Illawong, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Illawong
city = Sydney
state = nsw


caption = Illawong, view of Georges River
lga =Sutherland Shire
postcode = 2234
pop =
area =
propval = $650,000 Fact|date=March 2008
est =
stategov = Electoral district of Menai
fedgov = Division of Hughes
near-nw = Alfords Point
near-n = Alfords Point
near-ne = Lugarno Heights
near-w = Menai
near-e = Oatley
near-sw = Bangor
near-s = Bonnet Bay
near-se = Como
dist1 = 27
dir1 = south
location1= Sydney CBD

Illawong is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Illawong is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney Central Business District, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. The post code is 2234, which is also assigned to the contiguous suburbs of Menai, Bangor and Alfords Point.

Illawong sits between the southern shore of the Georges River and the northern shore of the Woronora River. Illawong comprises mainly of residential homes, a nursing home, a primary school and a small shopping centre.

History

Illawong is an Aboriginal word meaning "between two waters", referring to the Georges and Woronora Rivers. Illawong was originally inhabited by the Tharawal and/or Eora tribes who left remnants of their lives in many middens, rock carvings and cave paintings.

Captain John Hunter (1731-1821) was the first European to explore the area. In 1789, Hunter sailed through the Georges and Woronora Rivers. In 1795-6, with Matthew Flinders and George Bass, Hunter explored further up the Georges River and declared the area of Bankstown.

Construction of Old Illawarra Road took place between 1843 to 1845 and was inspected by Major Thomas Mitchell, it being one of the last public works completed by convicts. The construction allowed the new route to be about 32 kilometres shorter towards the South Coast. At the southern end of the district Major Mitchell took the road across the ford at the head of the Woronora River, naming the ford "Pass of Sabugal", possibly due to the resemblance in scenery of the north-eastern frontier of Portugal. [ "The Book of Sydney Suburbs", Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 132 ]

In the 1890s Menai was a farming area and Illawong, which was then known as East Menai, was an area where wealthy people of Sydney built holiday homes and weekenders. [ [http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=MackFxsyIt Geographical Names Register Status] , from the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales. ]

This area was ravaged in the 1994 bushfires, which also caused destruction in the suburbs of Alfords Point, Menai and Como. Illawong is considered to be a bushfire prone area.

Commercial Area

Illawong Village shopping centre sits between Fowler Road and Hobart Place. Originally a small collection of shops, the shopping centre was rebuilt in 2007. Illawong Village features a Coles supermarket, Liquorland and many specialty shops including butcher, chemist, newsagency, medical centre and several restaurants.

Transport

Major roads and streets include Fowler Road and Moreton Road. Veolia Transport has regular bus services which links Illawong to surrounding centres such as Menai, Sutherland and Bankstown.

chools

* Illawong Primary School
* Tharawal Primary School
* Menai High School is the major public secondary co-educational high school servicing the Menai Area.

Churches

Illawong Uniting Church is located opposite Illawong Village Shopping Centre in Hobart Place.

port and Recreation

The Scout group in Illawong is 1st Wearne Bay Sea Scouts. They have all five youth sections (Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers) represented. The group meets in the scout hall at Wearne Bay, on the Georges River. This hall was previously the house of the old ferry master, who started the group.

References

External links