Robertson, New South Wales

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Memorial to railway workers at Robertson

Robertson is a village in the Southern Highlands district of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. It is located on the edge of an elevated plateau (the Illawarra escarpment) about 10 km from the coast. Robertson is known for its high annual rainfall and fertile soil. It was previously covered by an extensive temperate rainforest, most of which has been cleared for farming though remnants still exist today. The town was once famous for it's cheese production. These days, an old cheese factory exists in the town, but has now converted into a row of shops. Robertson is now more widely known for potato growing and is the home of the Big Potato monument.

Robertson is also where the movie Babe was made.

Robertson is named after former Premier of New South Wales, Sir John Robertson, whose 1861 Land Act cleared the way for the establishment of the town^{[citation needed]}. Before then it was called Yarrawa Bush.

Population: 1901 (Census 2006)

1 Events
2 Illawarra Fly
3 Transport
4 External links

[edit] Events

In February or March, the Robertson Show is on, featuring the "The Great Australian Potato Race".

In Spring, Robertson has their own spring festival, having opened to the public, the open picturesque gardens.

[edit] Illawarra Fly

In 15 March 2008, the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk opened to the public. It is similar to the Otway Fly, in Victoria. It is perched on the Illawarra escarpment at Knights Hill, located east of Robertson. The tree top walk will join up with a tower that will allow visitors to see spectacular views of Wollongong. It is expected at approximately 200,000 visitors every year^[1].

[edit] Transport

Aerial photo from north west

Robertson is served by a railway station on the Unanderra Moss Vale railway line. The railway line is mainly used for freight. Occasionally, a tourist train travels from Sydney to Moss Vale and return (via Wollongong), but is not used in passenger service.

CountryLink buses travel along the Illawarra Highway, a few times a day that have replaced passenger trains, linking from the Southern Highlands to Wollongong.