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2005 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc

 

Woy Woy history submitted

 

The following history of the Woy Woy Peninsula was submitted by historian Ms Joan Fenton along with her joint proposal with Ms Heather McKenzie to the Geographic Names Board that the area be officially recognized.

The area now known as the Central Coast of New South Wales was known as the Brisbane Water District from the early 19th century.

Administration of the district was by local magistrates from the 1820s, and by the Brisbane Water District Council in the 1840s.

Later in the century, the Erina Shire Council was formed, which covered most of the district, with a small municipality looking after the town of Gosford.

The first separation The term 'Woy Woy District' has been in common use since the early 1900s, following the first developer's land subdivision in the district in 1903 (Green's Estate).

This terminology separated this district from the Gosford District (both districts were in Erina Shire).

Both 'Districts' were easily distinguishable because each had a Railway Station, which served as the 'porch' for each district.

Both districts were comprised of 'localities', some of which were villages, others may have comprised a guest house (or two) and occasionally a general store or post office in the front room of someone's house to cater for tourists' needs.

Some of the localities that were to become included in the general description of 'Woy Woy District' were (original spellings used): Blackwall, Booker Bay, Daley's Point, Davis-Town, Empire Bay, Ettalong Beach, Hardy's Bay, Horsfield Bay, Killcare, Orange Grove, Patonga, Pearl Beach, Pretty Beach, Saratoga, Umina, Wagstaffe's Point and Woy Woy Bay.

Sometimes, these localities were mere dreams, existing only as a plan on a land sale brochure, such as Ocean Beach City and Ettalong Township.

The first 'Ettalong' subdivision was the 'Ettalong Township' subdivision in 1906.

Ettalong Township was a dream of Hugh Duff & Co., Real Estate Auctioneers of Sydney.

This proposed Township was one mile to the south of Woy Woy Village, entirely fronting the railway line at Woy Woy; miles from present-day Ettalong Beach.

The "Ettalong Beach, Woy Woy" subdivision did not occur until 1914.

Needless to say, the Great War interrupted the hopes of the developers, and the subdivision was re-launched and vigorously marketed from 1917.

The 1917 brochure describes the Estate as being "On the Mainland Woy Woy".

The main selling feature was the "inexhaustible supply of fresh pure drinking water" by means of spear pumps.

The brochure encouraged potential buyers to be the first to own land at Ettalong Beach: "Do not wait for the surf pavilions, refreshment rooms, post office".

It was to be some years before any of these facilities were to become reality.

The second separation In due course, the sale of building lots proceeded, and some weekender 'shacks' were built.

The permanent population of the Woy Woy District also grew, but not quickly enough for the local land developers.

To promote the district (and the sale of land), a well-orchestrated movement grew from the early 1920s to form a separate Shire for Woy Woy.

This was eventually successful, and the Woy Woy Shire Council was formed in 1928, encompassing all the various localities that existed at that date into the one local government body.

High on the priority list of works to be done was the erection of facilities for tourists and land buyers, at the ratepayers' expense.

Woy Woy Shire was to last until 1947, when it was amalgamated with Erina Shire and Gosford Municipality to form two shires: Gosford Shire and Wyong Shire.

As roads and railways improved, the permanent population increased further.

Permanent cottages had replaced many of the shacks.

After 1960, when the railway line was electrified, thus making commuting a more attractive option to many, the permanent population grew quickly.

Commuting was further encouraged by the completion of the last section of the Tollway from Berowra to Calga in 1968.

As the owners of the weekenders reached retirement age, they withdrew to their former weekenders as permanent residents.

The third separation In 1972, with the election of the Whitlam government and assisted by the vigorous lobbying of the new Federal member for Robertson, Barry Cohen, much funding became available to community organisations.

Many groups, sporting and community, were formed and applied for funding to provide community facilities.

As many localities in the district found their own voices to lobby for funding, the 'mainland' area was recognised as an entity on its own, separating it from the towns and localities that had previously been 'lumped in' as part of Woy Woy (access was only available in the past by water from Woy Woy), but which were now genuinely geographically separated from the mainland due to their accessibility by road and/or rail.

Two major organisations formed in the early 1970s were the Woy Woy Peninsula Community Group (an umbrella group of organisations on the Woy Woy Peninsula) and the Peninsula Netball Association.

The Woy Woy Peninsula Community Group was successful in acting as a coordinator group and the Peninsula Netball Association was successful in gaining funding to build the netball courts at Lemon Grove at Ettalong Beach.

Email, 19 Feb 2007 Joan Fenton