Wyong () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

on the Central Coast of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It is located approximately South-South-West of Newcastle and North-North-East of the state capital

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Established in , it is one of the two administrative centres for the local government area.

History

Wyong is an Indigenous word meaning either "an edible yam" or "place of running water". William Cape was the first European settler to settle in the area and bring cattle and sheep into the district, on a land grant bordering Jilliby Creek in . Cape had two sons who also held land grants.

Historical sites

* Alison Homestead, Cape Road, Wyong, built by Charles Alison, ; destroyed by arson on . * Chapmans Store, Cnr Alison Road & Hely Street, Wyong, opened in . * Court House, Alison Road, Wyong, built in . This building is built on the site of the first

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

which opened in . * St Cecilia's Church, Byron Street, Wyong. Built in , it is the oldest church in Wyong and is still in use today. * ''Strathavon'' resort, Boyce Avenue, Wyong. Dates from to , formerly known as ''Hakone''. * Turreted buildings, Cnr Church Street, Wyong. Built by Albert Hamlyn Warner, . * Wyong Public School, Alison Road, Wyong. Built in and last used as school in . * Wyong Milk Factory, 141 Alison Road, Wyong, .

Wyong Plaza Work-In

In , 67 BLF-affiliated construction workers at the shopping centre construction site responded to the dismissal of a labourer by announcing from the jib of the crane that they would remain there until the job was reopened for all workers. They practiced workers' control for 6 six weeks and only ended after the company agreed to generous allowances and conditions, including the right of workers to be consulted on "hire and fire" decisions.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, there were 4,530 people in the suburb of Wyong: * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 6.3% of the population. * 73.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at 3.3%. * 81.2% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

were No Religion (36.6%),

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(19.2%) and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

(17.2%). The broader Wyong regional area, encompassing the Central Coast’s northeast, had a population of 168,171.

Facilities

Wyong has an efficient and compact town centre, housing one of the two Central Coast Councils Chambers, Village Central Wyong Shopping Centre, Hunter and Central Coast Institute of TAFE Wyong Campus, Wyong Police Station, Wyong Local Court House, The Art House Wyong Performing Arts and Conference Centre, and banks, government offices, local businesses and community services. Wyong Public School is located on Cutler Drive, north of the town centre. Wyong High School is west of the town centre on Alison Road. Wyong Racecourse is an important provincial track with weekly meetings. The town has extensive sport and leisure facilities. Wyong Hospital is not located in the town; rather, it is located North-East in Hamlyn Terrace.

Transport

Wyong is the hub of transport services in the northern part of the Central Coast region. Wyong railway station is served by NSW TrainLink services. Bus services are operated by Busways, Red Bus CDC NSW and Coastal Liner. The Pacific Highway passed through the town until bypassed in .Annual report for year ended 30 June 1984 Department of Main Roads 30 June 1984 page 6

Notable people

Notable people who are from or who have lived in Wyong include: * Dale Buggins, motorcycle stunt rider * Steve Carter, rugby league player * Roy Ferguson, rugby league player * Noel Miller, cricketer * Mark Skaife, race car driver * Jai Opetaia, professional boxer

References

External links

Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council

Central Coast Council

Love Central Coast - Official Tourism and Destination Website

The Art House Wyong Performing Arts and Conference Centre
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Towns in Australia Suburbs of the Central Coast (New South Wales)