Cronulla, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cronulla Sydney, New South Wales
Cronulla, New South Wales, pictured facing south in September 2019.
Population	17,899 (2021 census)
Established	1908
Postcode(s)	2230
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Location	26 km (16 mi) south of Sydney CBD
LGA(s)	Sutherland Shire
State electorate(s)	Cronulla
Federal Division(s)	Cook
Suburbs around Cronulla: Caringbah Kurnell Greenhills Beach Woolooware Cronulla Bate Bay Burraneer Maianbar Bundeena

South end of North Cronulla Beach

Cronulla is a fun coastal suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's famous for its many surf beaches and great swimming spots. People from all over Sydney and tourists love to visit Cronulla. It's about 26 kilometres south of the main city area of Sydney. Cronulla is part of the Sutherland Shire local government area.

Cronulla sits on a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides. To the north is Botany Bay, to the east is Bate Bay, and to the south is Port Hacking. Gunnamatta Bay is to the west. Nearby suburbs include Woolooware and Burraneer. You can drive northeast from Cronulla to reach the Kurnell peninsula. This is where Captain James Cook first landed on the eastern coast of Australia in 1770.

History of Cronulla

Early Days and Name Meaning

The name Cronulla comes from an Aboriginal word, Kurranulla. It means "place of the small pink seashell." This was the language of the Gweagal people. They were a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe. These Indigenous Australians lived in the southern parts of Sydney.

Surveyor Robert Dixon explored and named the beaches here in 1827-28. By 1840, the main beach was still called Karranulla. In 1852, a ship called the Venus was wrecked on the beach. Newspapers then called the beach Cooranulla.

Explorers and Early Settlements

Matthew Flinders and George Bass were explorers who mapped the coastline in 1796. The southernmost tip of Cronulla is named Bass and Flinders Point in their honor.

In 1835, John Connell received a large piece of land. Later, Thomas Holt owned most of the land from Sutherland to Cronulla in the 1860s. Captain Joseph Henry Rounce Spingall built the first two-story guest house in Cronulla in 1888. It was called the 'Oriental Guest House'.

The Cronulla area was divided into smaller blocks in 1895. Land was sold for 10 pounds per acre. In 1899, the government first named the area Gunnamatta, which means sandy hills. But on February 26, 1908, the name was officially changed to Cronulla. Gunnamatta then became the name of the bay on the western side.

Northies Hotel

Growing Popularity

After the Illawarra railway line reached Sutherland in 1885, Cronulla became a popular spot for picnics and swimming. Steam trams ran between Cronulla and Sutherland starting in 1911. Many families would rent beach houses in Cronulla for their school holidays.

The Oriental Hotel was built in 1888. The Cecil Hotel and the Ritz Café were also popular with holiday-makers. The steam trams were later replaced by the Cronulla railway line, which opened in 1939.

The first post office opened in January 1891, called Cronulla Beach. It closed in 1893 but reopened in 1907. Its name officially changed to Cronulla in 1929.

Cronulla School of Arts Est 1904

The Cronulla School of Arts was started in 1904. The original wooden building was replaced in November 1912. This new building is now one of the oldest in Cronulla.

The first public school opened in 1910. In 1955, the Cronulla Library opened. From the 1950s, many guest houses were replaced by taller apartment buildings. Even as it grew, Cronulla stayed a favorite place for beach lovers and tourists. Today, there are several hotels and apartments for visitors. The Cronulla Bicentennial Plaza opened in 1989.

Heritage Sites

Cronulla has several places that are important for their history. These are called heritage-listed sites:

• Captain Cook Drive: Cronulla sand dunes
• Cronulla School of Arts: Built in 1912
• Cronulla railway: Cronulla railway station
• 41 Cronulla Street: Cronulla Post Office
• 202 Nicholson Parade: Cronulla Fisheries Centre

Beaches in Cronulla

Greenhills Beach Sand Dunes

Cronulla is a very popular place for tourists and beachgoers from all over Sydney. Cronulla Beach has a long stretch of sand. It goes from Boat Harbour all the way to North Cronulla. Then there are rock pools and another sandy beach at South Cronulla.

The main beaches in Cronulla, from north to south, are:

• Boat Harbour
• Greenhills Beach
• Wanda Beach
• Elouera Beach
• North Cronulla Beach
• Cronulla Beach
• Blackwoods Beach
• Shelly Beach
• Oak Park Beach

There are also local names for different parts of the beach. These include The Alley, The Wall, Midway, Sandshoes, Voodoo Reef, and The Point. These beaches are great for swimming, surfing, bodyboarding, and other water sports.

Shark Island is just off Cronulla Beach. It's a famous spot for surfing and bodyboarding. The annual Shark Island Challenge bodyboarding contest is held there. Gunnamatta Bay offers calm swimming at the baths near Gunnamatta Park. Port Hacking is also a popular place for water sports like waterskiing and wakeboarding.

Parks to Explore

Dunningham Park, North Cronulla

Cronulla has many lovely parks where you can relax and play:

• Bass & Flinders Point is the southernmost part of Cronulla. It has a monument honoring explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders. They explored the Port Hacking estuary.
• Darook Park, Gunnamatta Park, and Tonkin Park are all located on Gunnamatta Bay.

Oak Park, South Cronulla

• Cronulla Park is right behind the beach at South Cronulla.
• Dunningham Park is behind North Cronulla Beach. It has big Norfolk Island pine trees for shade. You'll find a children's playground, picnic tables, and a kiosk here.
• Monro Park is across from Cronulla railway station. It has the Cronulla War Memorial.
• Don Lucas Reserve is next to the car park at Wanda Beach. It's a great spot for sports and flying kites.
• Shelly Park is behind Shelley Beach.
• Oak Park is another nice park.
• Hungry Point Reserve is at the end of Nicholson Parade.

Shopping and Dining

Cronulla Theatre and Cronulla Plaza

The main shopping area is along Cronulla Street. Part of it is a walking-only area called Cronulla Plaza. Shops and restaurants also spread along the Kingsway, Gerrale Street, and other nearby streets.

Cronulla has a lively café culture. Many cafés and restaurants are along the North Cronulla foreshore and in Cronulla Plaza. You can find a high-rise Rydges hotel here, along with other hotels and apartments. Cronulla has many restaurants, nightclubs, pubs, and bars. A new Hoyts cinema opened in late 2020.

Getting Around Cronulla

Cronulla Ferry Wharf

Trains stop at Cronulla railway station. This station is on the Cronulla railway line, which is part of the Sydney Trains network. The Cronulla Tunnel Gallery is just north of the station. It connects Cronulla Street to Tonkin Street.

Cronulla & National Park Ferry Cruises offers boat trips around Port Hacking. They also have a regular service between Cronulla and Bundeena, which is near the Royal National Park. The Cronulla Ferry wharf is on Gunnamatta Bay, next to Tonkin Park.

U-Go Mobility runs several bus routes that stop at Cronulla Railway Station. You can find more details about bus services at Cronulla station.

Sports and Fun

Cronulla Beach and rock pool

Cronulla is a great place for sports and outdoor activities:

• Rugby League: The local National Rugby League team is the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Their home ground, Endeavour Field, is in Woolooware.
• Baseball: The Cronulla-Sutherland Junior Baseball Little League team represented Australia in the 2015 Little League World Series.
• Surf Lifesaving: There are Surf lifesaving clubs along the beach at Wanda, Elouera, North Cronulla, and South Cronulla.
• Soccer: Many soccer clubs are in the Cronulla area, like the Cronulla Seagulls FC and Cronulla RSL clubs.
• Surfing: Surfing is a big part of Cronulla's culture. Famous surfer and world champion Mark Occhilupo grew up surfing here. Many surfboard shapers make their boards in Cronulla. Cronulla Beach hosts the Australian Boardriders Battle on Australia Day.
• Bodyboarding: The annual Shark Island Challenge bodyboarding contest is held at Cronulla Beach.
• Swimming: The annual Shark Island Swim Challenge is also held at Cronulla Beach. The Bate Bay Body Bashers are a Bodysurfing club based in Cronulla. They compete against other Australian clubs. The Cronulla Polar Bears Winter Swimming Club competes in winter swimming championships.
• Cycling: The Cronulla International Cycling Grand Prix has been held here since 2006.
• Rugby Union: The Sutherland Shire also has several Rugby Union Clubs, including the Southern Districts Rebels.

Events in Cronulla

• Cronulla Spring Festival: This festival happens every year on the second weekend of September. It has free entertainment, food, and many different stalls.
• Opera on the Beach: This event is often held at Cronulla as part of Australia Day celebrations.
• Arts Theatre Cronulla: The Arts Theatre Cronulla has been putting on four plays each year since 1963.

Cronulla in Pop Culture

Cronulla has been featured in books and TV shows:

• Puberty Blues is a book and movie about the surfing culture in the Sutherland Shire.
• The Australia's Next Top Model (Cycle 4) house was located on Gunnamatta Bay.
• The Shire is a reality TV show that was mainly filmed in Cronulla.

People of Cronulla

Population Details

According to the 2021 census, there were 17,899 people living in Cronulla.

• About 1.5% of the population were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• The most common backgrounds were English (41.5%), Australian (33.4%), Irish (15.3%), Scottish (10.4%), and Italian (5.0%).
• Most people (78.6%) were born in Australia. Other countries of birth included England (3.6%), New Zealand (1.6%), and Brazil (0.7%).
• About 85.9% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages included Spanish (1%), Greek (0.9%), and Portuguese (0.8%).
• The most common religions were No Religion (37.6%), Catholic (26.2%), and Anglican (15.5%).
• The average weekly household income was $2,058, which is higher than the national average.
• Housing costs were also high. The average mortgage payment was $2,404 per week.
• Most homes in Cronulla (72.5%) were flats or apartments. About 20.5% were separate houses.

Famous People from Cronulla

Many well-known people have lived in Cronulla:

• Scott Morrison, a former Prime Minister of Australia.
• Tom Jay Williams, a singer, songwriter, and model.
• Luke Baines, an actor, singer, and model.
• Lara Bingle, a model.
• Brendan Cowell, an actor.
• Daniel MacPherson, an Australian actor and TV presenter.
• Chris McCormack, an ironman and triathlete.
• Craig Alexander, an ironman and triathlete.
• Toni Pearen, a TV presenter and actress.
• Myles Pollard, an actor.
• Jason Stevens, a former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player.
• Sharni Vinson, an actress.
• Damian Keogh, a former Australian basketball captain.
• Steve Waugh, a former Australian Cricket Captain.
• Beau Ryan, a former rugby league player and TV presenter.

Schools in Cronulla

Cronulla has several schools for students:

• Cronulla High School
• De La Salle College
• Our Lady of Mercy College
• Cronulla Public School
• South Cronulla Public School
• St Francis De Sales
• Burraneer Bay Public School
• St Aloysius Catholic Primary School

Churches in Cronulla

There are several churches in the Cronulla area:

• St Andrews Anglican Church
• St Aloysius Catholic Church
• Cronulla Baptist Church
• Cronulla Uniting Church
• Presbyterian War Memorial Church
• C3 Church Cronulla
• Establish Church

Images for kids

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  Cronulla, New South Wales, pictured facing south in September 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Cronulla para niños