Sutherland Shire

Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in southern Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay. It is known colloquially as simply "The Shire".

Sutherland Shire is predominantly a residential area in Sydney in the Southeast of Australia, but also has substantial industrial, commercial and rural areas. The shire belongs to New South Wales and its major areas are the suburbs of Engadine, Sutherland, Miranda (home to a large Westfield shopping centre, traditionally known as Miranda Fair), Menai (home to the only nuclear reactor in Australia, located in Lucas Heights) and Cronulla.

[edit] A short view

The Sutherland Shire also includes the village of Kurnell, close to the first landing site of James Cook, Sydney's oil refinery and Towra Point Nature Reserve, a wetland of international importance. The Sutherland Shire is also where Australia's first and only nuclear facility is based, at Lucas Heights. The reactor, run by the ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation) does not produce electricity but is used for the production of radiopharmaceuticals, research and irradiation.

There are three national parks partially within the Sutherland Shire: Botany Bay National Park, Heathcote National Park and the Royal National Park. The isolated suburbs of Bundeena and Maianbar are situated between the northern edge of the Royal National park and the Port Hacking. They are only accessible by car (through the park) or by the ferry from Cronulla (see above).

Following the riots, which featured 13 racially motivated assaults on suspected "Lebanese" in Cronulla and the extensive media coverage they received, in December 2005, many suburbs were attacked by convoys of young Australian-Lebanese men seeking revenge. Both events are believed to have been linked to tension between youths, both from in the Shire, and from outside from the Shire, involved in previous racially based interactions. The violent attacks, however, are not supported by most Sutherland Shire citizens, and such violence has proved to be a shock to many residents.

[edit] History

[edit] Aboriginal heritage

The original inhabitants of the Sutherland area were some clans of the Dharawal Aboriginal people. Archaeological work in the Sutherland Shire has revealed evidence for Aboriginal settlement dating back at least 8,500 years. Geologists tell us that the original coastline around Sydney has retreated about 20kms and that those flooded coastal plains may hold evidence showing occupation of this area going back well beyond the 8,500 years revealed in the 1966 Archaeological exploration.

Within the Royal National Park, field surveys have revealed many hundreds of Aboriginal rock shelters. In other locations (The Military Area near Holsworthy and Darkes Forrest) there are thousands of sites, camping areas and sacred places. These areas mentioned have not been affected greatly by European occupation and building and may give a clearer example for the quality of life and abunce of resources in Sutherland/Liverpool areas.

There are also many hundreds of open camping grounds. There are hundreds of sites containing rock engravings, hand stencils and paintings. There are also perhaps thousands of axe-grinding grooves.

Whilst there is no Archaeological evidence, annecdotal evidence is that people from the Illawarra would travel into the district at times of great abundance of food.

The whole of the Port Hacking area was rich in resources and there is evidence throughout the area of camping sites and ceremonial sites. The bays and inlets of Port Hacking show abundant evidence of Aboriginal occupation

Since 1966 when there was an Archaeological dig in Cabbage Tree Basin archaeologists have uncovered parts of an extensive open-air midden or cooking and camp sites. Successive layers of habitation show the diet of the native Aborigines - oysters, mussels, snapper, bream, and Sydney cockle. There is also evidence of seal, dolphin, a range of marsupials, dingo and even whale. Several edge-ground axes have also found.

There are many existing sites where paintings and engravings of great age show changes in art style over thousands of years. Some of these changes can be linked to the extinction of some animals in the area and also with the coming of Europeans to Sutherland.

Some have interpreted these changes in style to changes in culture and people which would indicate that there have been a number of changes of communities over time.

Les Bursill Tharawal Anthropologist

[edit] European settlement

European discovery of what is now Sutherland Shire was made by Lieutenant James Cook, who entered Botany Bay on 29 April 1770. Cook and his party explored around Kurnell Peninsula, and left the bay on May 6. During their brief stay, a Scottish seaman named Forbus Sutherland died of tuberculosis. In his honour, Cook named the northwest point of the peninsula Point Sutherland.

Following defeat in the War of American Independence, the British government chose Botany Bay as the site of a new outlet for unwanted convicts. The First Fleet under Governor Arthur Phillip anchored off Kurnell 18 January 1788. After sending a party to clear land for settlement, Phillip soon realised the area was unsuitable. There was lack of shelter for ships, inadequate water and poor soil. On 24 January, two French ships were sighted off the coast, causing Phillip to raise English colours near Sutherland Point. Governor Phillip sailed north to explore Port Jackson, and eventually settled south of Sydney Cove.

The first landowner in Sutherland Shire was James Birnie, a mercantile trader who was granted by promise 700 acres (2.8 km²) at Kurnell in 1815. After the completion of official surveying, a large part of what is now Sutherland Shire was proclaimed as the Hundred of Woronora by Governor Richard Bourke in 1835. Title to land was not granted by the Crown until 1856, before which there was practically no settlement. Timber cutting was the primary industry, supplemented by shell gathering in the Port Hacking area.

With the opening of Crown Lands sales in the Shire, Thomas Holt purchased 12,000 acres (49 km²). His developmental projects included oyster farms, cattle grazing, and coal mining. The investment which proved profitable however, were his timber leases. He constructed a magnificent manor on the foreshores of Sylvania, called Sutherland House, based on English feudal lines.

[edit] Development of transport

The main mode of transport was once by water. Farmers' ships sailed up the coast and into Botany Bay, Georges and Woronora rivers, avoiding the wharfage and custom dues at Port Jackson. The first public road, the Illawarra Road (now called the Old Illawarra Road) to the "Five Islands" (now Wollongong), was constructed between 1842 and 1845 with convict labour. A new southern line of road was completed in 1864, linking up with the Illawarra Road at Engadine. Today this virtually is the line of the Princes Highway, the main north-south thoroughfare through Sutherland Shire.

A railway line was extended from Hurstville in 1884 to develop the rich Illawarra district. The railway brought into being firstly a huge shanty town on the heights of Como, and later developed the area into a holiday centre. Sutherland Railway Station was opened in 1885, named after John Sutherland, a Minister of Works during the 1870s who had argued most forcefully for the railway.

At this time, the greater part of the Shire was connected only by access tracks. A road soon opened between the railway station and Cronulla Beach, catering mostly to families and fishing parties. This was followed by the Sutherland-Cronulla steam tram service, which was inaugurated in 1911. Not only did the service greatly increase the popularity of the Cronulla beaches, but it was of great advantage to the slowly developing business interests in the Shire.

Increasing motor traffic caused a falling-off of passengers and the passenger service close in 1931. The goods service ceased the following year. The increased traffic with the north led to the opening of the first bridge into the Sutherland Shire, at Tom Ugly's, in 1929. The six-lane Captain Cook Bridge over the Georges River, spanning Rocky Point and Taren Point, was opened in 1965, replacing the completely inadequate ferry service.

[edit] Local government

The flag of Sutherland Shire, adopted in 1929, and displayed at civic events.

Coastal and river frontage areas, such as Como, Cronulla, Illawarra and Yowie Bay, became popular as country retreats. A form of voluntary local government was attempted in 1888, but law and order was still administered by the court at Liverpool until 1905. In that year, the Local Government (Shires) Act provided that the whole of New South Wales be divided into shires. The State Governor, Harry Rawson selected the name, and proclaimed this district "Sutherland, No. 133" on 6 March 1906 and fixed the boundaries. At the time the Shire had 1600 residents, and it was divided into three Ridings.

With only a small rates base, one of the early problems of the Council was the provision of new roads. The construction of the Sutherland-Cronulla tramway by the Railway Commissioner went far in stimulating business activity and driving land sales. The population of the Shire increased from 2896 in 1911, when the tramway opened, to over 7500 in 1913. By 1931 the population had exceeded 12,000. It was not until the early 1950s that this district of scattered dwellings, vacant blocks and quiet villages became a suburban area of Sydney. Until this time Sutherland Shire was not considered part of Sydney.

Associated with this growth of population was industrial and commercial development. The Captain Cook Drive from Caringbah to Kurnell was constructed in 1953 in conjunction with the establishment in 1956 of the Australian Oil Refinery at Kurnell. At Lucas Heights, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) built its research station complex in 1958.

In terms of residential development, one of the most imaginative home-building concepts has been Sylvania Waters. Here, individually designed family homes have been built around a series of man-made canals. The urban release of land in the Menai District, to the west of the Woronora River, commenced in the 1970s.

[edit] Riots in 2005

See main article 2005 Cronulla riots

In December 2005, The Sydney Morning Herald and other local press began carrying reports about violent incidents occurring on Shire beaches, particularly Cronulla Beach. Some claimed that the violence was being provoked by gangs of young Lebanese Australians from outside areas and that it had been occurring for over two years. In response, a text message was circulated in Sutherland Shire, urging '"Aussies" to take revenge against "Lebs and wogs" [1].

In the days that followed, somewhat unprecedented riots and ethnic conflicts broke out in Cronulla and other areas. Responding to claims that the violence was little more than a response to anti-social behaviour by Lebanese Australians, commentators such as Sharon Verghis have described how they have personally been subject to racist abuse on Cronulla beach and have drawn attention to what they describe as an "underlying intolerance" of other cultures in the Shire [2]. Other commentators such as Paul Sheehan have pointed to a violent anti-Anglo racist culture emanating from Australian Lebanese youth in Cronulla provoking an equally violent response. [3]

[edit] Geography

Port Hacking estuary

Under the 1853 proclamation, the western boundary of district was the Woronora River. With the formation of the Sutherland Shire in 1906, the western boundary was extended to take in more agricultural land in an area which is now modern day Menai. In 1919, the Illawong area was also transferred to Sutherland Shire. The Shire now has an area of 370 square kilometres, of which 173 square kilometres is state-designated national parkland.

The northern border of the Shire can be crossed via four bridges: three road bridges (Alfords Point, Sylvania Waters and Taren Point) and one railway bridge (Como). To the west, the road leading out of the Shire passes by the Holsworthy military reserve. To the south, the Princes Highway runs out of Waterfall towards the city of Wollongong. Drivers entering the Shire are greeted with signs saying "Welcome to the Sutherland Shire. Birthplace of Modern Australia". The eastern border is bounded by the Tasman Sea.

On the east the Shire has a varying landscape of rugged sea cliffs and sandy beaches, and swampy bay coasts backed by sand dunes. To the west the surface consists of a broad plateau rising gently to the southwest, and cut into by several deep river gorges.

[edit] Geology

The geology of the Sutherland Shire, whilst sharing characteristics with the North Shore, is very different from the western and central suburbs of Sydney. The oldest rock unit in the Shire is the Illawarra Coal Measures, exposed from drilling at Helensburgh where it is 305 metres below sea level. Above the coal-bearing rocks is found the Narrabeen Group, mostly made up of layers of sandstone and characteristic red claystone beds. Overlying the Narrabeen Group is the Hawkesbury Sandstone, the rock unit most characteristic of the Shire. Occasional patches of Ashfield shale overlay the Hawkesbury sandstone. Some time later than the Triassic period - possibly early Tertiary - minor volcanic activity occurred in the region. This took the form of intrusion of a number of dykes of basaltic rock which forced their way up through the sedimentary rocks. Due to the wetting and drying action of the weather the basaltic rock of the dykes has changed to clay.

From the end of the Triassic period to the middle of the Tertiary period, soft material was worn down or removed by wind and running water. In the final stages of this period of erosion the climate was apparently rather wetter and more humid than today's, causing the exposed rocks to change and form laterite soil, which is abundant in the Shire.

[edit] River system

Gymea Bay

A little later in the Tertiary, tilting occurred south of the Georges River. The slow uplift, taking perhaps several million years, formed the present Woronora Plateau, a surface which rises gently in the south. This process caused the river system in the Shire to flow in steeper watercourses. They then became more active, carving the steep gorges of Woronora, Hacking, Georges Rivers and their tributaries which can be seen today. Waterfalls such as those at Waterfall and Undola also formed during this period. Water supplies within the shire are of two kinds. The main source is the surface supply provided by the Woronora Dam, which is built in the deep gorge of Woronora River. A second source exists in the form of underground water.

During the last ice age, the rivers had to do additional work cutting down through the rocks to reach the lower and more distant ocean, leading to the "valley-in-valley" shape of many of the deep gorges in the Shire. When sea levels rose again, the silt and sand carried by the rivers gradually built up a considerable thickness of sediment. Sediment filled the area between Kurnell (then an island) and Miranda. Sand dunes began to accumulate in the Kurnell area and the mud and sand flats of Quibray and Gunnamatta Bays began to form. The Kurnell sand dunes have provided a cheap source of sand for the southern suburbs of Sydney but in the process of exploitation this area has been robbed of its character and the removal of vegetation has opened the way to erosion.

[edit] Royal National Park

The Premier John Robertson dedicated 18,000 acres (73 km²) to "The National Park" (now the Royal National Park) in 1879, making it the second oldest park of its kind in the world after Yellowstone in America. In 1880 the Park was increased to 33,000 acres (134 km²). Today it is just under 44,000 acres (178 km²). The National Park was given the prefix "Royal" after the visit there of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954.

Before the establishment of the Park, negotiations had been proceeding for a large and isolated area of land for infantry, cavalry and gunnery training. The Trustees agreed that the western approaches be allocated for military use. At the same time, the government built a military branch line into the encampment and review area within The National Park. With federation in 1901 and the formation of the Commonwealth Military Forces, local training diminished, although the park was used by the New South Wales Field Artillery until just after the outbreak of World War I in 1914.

[edit] Plant and animal life

[edit] Social conditions and demographics

Cronulla Beach, one of many beaches in the shire

Population growth in the shire has been limited by approval of residential development. The population increased from 193,000 in 1996 to over 202,000 in 2001. Recent growth has occurred largely in the Barden Ridge and Menai areas (where the new releases of land for urban development have been) and around the main railway stations. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the population of the Shire has been largely static over the past two years, falling slightly by 0.04% in 2003 and 0.07% in 2004. The age structure of the shire is described as being an "urban mix", with a broad range of different age groups.

[edit] Employment

38.6% of employed residents work within the Shire, whilst 61.4% work outside the Shire, especially in the Sydney CBD (16.8%). Of those employed within the Shire, 74.1% were residents. The largest occupations included clerical, sales and service workers, professionals and tradespersons.

The unemployment rate in Sutherland Shire was lower than the Sydney Statistical Division in 2001 (3.5% compared to 6.1%). The reason for the lower rate in Sutherland Shire includes a comparatively smaller share of the population aged 18-24, who often have higher unemployment rates than older workers (25-59).

[edit] Education

There are now nearly 100 schools in the Shire including the Gymea and Loftus Colleges of Technical and Further Education, more than twenty secondary schools, preschool centres and schools provided to serve children with special needs.

[edit] Health

The Sutherland Shire has good health facilities including the Sutherland Public hospital and Kareena Private Hospital - both located at Caringbah, very close to most residents and many general practitioners within the area. There is also an increasing amount of specialist doctors coming into the Shire.

[edit] Ethnicity

People on North Cronulla Beach

The Sutherland Shire is well known for being one of the most Caucasian areas in Sydney. Roughly 80% of its population are born in Australia, with the next countries being the United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Africa. The percentage of residents claiming Australian ancestry is among the highest in Sydney. Relative to other parts of Sydney, Sutherland Shire has a smaller proportion of overseas-born residents and less diversity in the range of countries of birth. Whilst the overseas population is growing, it is growing at a significantly slower rate than the rest of Sydney. One possible explanation for this slower rate is that the Shire's population is not highly mobile, and overseas-born residents of Australia prefer to settle in areas with other expatriates. A comparison of the top 5 nationalities in the Sutherland Shire with the Sydney Statistical Division in 2001 shows the major difference was a lower share of the population of Chinese ancestry.

[edit] Religion

More than three-quarters of the population professed a religion in 2001. Like many areas across Australia, the top five religions in Sutherland Shire in 2001 were all forms of Christianity, with the largest groups including Catholics, Anglicans and Uniting Church adherents. Sutherland Shire also noted very little change in the share of persons with non-Christian beliefs between 1996 and 2001, which was against the broader pattern of growth.

[edit] Cultural life

The Shire has a few nightclubs most notably, Carmens at Miranda, Fusion and Northies at Cronulla and A.K.A at Sutherland (previously known as Hunters and then Elevate). One social hub of the Shire revolves around the Menai Catholic Club and Northies, a pub opposite North Cronulla Beach. Sunday nights are the busiest of the week at Northies, closely followed by Saturday and Friday nights.

Most of the culture within the Sutherland Shire is based upon two things, sport and the beaches at Cronulla. Sutherland Shire has the highest number of soccer participants (25000) per population in Australia. The second most popular sport in terms of participants is cricket and then rugby league football.

The National Rugby League (NRL) team, the Cronulla Sharks are a locally supported professional sports team whose games are often a beginning point on a night out for residents. They have an average attendance of about 16000, which rises yearly, and are very highly supported throughout the area.

The beach also is well known internationally and draws a large crowd on any holiday or weekend throughout summer. Many Sutherland Shire residents feel a personal affinity with the beach and this has contributed to tension between residents and outsiders.

[edit] Commerce and industry

Flats in Miranda

Miranda is the commercial centre of the Shire with two other major shopping centres, Kiora Mall and Miranda Marketplace along with Miranda Fair. Westfield Miranda, known locally as Miranda Fair, has several department stores and many specialist stores all set in artistically planned promenades with under and above ground parking. The centre is the second largest in Sydney after Westfield Parramatta. Other suburban shopping centres, in Engadine, Caringbah and Sylvania have also flourished.

Major neighbourhood shopping centres have also developed at Bangor, Illawong and Menai together with a small centre at Alfords Point. Southgate is a popular shopping complex in Sylvania. Gymea Shopping Village attracts many people, with a regional arts centre, Hazelhurst Gallery, and a vibrant cafe and restaurant scene. Some of Sydney's finest chocolates are also manufactured at Nina's Chocolates, Gymea, which frequently takes out top awards at the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show.

[edit] Politics

The Council comprises 15 councillors elected from 5 Wards. The current composition of Council is 7 Liberal Party, 4 Labor, 3 Shire Watch and 1 Independent. The Liberal Party current controls the Council with the help of the 1 independent.

A Ward includes suburbs such as Cronulla, Woolooware and Kurnell. The 3 Councillors representing A Ward are; Kevin Schreiber, Marie Simone and Bob Spencer.

B Ward includes suburbs such as Caringbah, Miranda, Gymea and Gray's Point. The 3 Councillors representing B Ward are; Kent Johns, Phil Blight and Lorraine Kelly.

C Ward includes suburbs such as Sylvania, Taren Point and Kareela. The 3 Councillors representing C Ward are; Kelly Knowles, Magdi Mikhail and Scott Docherty.

D Ward includes suburbs such as Engadine, Heathcote and Loftus. The 3 Councillors representing D Ward are; David Redmond, Jan Forshaw and Valerie Sugden.

E Ward includes suburbs such as Menai, Illawong and Bangor. The 3 Councillors representing E Ward are; Melanie Gibbons, Steve Simpson and Ken McDonell.

The current Mayor is David Redmond and the Deputy Mayor is Ken McDonell.

The Sutherland Shire contains two Federal Government electorates, Cook (which includes Caringbah, Miranda and Cronulla) and Hughes (which includes Sutherland, Menai, Engadine, Alfords Point, and Gymea).

The Sutherland Shire is viewed as being one of the more conservative, even "parochial", areas in Australia. However these views are often inconsistent with facts, one being that the federal seat of Hughes was held by the Labor Party since its inception until 1996, when many residents felt that they were being side-lined by the Labor party because it no longer represented Australian worker's aspirations and had become an institution for special interests, which excluded "hard working Aussies". Indeed the state member for Miranda, Barry Collier is from the left-wing of the Labor party and the state seat for Heathcote is still considered so safe a Labor seat that "machine men" jostle for it in times of branch pre-selections.

Bruce Baird is the federal MP for Cook, and is a member of the conservative Liberal Party. Danna Vale is the federal MP for Hughes, and is also a member of the conservative Liberal Party, she also was the former minister for Veterans' Affairs.

[edit] Notable residents

Shane Heal
Shannon Noll
Sonny Bill Williams
Steve Waugh
Susie Maroney
Thomas Holt
Todd Woodbridge
Bill Harrigan - NRL referee
Graham Langlands - Rugby League player
Greg Welch - World Champion Ironman
Peter Hadfield - Olympic athlete
Robert Tickner - former Australian Labor Party federal minister
Valerie Parv - novelist
Lara Bingle - model
Steve Mullaly - Fijian International Cricket Coach

[edit] Suburbs

Suburbs in the Sutherland Shire are:

Localities administered by the Sutherland Shire are:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Regions of Sydney
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