Maroubra, New South Wales
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Maroubra is a beachside suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Maroubra is located 10km south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Maroubra is considered to be part of the Eastern Suburbs region. The postcode is 2035. Maroubra Junction is a locality in the centre of the suburb.
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[edit] History
Maroubra is a local Aboriginal word meaning like thunder, which describes the sound of the surf pounding against the rocks on Maroubra Beach. In 1861, the first house was built in the area by Humphrey McKeon. A number of other settlers arrived on the land in the 1870s to work on the wool scouring works located at the northern end of the bay.
The suburb first made headlines on the 6 May 1898, when the Hereward, a fully-rigged iron ship weighing 1,513 tons, was caught by the gale force winds and shipwrecked at the northern end of Maroubra Beach while heading north toward Newcastle. The shipwreck remained on the beach for a number of years until a failed attempt to refloat it was made by building a coffer dam around the wreck. Hereward Street in Maroubra is named after the event.
Major residential development only began in the 1910s after Herbert Dudley, a real estate developer, subdivided the land into residential blocks. Herbert Dudley also lobbied for the extension of the tramline to Maroubra Junction in 1912, where he had built Dudley's Emporium which has just recently been redeveloped. More crown land was released for residential use in the 1920s and the tram line was extended to Maroubra Beach in 1921.
Between 1925 and 1934, the Olympia Motor Speedway was located in South Maroubra at the corner of Anzac Parade and Fitzgerald Avenue. However, due to the dangerous nature of the concrete track, a number of deaths occurred and it was closed after only nine years of operation. Coral Sea Park was created on the site in 1947, which was named after the 1942 battle of the Coral Sea. Surrounding streets were named after the allied warships that participated in that battle.
The night after the Cronulla race-riots in December 2005, Maroubra was the scene of violent reprisal attacks when a large group of men travelled to Maroubra after gathering at Lakemba Mosque. Extensive damage was inflicated on vehicles and property in Maroubra. It is assumed that Maroubra was chosen as the target of this retribution because of its association with the Anglo-Saxon surfie group known as the Bra Boys. However, it later emerged that the Bra Boys had nothing to do with the Cronulla Riots, and the Maroubra reprisals were basically in error.
In 2006, Maroubra Beach became the second Australian beach to be named a National Surfing Reserve (the first beach being Bells Beach in Victoria).
[edit] Commercial Area
Maroubra Junction is one of the main shopping areas in the district and is home to the new Pacific Square shopping centre (previously known as Maroubra Mall and before that, Stockland Mall Maroubra). Pacific Square shopping centre has an outdoor eating area on Anzac Parade, a supermarket and many specialty shops. In 2007, Pacific Square will expand to include an Aldi supermarket and more speciality shops.
Before nearby Westfield Eastgardens was built, Maroubra Mall (then known as Stockland Maroubra) was a small shopping mall centre featuring the only department store in the south-eastern suburbs. It then became the site of many factory outlets before the redevelopment created a new shopping centre below an apartment block. Commercial developments are also found along Anzac Parade, Maroubra Road and surrounding streets, including Dudley's Emporium, the first shopping centre of Maroubra Junction built in 1912 which was recently redeveloped.
There are also a handful of shopping strips south of Maroubra Junction such as the once-thriving but now notorious Lexington Place, the recently redeveloped Duffy's Corner (the former site of the first Duffy Brothers fruit market) and the South Maroubra Shopping Village near Maroubra Beach (also known as "The Sands") which is home to many well-known shops.
[edit] Accommodation
[edit] Hotels (still in operation)
- The Sands Hotel (1972-present) - a budget 2 1/2 star hotel/motel complex 400 metres from Maroubra Beach at the rear of the South Maroubra Shopping Village, at the heart of Maroubra. Since 2002, it has been the only form of accommodation left in the Maroubra area and prior to 2002, it was a cheaper alternative to the other few hotels in Maroubra that still provided accommodation. The hotel nevertheless has standard rooms and also recently refurbished luxury rooms overlooking Maroubra. The usual hotel facilities such as the TAB and bottle shop are all on the ground floor. The hotel is open from 10am to midnight ('til 10pm on Sundays).
- Maroubra Junction Hotel - a budget hotel close to Anzac Parade at 199 Maroubra Road, Maroubra Junction. Still has single rooms only at a cheap rate. Don't expect much though.
[edit] Past Hotels (previously provided tourist accommodation)
- Maroubra Bay Hotel (1926-2002) - a beachfront hotel on 182 Marine Parade, Maroubra Beach. Was very popular after World War I due to the extension of the tram line to the beach, the construction of a promenade and bathing sheds. Declined in popularity from the fifties onwards and closed down in 2002. The hotel was refurbished and only just re-opened. The bottle shop there was removed and the hotel rooms were replaced with apartments.
- Trade Winds (1972-2002) - a major hotel in Maroubra Junction on Maroubra Road. It was the only first-class hotel in the Maroubra area. Fell into the same situation as the Maroubra Bay Hotel in 2002 which saw the conversion of the hotel into apartments. The Trade Winds Brasserie is all that's left of the old hotel.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Road
Anzac Parade leads directly from the city to Maroubra Junction via the University of New South Wales (near Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick). If traffic is heavy on Anzac Parade (particularly during peak hour and special events at the football stadiums) then Wentworth Avenue allows access to the highway system (M5, Eastern Distributor and the airport).
[edit] Public Transport
Anzac Parade is a major public transport corridor. Regular bus services run from the junction to the city, railway, Eastgardens, airport, university and hospital. Less regular services depart from Maroubra Beach to the city and the railway.
Trams previously ran from Maroubra Beach to Railway Square and Circular Quay, but the system was closed in 1961.
[edit] Famous Residents
Famous people associated with Maroubra include:
- Former Premier of NSW Bob Carr
- Federal Member for the Division of Kingsford Smith and former Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett
- Surfer Koby Abberton, a member of notorious Bra Boys
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.
- Maroubra at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
- Dining on Maroubra Beach Pavilion Cafe
- Marouba Districts Chamber of Commerce
- Marouba Beach Web Camera
- Pacific Square shopping centre
[edit] References
- The Book of Sydney Suburbs, Compiled by Frences Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8
| Suburbs and localities within the City of Randwick | Eastern Suburbs | Sydney |
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Centennial Park | Chifley | Clovelly | Coogee | Hillsdale | Kensington | Kingsford | La Perouse | Little Bay | Malabar | Maroubra | Maroubra Junction | Matraville | Phillip Bay | Port Botany | Randwick | South Coogee |
| List of Sydney suburbs |
