Bilgola, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Bilgola
city = Sydney
state = NSW


caption =
lga = Pittwater Council
postcode =
est =
pop =
area =
propval =
stategov = Pittwater
fedgov = Mackellar
near-nw = Avalon
near-n = Avalon
near-ne =
near-w = Clareville
near-e = "Tasman Sea"
near-sw = Newport
near-s = Newport
near-se =
dist1 = 33
dir1 = north-east
location1= Sydney CBD

Bilgola is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bilgola is located 33 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region. Bilgola Plateau is a locality in the western part of the suburb.

Location

Bilgola is located on the Pacific Ocean side of the Barrenjoey Peninsula between Avalon to the north and Newport to the south. The land rises steeply behind Bilgola Beach to Bilgola Plateau and then descends to Clareville on the western side of the peninsula.

History

The name "Bilgola" is derived from an Aboriginal term "Belgoula" meaning "swirling waters", or perhaps "a pretty beach with steep slopes, studded with cabbage palms". [ [http://www.id.com.au/pittwater/commprofile/default.asp?id=244&gid=120&pg=1&bhcp=1 id.com.au] ] The word "Belgoula" was noted in Surveyor James Meehan's records of 1814. Robert Henderson received a grant of convert|100|acre|km2 in 1822 which he named "Belgoola". The district eventually adopted the simplified name "Bilgola". ["The Book of Sydney Suburbs", Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8, page 29]

There were plans during the 1960s to build a bridge bypass of the twisting road ('Bilgola Bends') between the north and south headlands of Bilgola.Fact|date=March 2008 The Bridge was not built but a small amount of landfill was added to remove a sharp bend in the southern end of the road in preparation for construction. The bend still remains, with the landfill now providing a small grassy area, with an excellent view of Newport Beach.

Transport

The main road connecting the northern part of the Barrenjoey Peninsula to the rest of Sydney, Barrenjoey Road, runs through Hewitt Park along the cliff line between Bilgola headland and Bilgola South headland. The road separates Bilgola Plateau from Bilgola beach.

Sport and recreation

Bilgola Surf Life Saving Club is located at Bilgola Beach. It was formed in the summer of 1949 with construction of the club house beginning in 1950. [http://www.bilgolaslsc.org.au/]

References

External links

* [http://members.ozemail.com.au/~russo/tour/bilgola.html Bilgola, from Beachnet]
* [http://www.bilgolaslsc.org.au/ Bilgola Surf Lifesaving Club]