Collaroy is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

in northern

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Collaroy is 22 kilometres north-east of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often referr ...

, in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Northern Beaches Council The Northern Beaches Council is a local government area located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 after the amalgamation of Manly, Pittwater and Warrin ...

. It is part of the

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...

region. Nicknamed "The Roy" by many of the locals.

History

This area was originally part of

Narrabeen Narrabeen is a beachside suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narrabeen is 23 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and is ...

but was renamed after the '' S.S. Collaroy'' ran aground on the beach in 1881. It was refloated and later wrecked on the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

n coast in 1889. Most of Collaroy's development has occurred since the mid twentieth century. An anchor from the S.S. Collaroy has been on display on the grounds of Narrabeen Lakes Public School since 1928. ''Collaroy Beach'' Post Office opened on 12 February 1923. ''Collaroy Plateau'' Post Office opened on 1 April 1949 and closed in 1988. ''Collaroy Plateau West'' Post Office opened on 1 November 1967 and was renamed ''Collaroy Plateau'' in 1996. The beach and housing near the beach on Pittwater Road were badly affected by weather in early June 2016. A strip of houses lost backyards and were left in danger of collapse.

Landmarks

Women in bathing suits on Collaroy Beach, 1908, photographed by Colin Caird

Collaroy's surf beach joins Narrabeen Beach at Wetherill Street making one continuous 3.4 km surf beach. Four Surf Lifesaving Clubs provide swimming supervision/surf rescue services (North Narrabeen SLC, Narrabeen SLC, South Narrabeen SLC, and Collaroy SLC). Collaroy is home to one of the Salvation Army's largest conference and outdoor education centres in the area. The centre caters for many conferences of the Salvation Army as well as other churches, schools, community groups and businesses. It can cater for up to 440 people and has fully catered camp programs.

Demographics

According to the 2016 census, there were 7,870 residents in Collaroy. The most common ancestries were English 27.9%, Australian 23.7%, Irish 9.7%, Scottish 7.5% and Italian 4.8%. 68.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 6.1% and New Zealand 2.1%. 80.8% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Italian 1.7% and Portuguese 1.5%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 31.2%, Catholic 27.5% and Anglican 17.4%.

Commercial area

Collaroy's shopping precinct is centered along Pittwater Road, which runs north–south through the suburb. Small retail businesses include cafes, restaurants, a book shop, takeaway bars, a pharmacy, a newsagent/post office, several hairdressers, a day spa, a YHA youth hostel, real estate agents, Collaroy cinema, the Collaroy Services club (also known as "The Beach Club") and "The Collaroy", which was formerly known as the Surf Rock Hotel, re-opened in November 2014.

Transport

Collaroy's public transport consists of buses operated by

Keolis Downer Northern Beaches Keolis Downer Northern Beaches is a bus operator in Sydney, Australia. A subsidiary of Keolis Downer, it operates services in Sydney Bus Region 8 on the Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches under contract to Transport for NSW. Its headquar ...

south through to the CBD, Manly, North Sydney (peak hour services only), and north to the suburbs from

to Palm Beach.

Governance

Collaroy is in the federal seat of Mackellar. The seat is currently held by Independent politician Sophie Scamps, who defeated

Jason Falinski Jason George Falinski (born 24 August 1970) is a former Australian Liberal Party politician. He was first elected as the Member for Mackellar in the Australian House of Representatives at the 2016 Australian election and was re-elected at the ...

of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

at the 2022 Federal Election. The seat had previously been held continuously by the Liberal Party since its creation in 1949. Collaroy is in the NSW state electorate of Wakehurst, a seat held by

Brad Hazzard Bradley Ronald "Brad" Hazzard (born 30 August 1951), an Australian politician, has been the New South Wales Minister for Health since January 2017 in the Berejiklian and Perrottet ministries. Hazzard is a member of the New South Wales Legisla ...

of the Liberal Party.

Wildlife

Collaroy/Narrabeen is frequented by diverse bird and aquatic animal life including Sea Eagles, Pelicans, Terns, Ducks, Yellow-crested Cockatoo. Dolphins and whales can be seen during migrating season. In 2005 a young New Zealand Fur Seal was discovered washed up on the beach. Exhausted but alive, the Seal was nursed back to health by wildlife officers and then released. A similar incident, with another New Zealand fur seal coming ashore, occurred in August 2014.http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/new-zealand-fur-seal-takes-a-break-after-stormy-weather/story-fngr8hax-1227030866942

Infrastructure and development

Schools and churches

* The Pittwater House Schools

References

External links

About Narrabeen and Collaroy Beaches
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collaroy, New South Wales Suburbs of Sydney Beaches of New South Wales Northern Beaches Council