Stanwell Park, New South Wales

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Stanwell Park and its beach as seen from Bald Hill looking south towards the Sea Cliff Bridge and Wollongong in the far.

Stanwell Park is a picturesque coastal village and northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost point of the Illawarra coastal strip and lies south of Sydney's Royal National Park.

1 History
2 Activities
- 2.1 References
- 2.2 External links

[edit] History

The earliest known painting of Stanwell Park, by Henry Grant Lloyd, 1860. (courtesy Mitchell Library)

Stanwell Park was the name given to the farm established on the grant given to Matthew John Gibbons in 1824. He was given most of the area called Little Bulli which included present-day Stanwell Park and Coalcliff. The whole of Northern Illawarra went under the Aboriginal name Bulli which means rising up, about the only thing one can do along the narrow coastal strip and indentations of Northern Illawarra. Bulli remains the name of an Illawarra suburb further south from Stanwell Park.

The area was originally inhabited by the Wadi Wadi Aboriginal group. It was first traversed by 3 shipwrecked sailors in an epic journey of survival along hundreds of miles of coastline until rescued at Wattamolla, north of Stanwell Park. Two of their companions were unable to negotiate the Coal Cliffs where the Sea Cliff Bridge is today, and their apparently murdered remains were found by explorer George Bass, who also reported on the rich coal seam apparent in the cliffs.

Mr Gibbons installed a convict, John Paid, to manage the Stanwell Park farm. Paid however used the out-of-the-way valley and a hideout for a gang of bushrangers he formed. He adopted the name of Wolloo Jack and his gang terrorised the Bargo to Liverpool area until he and others of the gang were sent to the gallows in 1829.

The valley continued to attract extraordinary people: Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, one of Australia's best-known explorers built the first house at Stanwell Park; Supreme Court Judge John Fletcher Hargrave later owned and holidayed in the area, his inheritance coming to Lawrence Hargrave, one of the world's most important aviation pioneers of the 1890s in the lead-up to powered man flight. He performed his most important experiments at Stanwell Park.

Now Stanwell, or The Park, is home to about 1200 people, a dormitory suburb for commuters to the nearby cities of Sydney and Wollongong, and a popular tourist destination.

[edit] Activities

Stanwell Park is famous for paragliding and hang gliding activities from Bald Hill down to its lovely beach, which lies nested between high sea cliffs. Rock climbing can be done at Stanwell Tops which offers a great view over the village. Highlight is the beach with its two lagoons. The Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) offers beach safety and beach activities such as the nippers on Sundays in summertime.

Stanwell Park is serviced by the CityRail line between Sydney and Wollongong. The railway bends picturesquely around the village and crosses Stanwell Creek on a historic brick viaduct. Stanwell Park railway station is one of the few railway stations serving an open ocean beach in Sydney area. On good days, heaps of young surfers quit the trains riding their skateboards down the hill towards the water with their boards under their arms.

Bald Hill, at the apex of Lawrence Hargrave Drive, is a great spot to take in the views of the Northern Illawarra and the escarpment. Whale watching, when in season, captivates many a Sydney day-tripper. The spot is also a notable location for DX radio communication due to its good southern and eastern vistas.