Wombarra, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Wombarra is a small beachside community now a far northern suburb of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Wombarra is understood to be an Aboriginal term meaning "Black Duck".[2].
Wombarra occupies a thin wedge of land between the towering Illawarra escarpment (elevation approximately 450 metres at this point) and the Tasman Sea of the Pacific Ocean. It experiences a relatively high annual rainfall with warm humid summers and cooler drier winters. It lies approximately 60 kilometres south of Sydney and 20 kilometres north of Wollongong. The boundaries extend from near the Coledale Community Hospital in the south, to near Monash Avenue in the north.
After European settlement, Wombarra land was originally part of northern Illawarra grazing land grants in the early 19th century, and its forests were exploited like much of the region by cedar-getters.
In the mid to late 19th century a new community emerged in the general area known as South Clifton, serving new coal mines and associated cokeworks. The now closed South Clifton colliery was located in today's Wombarra under the escarpment with small coke works on site and at Scarborough.
Wombarra has one main access road, Lawrence Hargrave Drive, named after the late 19th century aviation pioneer who performed many box kite tests at nearby Stanwell Park. The village comprises only six other streets - Denmark Street, Reef Avenue, Broadridge Street, Morrison Avenue, Monash Avenue and Haig Street. The area above the railway line is unofficially known as "Wombarra Heights" centred upon Morrison Avenue (including Pit Road and Saywell Place) which provides a secondary road along the base of the Escarpment to Coledale and Austinmer.
Wombarra is served by electric rail services to Sydney and Wollongong by railway station. opened 1916 on the South Coast Railway Line. Scheduled bus serves operate along Lawrence Hargrave Drive connecting Wombarra with Wollongong City and suburbs.
Community facilities in Wombarra include:
Wombarra is fortunate to have two beaches. The larger and better known Scarborough Beach located mostly in Wombarra, accessible via Monash Avenue and Haig Street, is patrolled during summer months with volunteer surf lifesavers and a club house. The smaller Wombarra Beach is located to the south accessible via Reef Road, with the Wombarra Pool, rock platforms including "Wombarra Reef" accessible at low tide, change sheds and limited parking under its iconic Norfolk Pines. Both beaches are well known surfing destinations (off Scarborough Beach and off Wombarra Reef).
While a post office, two small general stores and a butcher previously existed over the years, these had all closed by the end of the twentieth century. Wombarra's postcode is now "2515" grouped under Thirroul's code, having previously had its own "2512".
Wombarra does not have a school, although a kindergarten used to operate fro the Wombarra Community Hall. The nearest primary schools are Scarborough to the north and Coledale to the south. The nearest secondary school is at Bulli.
There is also the Wombarra Sculpture Garden, created by Gaye Porter and John Haymes, on 3ha of the Illawarra Escarpment sub tropical rainforest.
Wombarra previously had an official caravan and camping ground next to Wombarra Beach which was closed by the council in the 1970s.
Notable historic property "Aliumare" (c. 1868), an outstanding example of mid-Victorian colonial architecture, is located off Morrison Avenue, originally constructed for the accountant of the early South Clifton colliery.
Wombarra occupies a thin wedge of land between the towering Illawarra escarpment (elevation approximately 450 metres at this point) and the Tasman Sea of the Pacific Ocean. It experiences a relatively high annual rainfall with warm humid summers and cooler drier winters. It lies approximately 60 kilometres south of Sydney and 20 kilometres north of Wollongong. The boundaries extend from near the Coledale Community Hospital in the south, to near Monash Avenue in the north.
After European settlement, Wombarra land was originally part of northern Illawarra grazing land grants in the early 19th century, and its forests were exploited like much of the region by cedar-getters.
In the mid to late 19th century a new community emerged in the general area known as South Clifton, serving new coal mines and associated cokeworks. The now closed South Clifton colliery was located in today's Wombarra under the escarpment with small coke works on site and at Scarborough.
Wombarra has one main access road, Lawrence Hargrave Drive, named after the late 19th century aviation pioneer who performed many box kite tests at nearby Stanwell Park. The village comprises only six other streets - Denmark Street, Reef Avenue, Broadridge Street, Morrison Avenue, Monash Avenue and Haig Street. The area above the railway line is unofficially known as "Wombarra Heights" centred upon Morrison Avenue (including Pit Road and Saywell Place) which provides a secondary road along the base of the Escarpment to Coledale and Austinmer.
Wombarra is served by electric rail services to Sydney and Wollongong by railway station. opened 1916 on the South Coast Railway Line. Scheduled bus serves operate along Lawrence Hargrave Drive connecting Wombarra with Wollongong City and suburbs.
Community facilities in Wombarra include:
- Scarborough-Wombarra Bowling Club ;
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (1963) ;
- Wombarra Community Hall (1954) ;
- beachside Jim Allen Oval (used by the Northern Suburbs Junior Rugby League Club with teams under 7s to open mens) ;
- historic cliff-top Scarborough-Wombarra General Cemetery
Wombarra is fortunate to have two beaches. The larger and better known Scarborough Beach located mostly in Wombarra, accessible via Monash Avenue and Haig Street, is patrolled during summer months with volunteer surf lifesavers and a club house. The smaller Wombarra Beach is located to the south accessible via Reef Road, with the Wombarra Pool, rock platforms including "Wombarra Reef" accessible at low tide, change sheds and limited parking under its iconic Norfolk Pines. Both beaches are well known surfing destinations (off Scarborough Beach and off Wombarra Reef).
While a post office, two small general stores and a butcher previously existed over the years, these had all closed by the end of the twentieth century. Wombarra's postcode is now "2515" grouped under Thirroul's code, having previously had its own "2512".
Wombarra does not have a school, although a kindergarten used to operate fro the Wombarra Community Hall. The nearest primary schools are Scarborough to the north and Coledale to the south. The nearest secondary school is at Bulli.
There is also the Wombarra Sculpture Garden, created by Gaye Porter and John Haymes, on 3ha of the Illawarra Escarpment sub tropical rainforest.
Wombarra previously had an official caravan and camping ground next to Wombarra Beach which was closed by the council in the 1970s.
Notable historic property "Aliumare" (c. 1868), an outstanding example of mid-Victorian colonial architecture, is located off Morrison Avenue, originally constructed for the accountant of the early South Clifton colliery.