Pearl Beach, New South Wales Explained

Type:suburb
Pearl Beach
City:Central Coast
State:nsw
Local Map:yes
Zoom:13
Postcode:2256
Pop:536
Pop Footnotes:[1]
Elevation:9
Area:1.2
Parish:Patonga
Stategov:Gosford
Fedgov:Robertson
Dist1:21
Dir1:S
Location1:Gosford
Dist2:9
Dir2:S
Location2:Woy Woy
Dist3:90
Dir3:N
Location3:Sydney
Near-Nw:Brisbane Water National Park
Near-N:Umina Beach
Near-Ne:Broken Bay
Near-W:Brisbane Water National Park
Near-E:Broken Bay
Near-Sw:Patonga
Near-S:Hawkesbury River
Near-Se:Lion Island

Pearl Beach is a suburb of on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Pearl Beach was assigned 'suburb' status by the Geographical Names Board of NSW on 25 October 1991.

History

Pearl Beach has a rich Indigenous history that is largely ignored by historical markers which have been erected in the community to commemorate visits by white settlers.

On 2 March 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip sailed north from Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, to the inlet described by Captain James Cook in 1770 as a "broken land" (id est Broken Bay).[2] As entered in their journals:

Geography

Located south of Umina Beach, being separated from it by a ridge upon which sits Mount Ettalong at a height of . It is bounded on the west and south by Brisbane Water National Park, and on the east by Broken Bay. Green Point, with Paul Landa Reserve, adjoins the southern end of the beach. The bay provides an example of a logarithmic spiral beach.

Population

In the 2016 Census, there were 536 people in Pearl Beach. 68.7% of people were born in Australia and 88.2% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 37.1% and Anglican 20.4%.[1]

Swimming

The south end of the beach is placid, sheltered by a rocky point and Lion Island and is favoured by most visitors as a swimming spot. The north end of the beach is known for rough surf and is unofficially called "the dumpers". The dumpers, excluding the roughest waves at the far north end of the beach, are a popular bodysurfing spot for strong, confident swimmers, except during particularly rough surf or at king tide. Swimmers risk getting violently pounded onto the sand by a wave, or "chundered" (usually kayaking terminology) by waves dumping into a deep trench along the shoreline, but can generally avoid getting chundered by moving towards dry land or ducking under the break of the wave and swimming back to shore in smaller waves.

In 2014, five-year-old Chayce Kofe drowned after he was swept off the shore by a large wave.[4] Gosford City Council continues to oppose danger signs despite calls from the local Member Kathy Smith to erect them.[5]

See also

Rip current

Environment

Pearl Beach village is located within the National Trust of Australia's Broken Bay Entrance Landscape Conservation Area.[6]

Awards

Community groups

The Pearl Beach Progress Association was established in 1929 and grew out of informal gatherings of residents to discuss local problems and community projects. Today the Pearl Beach Progress Association promotes the best interests of the village, protects and enhances our wonderful natural environment and manages the historic Memorial Community Hall.[9] Membership is available to anyone who is 16 years of age or older and lives in Pearl Beach or are owners of property in Pearl Beach, and the immediate families of such persons.[10]

A volunteer firefighting brigade under the NSW Rural Fire Service, formed in 1953. The Station is located at 39 Emerald Avenue.

Community events

Since 2006, Opera in the Arboretum has been performed annually in March in the Crommelin Native Arboretum. The event is organised by the Rotary Club of Woy Woy and features performances by leading Australian opera identities. All proceeds are given to charities and Rotary projects.[11]

Residential development

Residential development in Pearl Beach is governed by Gosford City Council's Development Control Plan 162 (DCP16). The aim of the Control Plan is to preserve, improve and restore the special natural character of Pearl Beach. It applies to all properties in the village of Pearl Beach, including, proposed buildings and major alterations and additions to existing buildings. DCP16 has superseded Gosford City Council's policies for Pearl Beach titled DO 16 and Pearl Beach Residential Development Policy.[12]

Infrastructure

Road

Pearl Beach Drive is the only vehicular access road to the town.

There is pedestrian access is via the former Pearl Beach Road, also sometimes referred to as Cliff Road,[13] which, nowadays, is a rocky unstable walking track that runs 30 feet above the shoreline around the base of the Mount Ettalong cliff via Umina Point. Pearl Beach Road is Heritage Listed, notably as a Section 2: Items listed by Local Government and State agencies.[14]

Vehicular access to Pearl Beach has been problematic ever since motorised traffic was given access to the town, some events in this long saga include:

Rock Pool

In 1926 construction of the Rock Pool, located at the southern end of the beach, adjoining Green Point, commenced. Once completed in 1928, C. R. Staples and Co. used it in promotional material to help sell land. Up until 1950, the pool suffered a pollution problem from its own amenities block that used open uncovered sanitary pans. Design and maintenance problems have plague the pool from the start.[21] Nonetheless, many people have and still enjoy the rock pool. During 2010, the rock pool was closed for 4 months whilst major renovations were carried out.[22] [23]

Electricity

Plans to provide Pearl Beach with electricity were given an approval on 31 December 1936. Mr. R. Franki, consulting electrical engineer to the Woy Woy Council, was instructed to proceed with construction after the necessary number of guarantees had been signed by the residents.[24]

Sports facilities

Two tennis courts and a narrow artificial turf bowling green are located in Opal Close, bookings required.[25] Lap swimming is available at the rock pool located at the southern end of the beach.[26]

Notable residents

External links

Notes and References

  1. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  2. http://www.pittwater.nsw.gov.au/library/local_history/Pittwaters_past/pittwater Pittwater Council Library, Pittwater's Past
  3. http://thisisntsydney.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_archive.html This Isn't Sydney Blog: Photographs on Pearl Beach Bicentennial Plagues
  4. News: 'It's all too real now'. Daily Telegraph. 21 July 2014.
  5. News: Drowning death prompts calls for signage at 'dangerous' beach. Daily Telegraph. 16 July 2015. Barnes. Denice.
  6. http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/council/policies/dcp_register/alpha_listing Gosford City Council Development Control Plan Index, DCP 162 - Residential Development (Pearl Beach)
  7. http://www.peninsulanews.info/2009/1116/default.aspx?item=CleanBea/ Peninsula Community Access News Pearl Beach wins clean beach award, issue 228, 16 November 2009
  8. http://www.kab.org.au/clean-beaches/what-we-do/nsw/ Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Pearl Beach Becomes National Finalist, media release dated 9 December 2010
  9. https://pearlbeachprogress.org.au/history/ Pearl Beach Progress Association | History
  10. https://pearlbeachprogress.org.au/membership/ Pearl Beach Progress Association | Membership
  11. http://www.opera.pearl-beach.com/history.htm/ Pearl Beach Opera in the Arboretum History
  12. http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/council/policies/dcp_register/alpha_listing Gosford City Council Development Control Plan Index, DCP 162 - Residential Development (Pearl Beach)
  13. http://express-advocate-wyong.whereilive.com.au/news/story/pearl-beach-cliff-walk-abandoned-over-lack-of-funds/ Central Coast Express Advocate Pearl Beach cliff walk abandoned over lack of funds, 4 August 2010
  14. http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_2.cfm?itemid=1620108 NSW Government Heritage Branch, Pearl Beach Road
  15. http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/library/local_history/Tourist%20Guides/documents/pearl-beach-real-estate-prospectus-circa-1926.pdf Gosford City Council Local History Pearl Beach Real Estate Prospectus Circa 1926
  16. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17230481? The Sydney Morning Herald, Pearl Beach Road, Friday 20 December 1935
  17. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17242046? The Sydney Morning Herald, Objections to Road, Thursday 11 June 1936
  18. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17454336? The Sydney Morning Herald, Pearl Beach Wants Wharf, Wednesday 6 April 1938
  19. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17595203? The Sydney Morning Herald, Pearl Beach Road, Monday 19 June 1939
  20. http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/news_events/media/media-releases-2010/august/roadwork-update Gosford City Council Media Release Roadwork Update, 04-08-2010 12:00 AM
  21. http://www.nswoceanbaths.info/pools/b020.htm New south wales Ocean Baths, Pearl Beach Rock Pool
  22. http://express-advocate-gosford.whereilive.com.au/news/story/new-pearl-beach-pool-a-triumph-for-community/ Central Coast express advocate, New Pearl Beach Pool a Triumph for Community, 5 December 2010
  23. http://www.nbntv.com.au/index.php/2010/11/28/pearl-beach-icon-restored/ NBN TV, Pearl Beach Icon Restored, 28 November 2010
  24. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17298683?searchTerm=Pearl%20Beach&searchLimits=l-title=The+Sydney+Morning+Herald...|titleid%3A35|||l-decade=193 The Sydney Morning Herald, Pearl Beach Electricity, 31 December 1936
  25. http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/recreation/tennis_courts.html Gosford City Tennis Courts
  26. http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/recreation/aquatic.html Gosford City Aquatic Facilities, Ocean Rock Pools