Narrawallee ( ) is a coastal village in the South Coast region 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. At the , it had a population of 1,241. The village, along with its southern neighbours

Mollymook Mollymook is a town located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia approximately three hours' drive south of Sydney within the City of Shoalhaven local government area. At the , Mollymook had a population of 1,083 while the adjacent lo ...

and Mollymook Beach are generally considered part of the Milton-Ulladulla district within the

City of Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the a ...

local government area. Narrawallee is predominantly a residential suburb, bordered by a tidal inlet to the north and Matron Porter Drive. The name "Narrawallee" is taken from the creek which flows eastwards from Milton and its estuary on the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

and is itself a corruption of the Aboriginal words Nurrawerree or Narra Warra.

History

The first inhabitants and traditional landowners of the area were the Budawang tribe of the

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, ...

nation. European activity in Narrawallee began in 1924 when a gauge tramway was constructed to transport

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...

from deposits near Conjola to a jetty at Bannister Head. This involved the construction of a bridge across the mouth of Narrawallee inlet using local timbers at a cost of £2600. Silica transported on the tramway was crushed at a facility at Bannister Head, then shipped to steelworks at

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

and

Port Kembla A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inla ...

. The tramline survived until due to a downturn in production during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the rails were lifted in 1943 and the bridge dismantled the following year. Remnants of the bridge supports are still visible on the northern side of Narrawallee inlet.

Present day

Popular due to its coastal setting, development in the modern village of Narrawallee began in the 1960s and 70s and is made up of a mix of permanent residences, holiday rentals and weekenders. Residential development is set back from Narrawallee Beach, providing a public foreshore reserve. During summer holiday periods, lifeguards from the Mollymook Surf Lifesaving Club patrol the southern end of the beach. A boat ramp at Narrawallee Inlet allows small vessels to be launched depending on tides and public restrooms, picnic and barbecue areas are also provided. The reserve provides opportunities for activities such as bush walking and fishing, as well as recreational water sports and is popular with families as the estuary is protected from the rough surf. The village is served six days a week by local bus services to both Milton and Ulladulla by Ulladulla Bus Lines route 740. The Milton-Ulladulla Baptist Church is located in Narrawallee.

References

{{authority control City of Shoalhaven Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) Coastal towns in New South Wales