Place names on the Peninsula

Ettalong
This is an Aboriginal word meaning, "place for drinking water".
The Surveyor General at the time, Sir Thomas Mitchell, ordered that names should reflect Aboriginal terms.
Ettalong’s first written reference appeared in 1830 when Mitchell priced the land at 288 pounds for nearly 2000 acres.
Ettalong was also called Gittens Lagoon.
Gitten was an early resident’s surname.
Passing ship’s crews filled their water casks at a hole sunk in the sand behind the beach while they waited for the tide to cover Half Tide Rocks.
Umina
Means "place of sleep" and was originally known as Ettalong Beach.
In the early 1900’s, subdivision began to take place.
The subdivisions were called various names.
Many sound remarkably similar to those used today.
Among them, "Ocean Beach City", "Golden Crown Estate" and "Ocean Wave." The first telephone installation was in 1921.
The name was unofficially changed from Umina to Umina Beach in 1952 and remains so to this day.
Pearl Beach
Pearl Beach is probably where Governor Phillip made his first stop after leaving Sydney to examine the Broken Bay area in March 1788.
Phillip said in a letter to Lord Sydney, "...the natives, tho’ friendly appeared to be numerous...".
The first to use Pearl Beach was local shipbuilder Rock Davis (whom Davistown is named after).
The land was subdivided in 1928 and sold as "Pearl Beach Estate." Originally there was a road built at the base of the cliff between Ocean and Pearl Beach, but king tides washed it away.
In the 1930’s, the current road over Mount Etymalong was built using Depression Unemployment Relief Schemes’ money.
Woy Woy
The Aboriginal words Wy Wy which have been corrupted to Woy Woy means, "much water" or "big lagoon." James Webb, became the first settler in 1824 with a 100-acre farm.
He bought a further 200 acres for 50 pounds.
His land encompassed nearly all of modern day Woy Woy.
It was also known as Webb’s Flat.
The Woy Woy tunnel’s building in the 1880’s made the area accessible to a larger number of people.