Watanobbi, New South Wales

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Watanobbi (postcode: 2259, 33°16′S 151°25′E) is a suburb of Wyong, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Its two main streets are Guardian and Britannia Drive, off which come Friendship Place and Fishburn Crescent (named after two First Fleet ships). Points of interest about Watanobbi are that most people believe that the name is Aboriginal in origin, however, it is a "Australianised" form of a Japanese surname - Watanabe.^{[citation needed]} However, it is also been believed that Alfred Chapman, who owned one of the first blocks of land in the area said: "What a nobby block of land I have bought", coined the name Watanobbi. This was confirmed by Mr. Chapman's family friend, David Booth, in a 2004 interview for the Gosford Public School Newsletter. Watanobbi in the last 15 years has seen the removal of grazing livestock and horses to make way for the local Community Centre. Watanobbi also used to hold two legs of the locally famous Watagan Stages car rally; now modern "McMansions" occupy those dirt roads. During its most popular days as "the largest Home Show outside of Sydney" Watanobbi boasted outside public toilets, a Commonwealth Bank lending office and as many as 5 different home builders offices on site. These included Masterton Homes (now ceased trading) and A.V. Jennings Homes (when A.V. Jennings was alive).