Russell Vale is a small suburb of

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

in the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal Regions of New South Wales, region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region. It encompas ...

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 ...

Geography

Russell Vale straddles the

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

History

Russell Vale was the home and estate of surveyor Francis Peter MacCabe, who died in 1897. The name Russell was the maiden name of his mother (Margaret née Russell). The estate was originally . In April 1904, 116 lots were subdivided and sold. In November 1904, a further 96 lots were subdivided and sold. The house at Russell Vale was demolished in 1966.

Sporting amenities

Russell Vale is the home of the Russell Vale Golf Course, opened in 1986. It also contains the soccer field of Cawley Park, the homeground of the Russell Vale Soccer Club.

Demographics

At the , Russell Vale had a population of 1,593, an increase of 360 or 29.2% from the population of 1,233 at the . Median family incomes in Russell Vale were slightly above average for the Wollongong LGA at $2,201 per week, compared with $2,151 per week respectively. Median rents were $10 per week greater in Russell Vale at $400 than in the rest of the Wollongong LGA, although median monthly mortgage repayments were the same at $2,167.

Mining

Russell Vale Colliery is an underground coal mine under the Woronora Plateau in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment Area to the west of Russell Vale. The mine has been in operation since the 1880s using various underground mining methods to mine different coal seams. More recently, the mine has come under attack from local residents, as subsidence and cracking attributed to the mine's activities have been observed in the catchment area

Gallery

File:Russell Vale 1.jpg, Sign for Russell Vale, coming from Woonona on the

File:Russell Vale 2.jpg File:Russell Vale 5.jpg

References

{{Coord, -34.358, 150.901, format=dms, type:city_region:AU-NSW, display=title Suburbs of Wollongong