Budgewoi, New South Wales

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Budgewoi
city = Central Coast
state = nsw


caption =
lga = Wyong Shire
est = 1991cite web | title=gnb.nsw.gov.au | work=Geographical Names Register Extract: Budgewoi | url=http://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/name_search/extract?id=JPjLvqZTSX | accessdate=7 October | accessyear=2006]
postcode=2262
pop = 3,194 (2001)cite web | title=wyongsc.nsw.gov.au | work=Wyong Shire Council Social Atlas: Appendix A | url=http://www.wyongsc.nsw.gov.au/wyongshire/social_atlas/Appendix_A.pdf | accessdate=24 July | accessyear=2006]
propval = $288,000cite web | title=propertyvalue.com.au | work=Property Value Postcode Profile: 2262 | url=http://www.propertyvalue.com.au/view_report1.php?rID=103804&cB=45275bc5283a6&affiliate=1 | accessdate=7 October | accessyear=2006]
near-nw = Halekulani
near-n = "Lake Munmorah"
near-ne = Budgewoi Peninsula
near-w = Colongra
near-e = "Pacific Ocean"
near-sw = Buff Point
near-s = "Budgewoi Lake"
near-se = Toukley

Budgewoi is a suburb located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, as part of the Wyong Shire local government area. Budgewoi itself is located more than 100 km north of the Sydney central business district.

Much of the town is surrounded by water; Lake Munmorah, Budgewoi Lake and the Pacific Ocean. An Ideal spot for water enthusiasts. Long an area of retirees and holiday homes, rising housing prices in the Sydney metropolitan area during the 1990s has seen it become a sleeper town, with increasing numbers of people commuting to the Sydney metropolitan area daily.

History

* 1827 - John Slade offered grant of convert|640|acre|km2 but appears not to have taken up the offer.

* 1843 - Robert Henderson was granted convert|640|acre|km2 in what is now known as Budgewoi on 11 August 1843, where he had a dairy.

*1856 - Henderson Holdings purchased by John Hargraves and built "Norahville". Wollombi Aboriginal Tribe members are known to have worked on the property. Some sources state that Hargraves "befriended" tribe members. Cattle were grazed as far as Buff Point and Elizabeth Bay.

*1903 - Norah Head lighthouse built and opened after vessel wreckages.

*Originally used for grazing cattle and agriculture, by the early 1930s Budgewoi was becoming known as a holiday destination and families would come from Sydney to camp over weekends and during holidays. However, getting to the area was not easy so it did not become as popular as other places on the Central Coast.

Town Name

*Some sources give the original name as Pudgeway (Aboriginal for young grass) but this is open to conjecture with local historian (Bruce Russell, "From Pudgeway to Budgewoi", 1984) stating the aboriginal name for the area as Budjeri, which meant "good conditions" and described the abundance of wallabies, birds, fish, prawns, trees, shrubs and plants they could use to sustain a healthy tribe. The early colonists named the area Pudgewoy but over the years it has been know by many other names: Budgeway, Possum's Fence, Sandy Point, Halekulani and the present name of Budgewoi which was made official in July 1978.

Surounding Areas

*Late 1850s - Chinese fishermen worked the Tuggerah Lakes area, in particular, what is now known as Canton Beach at Toukley. While not confirmed, it is believed this is where the name is derived from. It was a base for catching and curing fish that where then shipped to Queensland, the goldfields and back to China.

*1889 saw the opening of the railway from Sydney to Newcastle and Wyong turning into a proper township with the opening of the Royal Hotel and the first post office established. The railway was the making of the timber industry. In its hey day, around the turn of the century, Wyong exported thousands of railway sleepers. In 1904 the Lighthouse at Norah Head was built and the first few houses began to appear at The Entrance. Already early tourists were making the trip to Tuggerah Lakes - by boat, horse-drawn vehicle and train. They went mainly for the fishing and the long bracing walks along the beaches. Slowly, but surely, the population of the Shire grew. Roads, bridges and boarding houses were built. After the war, the Central Coast came of age. The event was marked by the creation of a New Shire, Wyong, out of the old Erina Shire in 1947.

Schools

*"The Budgewoi Public School was built in 1961, the first headmaster being Mr R. Passlow. He had a staff of five and about 150 pupils in the original block on the corner of Woolana and Lukela avenues. The official record of the school states that a teacher was appointed in January, 1960 and the first class started in February, 1960. It is possible that these pupils could have been taught at the Budgewoi Hall, the only one available at the time. The alternative would have been a home or a marquee. (An excerpt from "From Pudgeway to Budgewoi" originally compiled by Bruce Russell in 1983 and since updated.)

* With no high school located in the town, it has always been necessary for students to be bused to schools in the surrounding area - Wyong High School until the opening of Gorokan High School in 1976. And now to Northlakes High School since its opening in 1981.

Churches

*St John's Budgewoi had Church of England services held fortnightly in the community hall during the 1950s and 1960s. The Budgewoi Ladies Guild was formed to buy a block of land, which was purchased for $423. In December, 1971 St John the Evangelist Budgewoi was dedicated and 20 people attended and worshipped. In 2006 church buildings were in need of refurbishment and upgrading to meet the requirements of Wyong Shire Council and due to the short notice given by Council and the significant funds needed the Parish Council reluctantly agreed that it had no option but to close the church for public worship. The final service was held in St John's Church Budgewoi on 10th September 2006 and it was formally closed by the Assistant Bishop of Newcastle, Graeme Rutherford, on that day.

Recreational Facilities

* Beach
* Boat hire and ramp access to both lakes
* Budgewoi amateur sailing club
* Budgewoi Soccer club
* Halekulani Bowling Club
* Tennis and squash courts
* Gymnasium
* Munmorah State Recreation Area allows for trail rides through tea tree forests.
* Vineyards of the Hunter Valley are just 40 minutes north.

Notable Residents

* David Hall - Paralympian
* Mark O'Meley - Australian NRL Player
* Alexandra Craig - ABC Journalist

References

Further reading

*cite book
author = Bruce Russell
year = 1984
title = From Pudgeway to Budgewoi
publisher = Wyong District Museum and Historical Society
id = ISBN 0-7316-1128-4
*cite book
author = Kathryn Pry and Joan Fenton
year = 1998
title = A History of Wyong Shire: 1947-1997
publisher = Wyong Shire
id = ISBN 0-9587443-0-0

External links

* [http://www.budgewoi-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/ Budgewoi Public School]