Palm Beach, New South Wales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message.
This article has been tagged since December 2006.

Palm Beach
Sydney, New South Wales

A view of Palm Beach from Barrenjoey Lighthouse

Population:

1,601 (2001 census)^[1]

Established:

1911

Postcode:

2108

Area:

2.6 km²

Property Value:

AUD $3,000,000 (2006)

LGA:

Pittwater Council

State District:

Pittwater

Federal Division:

Mackellar

Suburbs around Palm Beach
	Broken Bay
Pittwater	Palm Beach	Tasman Sea
Clareville	Avalon	Whale Beach

The shoreline at Palm Beach

Palm Beach^[2] is one of the northernmost beachside suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located at the end of the Barrenjoey between the Pittwater and Broken Bay.

1 Origin of the Name
2 Description
3 Geography
4 Localities
5 Facilities
6 Recreation
- 6.1 Clubs
- 6.2 Other Places of Interest
7 Schools
8 History
- 8.1 Timeline of History
- 8.2 Aboriginal History
9 Transport
10 References
11 See also
12 External links

[edit] Origin of the Name

The southern end of the Palm Beach is marked as Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour on a map of 1832. Palm Beach was later named after the Cabbage Tree palms livistona australis that were near Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour. The plant's species name gave origin to Livistona Lane off Palm Beach Road.

[edit] Description

The suburb is one of Sydney's most expensive in terms of real estate. The rich and famous can be found holidaying at Palm Beach around Christmas and New year. It is also notable as the location for the shooting of the well known Australian television soap opera, Home and Away. The area is also popular for shooting in music videos and many international artists (including Kelly Rowland) have filmed there.

Palm Beach is also a favourite with Australian television and sports personalities. Lleyton Hewitt and his wife Bec Cartwright recently purchased an A$4.9 million residence in Palm beach where they now reside with their daughter Mia.

The headland at the northernmost point rises quite sharply from the beach to over 100 meters above sea level, and features an operational lighthouse. Although there are no public roads on the headland, the walk up is well worth the effort, with spectacular views of the surrounding area. The narrow sand spit linking the south side of the headland to the rest of Palm beach had extensive fencing and shrub planting undertaken during the 1970's to combat sand erosion.

[edit] Geography

Palm Beach is bounded by Broken Bay to the north, the Tasman Sea or South Pacific Ocean to the east, Whale Beach, Avalon and Clareville to the south, and Pittwater to the west. There is a part of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park which is Barrenjoey Headland in the north of the suburb. There is a Seaplane Airport at the north end of Governor Phillip Drive and Golf Drive, to the south of the headland witch recives and operate (by Palm Beach Seaplanes) flights to Rose Bay, New South Wales and Cottage Point, New South Wales. There is also a Ferry port in the town centre with destinations to Ettalong, Great Mackeral Beach, Currawong Beach, Coasters Retreat and The Basin.

[edit] Localities

There are 5 localities in Palm Beach.

Barrenjoey
Sand Point
Careel Bay
Paradise Beach
North Avalon

Barrenjoey Headland and Station Beach viewed from West Head

[edit] Facilities

There are a number of facilities in Palm Beach, this incudes a post office, a large RSL which includes a small cinema, a Police Station/Park Ranger Station, a Fire Station, a small clinic, a dental surgery, three schools and a number of Cafes, Restaurants and Hotels.

[edit] Recreation

Palm Beach is home to a number of parks, beaches, and sporting areas, including part of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, and the beach which gives the area its name.

Palm Beach also has a golf club, sailing club and surf school, and two surf lifesaving clubs, one of which, North Palm Beach, is a set for Home and Away and has "Summer Bay Surf Club" painted on the beach side of it. The other, Palm Beach, was founded in 1921 and today is patrolled by paid surf lifesavers on weekdays during summer, and by volunteers from the Palm Beach SLSC on weekends. The Surf Club is one of the biggest in NSW, with members coming from all over Sydney.

Careel Bay Ovals Sporting Complex includes facilities for rugby league, soccer and tennis.

[edit] Clubs

Pittwater Tigers AFL Club
Palm Beach-Avalon Soccer Club
Careel Bay Rugby Club
Palm Beach Tennis Club
Palm Beach Golf Club
Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club
North Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club

[edit] Other Places of Interest

Barrenjoey Lighthouse
Palm Beach-Boanbong Water Reservoir
Palm Beach-McKay Water Reservoir

[edit] Schools

There are 3 schools in Palm Beach, the public primary Palm Beach Public School, the public Barrenjoey High School, and the private Maria Regina Primary School.

[edit] History

Admiral Arthur Phillip (1786 portrait by Francis Wheatley, National Portrait Gallery, London)

The Southern end of the ocean beach is marked as Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour on a map of 1832. Palm Beach was later named after the Cabbage Tree palms livistona australis.

Palm Beach, Barrenjoey and most of Whale Beach (400 acres) was granted to James Napper in 1816. During the 19th century, a few Europeans and Chinese lived at Snapperman Beach catching and drying fish.

In 1900 all the land, except Barrenjoey Headland which had been purchased by the government in 1881, was divided into 18 large blocks, listed as good grazing land, and offered for sale. None sold.

In 1912, the land was offered again in smaller residential blocks, offering fishing, sailing, golf and rowing. Most houses were built from local sandstone, other materials were shipped in. Some were guest houses but most were second homes for those who could afford them.

Palm Beach wharf was the terminus reached by boat from Newport or Bayview.

Horden and Wiltshire Parks and Mackay Reserve were donated by RJ Horden, who lived at Kalua, opposite the beach.

Since World War II the area has become more residential but still remains a secluded peninsula at the northern point of Pittwater.

John Hunter, Naval pioneer and colonial governor

[edit] Timeline of History

Aboriginal inhabitants in area- Garigal clan of Guringai speaking people. Lands extended from Broken Bay to Port Jackson and to Lane Cove.
1770- Captain Cook names Broken bay.
1788-1789- area explored by Governor Arthur Phillip and Captain John Hunter
1788- Arthur Phillip (1738 - 1814) 2 March 1788, named "Barrenjuee" (Little Kangaroo or Wallaby). Barrenjoey has had at least 9 different spellings.
1789- Smallpox epidemic killed 50%-90% of local Aborigional population.
1806- A sole ship wreck survivor is rescued by Aborigionals in Broken Bay.
1816 Land grant 400 acres to Surgeon James Napper RN by Governor Macquarie (1761 - 1824) - Headland to Whale Beach,8/- pa.
1804- Pat Flynn had a large garden below Observation Pt (facing Pittwater south of golf course) to supply passing ships.
1825- John Howard, an emancipist who arrived on the first fleet in 1788 lives at Barrenjoey in a cottage with two other fishermen.
1843- Customs Station set up under John B Howard. Near ranger's cottage. Constructed Smugglers Track. Smuggling of rum, brandy, tobacco. Today drugs & narcotics.
1840- Albert Black (1840-1890) becomes customs officer and adopted grandson of merchant Simeon Lord famous in early Sydney.
1842- Four Convicts build a Customs House at Barrenjoey and build a track to the headland.
1855- A navigation light is established on the headland.
1863- A Chinese fishing settlement is established at Snappermans Beach.
1881- Government repurchased headland for £1250 from the Wentworth family.
1881- A stone lighthouse and three cottages are built according to the designs of Colonial Architect James Barnet.
1893- A school is established at Palm Beach.
1911- Palm Beach is subdivided and an extension to customs House is built.
1912- Telephone is connected to Palm Beach.
1916-1919 The oldest bungalows were built at Palm Beach during this period.
1976- Customs House burnt down.
1978- Mel Gibson stars in the movie "Tim" filmed mostly at Barrenjoey Customs House (1911)
2004-2005- Construction of a Museum and a Public Toilet next to the lighthouse.

[edit] Aboriginal History

This section does not cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since October 2006.

Pittwater and the Northern Beaches including Palm Beach area was the land of the Garigal and Cannalgal people, part of the Guringai language group. These people lived in family groups and moved around the area. The coast provided an abundant food supply. Fish was the staple diet, including shellfish such as oysters, whelks, and mussels. Stranded whales were eaten, but not hunted directly. Men and women were highly skilled at fishing, both from the shore and from canoes using spears, lines with shell or bone hooks, and nets, with chewed shellfish or discarded fish for bait. Often a small fire was kept alight on a bed of seaweed in the canoe and the catch cooked on board. Other food sources were birds, reptiles, marsupials, as well as roots, fruits, berries, and nuts.

Initially Aborigines were hospitable towards European explorers, but misunderstanding and hostility developed. European settlement in 1788 brought disaster for the Guringai. Between April 1789 and 1790 many Guringai died of diseases, to which they had no immunity, such as smallpox and measles. Most of those who survived where moved away from the coast as Europeans invaded their territory competing for food and territory.

It seems that there were many Aboriginal sites in the Pittwater area. Although much evidence has disappeared with European settlement, some traces of Aboriginal heritage remain. Throughout Pittwater, especially in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, there are Aboriginal sites, including middens, axe- grinding grooves, cave art sites and rock engravings. These illustrate the close relationship that Aboriginal people had with the land itself and with the creatures of the land and the sea. Aboriginals continued this tradition visiting camps in the Pittwater area during the twentieth century.

[edit] Transport

Transport to and from Palm Beach is generally via Barrenjoey Road, either by bus or car; by Palm Beach Ferry from Ettalong; or by seaplane from Rose Bay.

Bus routes servicing Palm Beach, operated by Sydney Buses, include:

Routes L90 and 190 - Sydney CBD to Palm Beach via Dee Why
Routes 191 and 192 operate by a loop that turns on George Street.
Route 193 operates from Avalon to Binya Road in Palm Beach
Route E88 operates from Sydney CBD to Careel Head Road in Palm Beach.

Route	Departing from	Destination	Operator
L90 (Limited Stops)	Sydney CBD via Dee Why	Palm Beach	Sydney Buses
190	Palm Beach via Dee Why	Sydney CBD	Sydney Buses
E88	Sydney CBD via Dee Why	Palm Beach	Sydney Buses
191	Avalon via Careel Bay	Stokes Point	Sydney Buses
192	Avalon via Careel Bay and George Street	Stokes Point	Sydney Buses
193	Avalon via Whale Beach	Palm Beach	Sydney Buses

[edit] References

^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). Palm Beach (State Suburb). 2001 Census. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
^ Sydway street directory, 11th Edition 2006, Maps 159-160