Currawong Beach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Currawong BeachSydney, New South Wales |
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Currawong Beach
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| Established | 1949 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2108 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 42 km (26 mi) north of Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Northern Beaches Council | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Pittwater | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Mackellar | ||||||||||||||
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Currawong Beach is a lovely suburb located in northern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's about 42 kilometers (26 miles) north of the busy center of Sydney. This area is part of the Northern Beaches Council.
Currawong Beach sits right next to the beautiful Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It's on the western side of Pittwater. You'll find it near Great Mackerel Beach and north of The Basin. Other nearby places include Coasters Retreat and Palm Beach.
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Discovering Currawong Beach's Past
Currawong Beach was first called Little Mackaral Beach. A man named John Clarke, who was a veteran from the NSW Military, settled here in 1823. The land was bought by William Burke in 1824. Governor Thomas Brisbane officially gave the land to Burke on January 16, 1835. Burke had arrived in New South Wales in 1815. He had been farming in Bringelly since 1820. In 1835, Burke leased some of his land to Patrick Flinn, who was a convict.
The Wilson family owned Little Mackarel from 1871 until 1908. During this time, the property was known as "Wilsons Beach."
In 1908, Pink Marie Stiles became the owner of Little Mackerel Beach. She was married to Dr. Bernard Tarlton Stiles, a doctor. The old Wilson house, where the Stiles family lived, was destroyed by fire before 1917. Between 1916 and 1917, the Stiles family built a new house called "Africa." This house is still standing today, but it's now called "Midholme." The Stiles family also built another house known as "Wildenerss" or "Southend." This building was used as a general store and a guest house. In 1942, the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company bought Little Mackarel Beach.
Currawong Workers' Holiday Camp
In 1949, the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company sold Currawong Beach to the Labor Council of New South Wales. They paid £10,000, which included four cottages. At this time, workers had a new law that gave them a 40-hour work week and two weeks of paid holidays. The Labour Council decided to use the site as a holiday spot for workers.
Between 1949 and 1952, eight cabins were built. More "Vandyke" style cabins were added from 1950 to 1953. In 1990, a house for the camp manager was also built.
Protecting Currawong Beach
A group of local people, led by actor Shane Withington, started a group called "Friends of Currawong." They worked hard to protect the area. In the 1990s, there was a plan to lease the land to a meditation group. This plan did not happen.
In 2007, Currawong was sold to developers for $15 million. During the 2007 New South Wales state election, politicians from the Liberal Party of Australia in NSW promised to protect the site. They wanted to add it to the NSW State Heritage Register. Their goal was to buy the site and make it part of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The local mayor, Alex McTaggart, also suggested the council could manage the site.
After the 2007 election, a new MP, Rob Stokes, asked government ministers to help protect Currawong. They promised that a road would not be built through the National Park to reach the site. On November 7, 2007, the NSW Heritage Council voted to put Currawong on the NSW State Heritage Register. This official listing happened on May 12, 2009.
The State Government bought Currawong in 2011. In 2015, they announced that Currawong State Park would be created. "Midholme," the original homestead built in 1911, was restored in 2014. In September 2017, the NSW Government announced a $1 million grant. This money was for restoring and updating the remaining cottages from the 1950s.
Places with Special History
Currawong Beach has some sites that are listed for their historical importance. These are called heritage-listed sites. One important site is:
- Currawong Workers' Holiday Camp
Gallery
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"Africa" built by Dr. Bernard Stiles in 1916–1917 and later renamed "Midholme".
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holiday cabins
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tidal creek at the north of Currawong Beach
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grassy area at Currawong Beach, showing sandstone cliffs in the adjacent Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
