Winmalee, New South Wales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Winmalee New South Wales
View from Hawkesbury Lookout, Hawkesbury Heights
Winmalee Location in New South Wales
Population	6,202 (2016 census)
Established	1972
Postcode(s)	2777
Elevation	310 m (1,017 ft)
Location	77 km (48 mi) west of Sydney CBD 36 km (22 mi) east of Katoomba, New South Wales
LGA(s)	City of Blue Mountains
State electorate(s)	Blue Mountains
Federal Division(s)	Macquarie
Localities around Winmalee: Faulconbridge Yarramundi Hawkesbury Heights Faulconbridge Winmalee Hawkesbury Heights Springwood Springwood Hawkesbury Heights

Winmalee is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is located about 77 kilometers west of the Sydney CBD. Winmalee is part of the City of Blue Mountains. In 2016, about 6,202 people lived there.

Winmalee was first known as North Springwood. It officially became a town in 1972. The nearby town of Springwood was the first European settlement in the Blue Mountains. Winmalee is surrounded by the amazing Blue Mountains National Park. This park is so special it's on the World Heritage List. It's known as the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site. People sometimes call the Blue Mountains "The City Within a World Heritage National Park."

Discovering Winmalee's Past

Many people think Winmalee is an Aboriginal word meaning north. However, Aboriginal cultures didn't use words for north, south, east, or west. So, this idea is probably not true. It's more likely that the name comes from Wimlah. This is the name of one of the Three Sisters rock formations. These famous rocks are about 35 kilometers to the west. A 14-year-old suggested the name. They won a competition to rename North Springwood. This happened when the Geographical Names Board wanted to remove compass directions from town names.

Aboriginal History in Winmalee

The land where Winmalee now stands was once home to Aboriginal Australians. They were part of the Dharug tribe. This tribe moved around a lot in the Lower Blue Mountains. They lived there for up to 50,000 years before Europeans arrived. They spoke a language called Dharug language.

Today, only a few descendants of the Dharug tribe live in the area. Most of the tribe likely moved north. They may have joined with the Gundungurra tribe. Others might have died during early European exploration and settlement. You can still find signs of the Aboriginal people in Winmalee. These include open sites and rock shelters where they lived.

European Settlement and Naming Winmalee

In 1970, the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales suggested a change. They wanted 'North Springwood' to become its own suburb. They suggested the name 'White Cross'. This was because Springwood was growing very fast. But the people living there didn't like the name 'White Cross'.

In 1971, the Department of Education chose "Winmalee" for a new school. Local people liked this name for the school. But they still didn't want it for the whole suburb. The name "Winmalee" was chosen after a competition. Terry Macauley, a 14-year-old student, suggested it. He thought it meant "north" in an Aboriginal language. But the Dharug people never used this word for the area. It was just a way to remember the old name, North Springwood.

Winmalee officially became an independent town on April 28, 1972. This happened after the Minister for Lands, Tom Lewis, approved the name. This was despite some people still not agreeing with it.

The 2013 Bushfires

In October 2013, a big bushfire hit Winmalee. It also affected the nearby village of Yellow Rock. A small part of Springwood was also damaged. The fire started on October 17, 2013. Sadly, 196 homes were destroyed. Another 109 homes were damaged. On Buena Vista Road in Winmalee alone, 40 houses were lost.

Schools in Winmalee

High Schools

• St Columba's High School was the first high school in the Winmalee area. It started as a Catholic seminary. In 1979, it became a high school. It began teaching Years 11 and 12 in 1993. The school buildings are some of the oldest in the area. St Columba's has a lot of land with native plants and animals. The whole property is a heritage site. St Columba's was the first school in the Blue Mountains to have a sister school agreement with a Japanese school. This was Hokusetsu Sanda Senior High School in Sanda, Hyōgo.
• Winmalee High School was built after Winmalee became its own town. It officially opened in 1985. Winmalee High also has sister school agreements. These are with Arima Senior High School in Sanda City, Japan. They also have agreements with Aurora College in Invercargill, New Zealand, and Hillcrest School in Birmingham, UK.

Primary Schools

• St Thomas Aquinas Primary School opened in 1921. It had only 24 students at first. Nuns from the Sisters of St Joseph taught there until the early 1980s. The school moved to its current location in 1982. It is on the same grounds as St Columba's High School.
• Winmalee Public School started in 1972. Students first attended classes at Springwood Primary. The first classes at the Winmalee site were held at the end of 1972. The school fully opened there in early 1973.
• Ellison Public School welcomed its first students in February 1986. It had a principal and eight teachers. It started with 228 students in Kindergarten to Year 5. Ellison Public is in Springwood. But it has students from both Winmalee and Springwood.

Places of Worship

Winmalee is home to the 'Holy Monastery of St George'. This is a place for men who are part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

Other churches in Winmalee include:

• St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
• St Georges Anglican Church Winmalee
• Winmalee Presbyterian Church
• Winmalee Gospel Chapel

Parks and Fun Activities

Summerhayes Park is a public area for sports and fun. It has courts for tennis, netball, and basketball. There's also a skate park and outdoor gym equipment. You can find fields for Football (soccer) there all year. It's home to the Springwood United Football Club and Winmalee Netball Club. Summerhayes Park has many native plants and animals. Some of these are rare or endangered. It's also a great place for bushwalking. There are many interesting tracks, views, and Aboriginal sites.

Shopping and Services

The Winmalee Village centre opened in the early 1980s. It was updated in 2005. It has a Coles Supermarket and 22 other shops. There are also smaller shopping areas. One is on Hawkesbury Road. It has a Caltex petrol station, a car mechanic, and a takeaway shop. You can also find a butcher, a hair salon, and a general store there. The Australia Post office is now in the Winmalee Village Centre. Another small shopping area is near the Village Centre. It has a pizza shop, hairdressers, and a gym.

Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade

The Winmalee Rural Fire Brigade is a group of volunteer firefighters. They are part of the NSW Rural Fire Service. The brigade started in 1962 as the North Springwood Bush Fire Brigade. Today, it has about 50 active members. Another 150 people are in reserve. Together, they have over 2200 years of firefighting experience! This brigade is special in the Blue Mountains. It has an Urban Pumper truck and uses special breathing equipment. The brigade played a big part in fighting the 2013 NSW Bushfires.

Winmalee's Population

In the 2016 Census, 6,202 people lived in Winmalee. Slightly more than half (51.7%) were female, and 48.3% were male. Most people (82.9%) were born in Australia. This included 2.3% who were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Other people were born in England (5.1%), New Zealand (1.1%), Scotland (0.8%), the United States (0.7%), and Germany (0.6%). When asked about religion, the most common answers were: No Religion (29.1%), Catholic (25.4%), and Anglican (20.2%). Overall, Christianity was the largest religious group (66.6%) in Winmalee.