Breaking New Ground
Illawarra Mercury
Friday January 2, 2004
If action is your thing, then the booming Shellharbour has much to offer - the beaches, water sports and lively shopping village are just for starters.
Shellharbour
Bounded in the north by Lake Illawarra and in the south by the Minnamurra River.
Size matters: The city covers an area of 154sqkm.
Life's a beach: Shellharbour Beach is patrolled at both the north and south ends.
Nothing like an original: While Shellharbour is a fast-growing region, the original settlement town is still marked by Shellharbour Village which boasts a harbour, boat ramp, ocean pool and two surf beaches.
Naming rights: Shellharbour was a meeting place for Aborigines who called it ``yerrowah". Bass Point Reserve takes its name from Australian explorer George Bass. The reserve contains Aboriginal middens and one of the few littoral rainforests in the Illawarra.
History: Explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders were the first Europeans to discover the area in 1796. In 1816 Governor Macquarie ordered the negotiation of free land grants. Shellharbour was first established as a port in the 1820s by the cedar cutters. In 1851 a private township was laid out around the harbour by the Wentworth family. The name Shellharbour was officially recognised in 1885.
Golden opportunity: A gold strike at Bass Point in 1868 was exploited by Thomas Reddall and Edward Killalea.
Notable past: Bass Point is an example of a Pleistocene era site.
Shop till you drop: Stockland Shellharbour is a major shopping centre with more than 100 specialty shops.
Diver's paradise: Bushrangers Bay at Bass Point is a marine aquatic reserve. Recognised as one of the best scuba diving and snorkelling locations on the NSW coast, top spots can be accessed from the shore.
Without reserve: Killalea State Park is a coastal reserve which features two excellent surfing beaches in The Farm and Mystics.
Just add water: If you like to get wet, this is the place to be. Besides surfing, diving and snorkelling along the coast you can sail, fish, waterski, sailboard and canoe on Lake Illawarra.
Things to do
Celebrate Australia Day on January 26 at Reddall Reserve, Lake Illawarra. The fun includes Breakfast by the Lake (7-9am), Youthfest (11am-3pm) and a festival and fireworks display (3-9pm).
Catch a pantomime at the Roo Theatre in Addison St. Robin Hood runs January 16-24.
Scuba diving at Bass Point is a must.
Visit the craft markets at Shellharbour Public School on January 11, 9am-2pm.
Tackle the cycleway covering Shellharbour Village, the foreshore, Lake Illawarra, Mt Warrigal, Oak Flats and Albion Park Rail.
Look for historical buildings like the church Stella Maris (1861) in Wentworth St, the general store (1857) and the Steampacket Inn (1856).
Take your pick of beach, rock, estuary and deep-sea fishing or even prawning.
Walk to the Picnic Island lookout near the Windang Bridge.
Explore Boston Point for the memorial to four Australian soldiers who died in 1943 rescuing the 62-man crew of an American tanker.
Stroll through Blackbutt Forest reserve, a 100ha coastal forest.
Visit Tongarra Museum.
© 2004 Illawarra Mercury
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