Coalcliff, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Coalcliff Wollongong, New South Wales
Paterson Road in Coalcliff
Coalcliff Location in New South Wales
Population	212 (2021 census)
Postcode(s)	2508
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Location	62 km (39 mi) S of Sydney 23 km (14 mi) N of Wollongong
LGA(s)	City of Wollongong
State electorate(s)	Heathcote
Federal Division(s)	Cunningham
Suburbs around Coalcliff: Stanwell Park Coalcliff Clifton

Coalcliff Jetty in 1885

Coalcliff is a small coastal town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located between the big cities of Sydney and Wollongong. It's known for its beautiful coastline and interesting history.

Discovering Coalcliff's Past

Aerial photo of Coalcliff from the north west

The Illawarra Coke Company (ICC) in Coalcliff. The South Coast railway line passes through its site.

In 1796, some explorers were travelling north from a shipwreck. They found coal sticking out of the cliffs near here. They used it to make a fire, which helped rescuers find them. This is how the area got its name, Coalcliff!

Later, George Bass explored the area more. He found that the coal stretched along the shore and inland. But it was hard for ships to land safely. So, coal mining didn't really start until 1850.

The Coal Mine and Jetty

The Coalcliff Colliery (coal mine) opened in 1878. It was special because it was a jetty mine. This meant the mine entrance was a tunnel dug right into the sea-cliff. It was only about 12 metres (40 feet) above sea level.

Coal from the mine went straight onto a jetty. This jetty allowed ships to load the coal. However, working the mine was tough. There wasn't much space to store coal. Also, ships could only load coal when the weather was good.

Big storms in 1878, 1881, and 1904 badly damaged the jetty. This made it even harder to ship coal. The Coalcliff jetty was the smallest of its kind in the southern coalfield. It was very open to ocean waves. Shifting sand also made the water depth change, which was dangerous for ships.

Only the mine's own special ships, called 'sixty-milers', used the jetty. These ships were built to be shallow. They could leave quickly to avoid getting stuck. But loading coal was still very difficult.

When the South Coast railway line opened in 1888, things changed. Other mines could send coal by train to bigger, safer ports like Port Kembla. The Coalcliff jetty mine struggled to make money. It often stopped working.

In 1910, a new mine shaft opened. This allowed coal to be sent by train instead of by sea. After 1910, very little coal was loaded at the jetty. The jetty closed by 1912.

The Coalcliff Mine became one of the biggest and longest-running underground mines. It produced coal for 114 years! It finally closed in 1992. By then, coal was being mined from far away underground, near Darkes Forest.

Local Shops in Coalcliff

In 1888, the Coalcliff General Store opened on Paterson Road. It was run by Mr. John Earle Gibbons and his family. The store sold many things like milk, bread, meat, and stationery. It was a very important part of the town until it closed in 1907.

The store later burned down. In 1910, a new store was built by Mr. L. Jameson. This building is still there today, but it is now a private home.

The Jameson Store was the last shop in Coalcliff. It closed in 1960. People started shopping in nearby towns like Stanwell Park or Wollongong. At its busiest, it was a milk bar, fish and chip shop, general store, and bottle shop. It was popular with holidaymakers because of its great views.

Today, you can still see faint advertisements painted on the side and roof of the old building.

Fun Things to Do in Coalcliff

Coalcliff Rock Pool

Coalcliff has many great attractions for visitors.

• Sea Cliff Bridge: This amazing bridge opened in 2005. It has a walkway and cycleway right above the ocean. You can enjoy fantastic views of Wollongong to the south. To the north, you can see Bald Hill and the Royal National Park. This bridge is part of The Grand Pacific Walk, which is still being built through Coalcliff.
• Wodi Wodi Track: You can find the start of this walking track on Lawrence Hargrave Drive. It's at the northern end of Coalcliff.
• Coalcliff Beach: This beach is great for surfing. It also has a lovely ocean pool. You can get to the pool from Lawrence Hargrave Drive through Leeder Park. This park was named after Noel Leeder, who helped create it.
• Facilities: There are public toilets and showers in Leeder Park and at the surf club.

Activities and Community

Coalcliff has its own Surf Life Saving Club. They hold events like Nippers in summer, which teaches kids about beach safety. The club also helps keep the beach safe for everyone.

The Sea Eels winter swimming club swims in the ocean pool. They often team up with the Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club. For example, they co-organise a yearly 2.4 km Ocean Challenge swim between the two clubs in early April.

Coalcliff's Industry

Coalcliff was home to the Illawarra Coke Company (ICC) for many years. This company made coke, which is a type of fuel. The coke works here and in Corrimal produced a lot of coke each year. The Coalcliff coke works closed down in recent years.