dunes, Kurnell PeninsulaThe Cronulla sand dunes are located on the Kurnell Peninsula in the local government area of Sutherland Shire, Sydney Australia.The Cronulla sand dunes are a protected area that became listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 26 September 2003.-History:...
- Cronulla Riots2005 Cronulla riotsThe 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence originating in Cronulla, New South Wales and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional Sydney suburbs....