Woy Woy, New South Wales

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Woy Woy

Country: Australia
State: New South Wales
Location: 33°30′S 151°20′E
Council: Gosford City
Postcodes: 2256

Woy Woy is a coastal town 40 km north of Sydney,on the Central Coast of New South Wales (33.485° S 151.325° E) and an important centre of population within the municipal boundaries of Gosford City Council. Situated on the southern reaches of Brisbane Water, some 8 km south of Gosford, Woy Woy is located in the northern half of the Woy Woy Peninsula, a densely-populated estuarine peninsula that also includes the districts of Umina, Ettalong Beach and Blackwall, in addition to several small sub-districts. The historical and commercial core of Woy Woy is located around the railway station at the northern tip of the peninsula, while its residential districts merge imperceptibly southwards with Umina and Ettalong.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Culture
4 External links
5 See also

[edit] History

The double name is apparently taken from the local aboriginals of the area, the Darkinjung tribe. The word reputedly means "deep water", referring to the deep tidal channel adjacent the town centre.

Woy Woy developed rapidly as a small coastal resort north of Sydney with the construction in 1888 of the northern railway. Its relative proximity to the state capital combined with its small-town isolation led to it developing a reputation in the middle years of the 20th century as a convenient "lover's retreat" for couples conducting affairs.

During the Second World War, an airfield was constructed on the Woy Woy Peninsula as a satellite field of Schofields airfield. Schofields was used by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (RN FAA) during WW2. Woy Woy airfield had a single runway sealed north/south. There were 4 pens for medium bombers, probably Grumman Avengers. The airfield was last used in 1946, the land subsequently developed for residential occupation.

Electrification of the railway line running through Woy Woy prompted rapid residential development in and around Woy Woy in the 1960s and 1970s as its relatively low-priced properties became an important part of the Sydney commuter belt, with rail journey times of just over an hour to reach the heart of the Sydney CBD.

On November 2, 2006 a major drug bust went seriously wrong when police went to raid a suspected drug lab. Jamie Turner was apprehended by police there when the bust happened he managed to seriously injure 3 police officers before he was subjued. It later turned out that he was innocent of any wrong doing and was there because he thought the place was an abbandoned house and need a place to sleep. It was discovered that the lab had been abandoned for sometime. Jamie was harshly treated by police as he is known by them as a trouble maker. After being released and charged dropped he opened a lawsuit against the police it was settled out of court with Jamie receiving an unknown payout. This story was only run in several small community papers and several rado stations for an unknown reason.^[1]

References

^ Roger archibald: "Peninsula Times" page 4, 4/11/2006

[edit] Economy

As a regional area, job losses have had an impact on the local economy - a recent example being the closure of the F.C. Nichols abattoir in 2003, blamed in part on drought conditions.

[edit] Culture

An annual oyster festival is held mid-November.

A $24,000,000 Peninsula Leisure Centre opened on October 29, 2005 after significant delays.

Woy Woy is the home of "Spike Fest"—an annual festival celebrating the life and works of comedian Spike Milligan.

This festival is located at Woy Woy because:

Spike's mother lived there. His brother Desmond and daughter still visit.
Spike made numerous references to Woy Woy in the radio series The Idiot Weekly.
Spike famously named Woy Woy "the largest above ground cemetery in the world" when visiting in the 1960s.
In the 1990s when Australia was debating becoming a republic, Spike proclaimed the area "The republic of the Woy".

On 1 January 2006 Woy Woy was the site of a bushfire in which three houses were lost, along with six cars and significant damage to property.