Woy Woy, New South Wales

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Woy Woy
Central Coast, New South Wales

Population:

9925 (2001 census)

Postcode:

2256

Location:

85 km from Sydney
8 km from Gosford

LGA:

City of Gosford

Suburbs around Woy Woy

Woy Woy Bay	Woy Woy
	Blackwall

Woy Woy is a coastal town 85 km north of Sydney, on the Central Coast of New South Wales and an important centre of population within the municipal boundaries of Gosford City Council. Situated on the southern reaches of Brisbane Water, some 8 km south of Gosford, Woy Woy is located in the northern half of the Woy Woy Peninsula, a densely-populated estuarine peninsula that also includes the districts of Umina, Ettalong Beach and Blackwall, in addition to several small sub-districts. The historical and commercial core of Woy Woy is located around the railway station at the northern tip of the peninsula, while its residential districts merge imperceptibly southwards with Umina and Ettalong.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Culture
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The double name is apparently taken from the local aboriginals of the area, the Darkinjung tribe. The word reputedly means "deep water", referring to the deep tidal channel adjacent the town centre.

Woy Woy developed rapidly as a small coastal resort north of Sydney with the construction in 1888 of the northern railway. Its relative proximity to the state capital combined with its small-town isolation led to it developing a reputation in the middle years of the 20th century as a convenient "lover's retreat" for couples conducting affairs.

During the Second World War, an airfield was constructed on the Woy Woy Peninsula as a satellite field of Schofields airfield. Schofields was used by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (RN FAA) during WW2. Woy Woy airfield had a single runway sealed north/south. There were 4 pens for medium bombers, probably Grumman Avengers. The airfield was last used in 1946, the land subsequently developed for residential occupation.

Electrification of the railway line running through Woy Woy prompted rapid residential development in and around Woy Woy in the 1960s and 1970s as its relatively low-priced properties became an important part of the Sydney commuter belt, with rail journey times of just over an hour to reach the heart of the Sydney CBD.

[edit] Economy

As a regional area, job losses have had an impact on the local economy - a recent example being the closure of the F.C. Nichols abattoir in 2003, blamed in part on drought conditions.

[edit] Culture

An annual oyster festival is held mid-November. A $24,000,000 Peninsula Leisure Centre opened on October 29, 2005 after significant delays. Woy Woy is the home of "Spike Fest"—an annual festival celebrating the life and works of comedian Spike Milligan.

This festival is located at Woy Woy because:

Spike's mother lived there. His brother Desmond and daughter still visit.
Spike made numerous references to Woy Woy in the radio series The Idiot Weekly.
Spike famously named Woy Woy "the largest above ground cemetery in the world" when visiting in the 1960s.
In the 1990s when Australia was debating becoming a republic, Spike proclaimed the area "The republic of the Woy".

On 1 January 2006 Woy Woy was near the site of a bushfire in which three houses were lost, along with six cars and significant damage to property. The fire was actually in the Bays areas across from Woy Woy, namely Woy Woy bay, Phegans Bay, Horsfield Bay the houses were lost in Horsfield Bay and Phegans Bay.

[edit] References

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