Bellambi, New South Wales

Bellambi is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It has a railway station (opened 1889)^[2] on the NSW TrainLink South Coast Line.

Bellambi is situated directly north of Corrimal and east of Russell Vale. It has a beach, Bellambi Beach, on the Wollongong to Thirroul Bike Track.

Bellambi lies on the flat northern Illawarra coastal plain, with views of the escarpment to the west, one of note being Broker's Nose, 440 metres high. To the east is Bellambi Beach and a creek inlet in a reserve, and to the south of the inlet is Bellambi Harbour and Bellambi Point.

The original jetty was constructed in 1858. On the 28th of August, 1862, a telegraph line was constructed between Wollongong and Bellambi. In 1863 a second jetty was built at the harbour. In 1887 a new jetty was constructed at Bellambi Bay. In 1927 the Bellambi Mines Rescue Station was established. The public school was opened in 1956. In 1965 the rock pool was under construction.^[3]

At Bellambi Point is Bellambi Lagoon Reserve, a protected reserve area in which are the lagoon and small islands of that name, mostly forested in swamp oaks (casuarina), coastal sclerophyll and saltmarsh. A small hill rises to about ten metres and has recently been fenced off due to erosion. This was a site of sand mining for some time. The site contains dune and wetland vegetation communities, a number of rare plant species and is an important habitat with more than 50 bird species using the site including a pair of White Breasted Sea Eagles. There is also significant Indigenous heritage in the area with numerous middens on the site. There has been an active Bushcare group at the site since 2003. The Tinelt name is synonymous in the area with local customs and building a sense of community is heavily emphasised.^[4]

References