33-469: Stanwell Tops is an exurban locality between the cities of Sydney and Wollongong on the New South Wales , Australia coastline. It lies northwest of Stanwell Park and southwest of Otford . With a population of 517 residents Stanwell Tops is almost entirely residential. In 1996 Australian Bureau of Statistics data reported Stanwell Tops as having the fourth-highest proportion of males in
66-513: A few close shops to Stanwell Tops. Helensburgh is the main town out of Coalcliff , Otford , Stanwell Park , and Stanwell Tops because they have the same post code as the main town, Helensburgh. There are no retail stores or industrial facilities in Stanwell Tops. Groceries, liquor, public hotels and some restaurants can be found in the surrounding towns and villages less than 10 minutes drive away. The majority of residents work either in
99-636: A music festival with carols at Rex Jackson Oval . Fireworks are also held and is known as Carols in the Burgh. The town is now within the federal electorate of Cunningham , held by Labor's Alison Byrnes , and the state electorate of Heathcote , held by Labor MP Maryanne Stuart . Helensburgh has historically been a Labor -voting area. This voting pattern has persisted despite new housing estates bringing many new residents to Helensburgh. Weather conditions in Helensburgh are generally fairly mild throughout
132-439: A rainy day in Helensburgh. The reason for this microcosm of climate lies in Helensburgh's altitude. Although it does not appear to be particularly mountainous, Helensburgh is surrounded by coastal suburbs located virtually at sea level, while Helensburgh itself, due to an odd quirk of geography, is not. So while you would expect Helensburgh's weather to be more similar to Sydney's or Wollongong's, given their relative closeness to
165-436: Is a rare reminder of early railways. The old Helensburgh railway station and the line were covered in the earth until recent years but has been partially uncovered for historical purposes. East of Helensburgh is the older locality of Lilyvale a one-time railway construction camp, fettler, timber and orcharding settlement that had its own railway station and once supported its own Metropolitan hotel, shops and post office but
198-690: Is a small town, located 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of Sydney and 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Wollongong and north and above the Illawarra escarpment and region. Helensburgh is in the Wollongong City Council local government area . It is surrounded by bushland reserves adjacent to the southern end of the Royal National Park and Garawarra State Conservation Area and the Woronora reservoir water catchment
231-508: Is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area , at the edge of a metropolitan area , which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and relatively high population-growth. It shapes an interface between urban and rural landscapes, holding a limited urban nature for its functional, economic, and social interaction with the urban center , due to its dominant residential character. Exurbs consist of "agglomerations of housing and jobs outside
264-583: Is home to several walking tracks and lyrebirds are common nearby. The Helensburgh Skate Park opened in July 2007. One of the most popular local events is the annual Helensburgh Lions Club Fair which is held in October. Other local events include the Holy Cross and Helensburgh Primary School Fetes. The Sri Venkateswara Hindu temple holds festivals and special days. Just before Christmas the local church holds
297-535: Is now mostly part of the Royal National Park and Garawarra State Conservation Area and returned to bush. Lilyvale became a satellite settlement when Helensburgh grew larger. Lilyvale and the Metropolitan Colliery in Helensburgh were directly linked by the original railway and after the railway was diverted in 1914, mine workers could walk the abandoned railway line and tunnels. Helensburgh and Lilyvale Workmen's Club, now merged as Tradies, Helensburgh,
330-625: Is technically a part of Stanwell Tops. Stanwell Tops rests on the Illawarra escarpment , overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the neighbouring village of Stanwell Park . It is bounded on all sides by state-forest reserves and other forested crown lands, which are contiguous with the Royal National Park and the Garawarra State Conservation Area . Stanwell Tops has its origins as a private parcel of land owned by property developer Henry Ferdinand Halloran . Since
363-662: Is to its west. The town is on the Woronora Plateau. To the southeast, it is separated from Otford in the Hacking River valley below by a high ridge but linked to it by the South Coast Railway and Otford Road. It is separated from Waterfall by Garawarra State Conservation Area and the former Garawarra sanitorium but linked to it by the South Coast Railway with tight bends descending from the line's highest point at Waterfall to Helensburgh Station. To
SECTION 10
#1732790473976396-575: The 2021 census of Population, there were 6,576 people in Helensburgh. Helensburgh Public School opened in 1887 and currently has a student population of 460. The Holy Cross Catholic Parish Primary School was founded in 1900. There is no high school in Helensburgh, and the closest are in Heathcote, Engadine and Bulli. Helensburgh railway station is on the South Coast Railway , linking Sydney to Wollongong and Bomaderry . Owing to
429-844: The Greater Sydney area or in the Wollongong metropolitan area , and the proportion of households whose income is above A$ 3000 per week is more than double the Australian national average. Businesses that operate in Stanwell Tops are the 'Tumbling Waters Retreat', 'The Tops Conference Centre' (formerly known as the Christian Conference Centre, a wholly owned subsidiary of Churches of Christ Community Care), 'Stanwell Tops Technical Services' and several hobby farms – some with farmstay options. At least one hang gliding businesses operates from Bald Hill , which
462-493: The Wodi Wodi clan. On 25 December 2001, Stanwell Tops and Helensburgh were the sites of the most dangerous bushfire to reach the area in living memory. The fire affected the entire population of both localities, with 12 homes and two businesses destroyed and more damaged. Helensburgh residents were issued with a general evacuation order. The immediate fire danger lasted from midday on 25 December until midnight. Helensburgh
495-410: The urban center . Exurbs can be defined in terms of population density across the extended urban area, for example "the urban core (old urban areas including Siming and Huli , where the population density is greater than 51 persons per ha), the suburban zone (old urban and new urban transitional zones including Haicang and Jimei, where the population density is greater than 8 persons per ha), and
528-412: The 1930s, the area had been host to health retreats, recreational facilities, and popular bushwalking tracks. The Stanwell Tops Pleasure Park complex operated during the 1930s and 1940s and evolved into a caravan park, until it was shut down in 1951 due to stagnating business. At the same time, the majority of the site was subdivided and sold, creating the permanent community that exists today. The site of
561-444: The U.S. Northeast megalopolis , exurban areas incorporate pre-existing towns, villages and smaller cities, as well as strips of older single-family homes built along pre-existing roads that connected the older population centers of what was once a rural area. The Brookings Institution listed exurban counties, defined as having at least 20% of their residents in exurban Census tracts . Helensburgh, New South Wales Helensburgh
594-498: The area often commenting that Helensburgh seems to be a couple of degrees colder than Sydney or Wollongong on the same day (especially in winter) . Helensburgh also has a higher rainfall than its neighbours, although locals would claim that the difference between Helensburgh's rainfall rate and Sydney's or Wollongong's rainfall rates seems greater than what official sources would indicate it to be. Commuters can often be heard complaining about seeing clear blue skies in every other suburb on
627-851: The beach and overall quiet, unpolluted bush surroundings. Originally called Camp Creek , Helensburgh is named after the town of Helensburgh located by the River Clyde in Scotland which is also a railway town. It was established as a railway construction camp in the 1880s during the construction of the South Coast Railway and then became a coal miners' settlement for the Metropolitan Colliery . Helensburgh Post Office opened on 1 December 1886. The town developed other shops and services and market gardens to supply local residents. The duplicated curved railway platform
660-657: The company was liable for compensation claims made by residents of affected homes and businesses. In 2008, five Helensburgh firefighters who responded to the Black Christmas bushfires were awarded bravery medals and meritorious conduct awards by the NSW Fire Brigades , as well as a Commissioner's Commendation for their courageous efforts during both the Black Christmas bushfires and the Waterfall rail accident . The nearby town of Helensburgh has been
693-416: The dance hall, the only remaining building of the former Pleasure Park, remained unused until it was sold in 1970 to a private owner who renamed the property and the accompanying mineral pools as the 'Garden of Peace', a meditation retreat and de facto community centre. At the turn of the century, the site was sold again and in 2003 opened as the boutique hotel and function centre 'Tumbling Waters Retreat'. At
SECTION 20
#1732790473976726-541: The drop in altitude from Waterfall to Helensburgh, a series of almost hairpin turns are created along the railway line. Helensburgh is surrounded by the bushland of the Royal National Park , Garawarra State Conservation Area , water catchment of the Woronora Dam and adjacent Heathcote National Park and is picturesque and naturally bound but environmentally sensitive. This bushland location also makes Helensburgh susceptible to bushfires . The dry sclerophyll bush
759-553: The exurban areas (newly urbanized areas including Tong'an and Xiang'an , where the population density is less than 8 persons per ha)". The mixture of urban and rural environments raises ecological issues. Since the Finding Exurbia report by the Brookings Institution in 2006, the term is generally used for areas beyond suburbs and specifically less densely built and populated than the suburbs to which
792-467: The exurbs' residents commute. To qualify as exurban, a census tract must meet three criteria: These are based on published datasets. Alternative approaches include working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory LandScan data and GIS . Exurban areas incorporate a mix of rural development (e.g., farms and open space) and in places, suburban-style development (e.g., tracts of single-family homes, though usually on large lots). In long-settled areas, such as
825-523: The municipal boundaries of a primary city" and beyond the surrounding suburbs. The word exurb (a portmanteau of extra (outside) and urban ) was coined by Auguste Comte Spectorsky , in his 1955 book The Exurbanites , to describe the ring of prosperous communities beyond the suburbs , that are commuter towns for an urban area. In other uses the term has expanded to include popular extraurban districts which nonetheless may have poor transportation and underdeveloped economies due to their distance from
858-446: The north and the south, the fact that Helensburgh is around 250 metres higher above sea level than either of them does have a noticeable effect on its climate and weather patterns. On the flip side, extreme weather conditions affecting Sydney or Wollongong generally aren't felt in Helensburgh. In recent years, several famously severe hailstorms and/or windstorms in both Sydney and Wollongong all left Helensburgh virtually untouched. For
891-688: The north of Helensburgh and east of the railway line are the two segments of the Garawarra State Conservation Area and Royal National Park . Helensburgh is beyond the Sydney metropolitan train service which finishes at Waterfall. Helensburgh is the northernmost settlement of the Wollongong Local Government Area and is above and to the north of the Illawarra escarpment and the region's northernmost point of Bald Hill . Helensburgh has proximity to
924-659: The same time as the original Pleasure Park, the Princess Marina Cliff Walk was established; also by Henry Halloran. The walk extended throughout the surrounding bushlands and is still largely intact. Another walking track, the Wodi Wodi trail, links Stanwell Tops with Stanwell Park railway station. Stanwell Tops is a part of the Aboriginal land formerly occupied by the Tharawal people , specifically
957-534: The state at 59.4%, however by 2011 Stanwell Tops had lost its outlier status with that percentage figure dropping to 51.8%. The population of Stanwell Tops decreased from 545 to 471 between 1996 and 2011, indicating a loss of 13.6% of its residents. In the 2021 Census, 86.3% of people were born in Australia and 94.4% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 37.7%, Catholic 20.3% and Anglican 16.2%. Stanwell park had
990-784: The subject of numerous proposals, beginning in the early 1970s, for expanded urban development. Since then, various additions to the township have moved its effective boundary closer to Stanwell Tops, however development that would increase the urban footprint of Stanwell Tops itself has not been approved. More recent proposals that included plans for expanding Stanwell Tops as well as Helensburgh and Otford were submitted to Wollongong City Council from 2004 onwards. Proposals to rezone Environmentally Protected '7(d)' zones in 2010 and 2011 were met with large-scale community opposition. 34°13′12″S 150°59′31″E / 34.2199°S 150.99181°E / -34.2199; 150.99181 Exurban An exurb (or alternately: exurban area )
1023-582: The year, much like the majority of the New South Wales coast. Day temperatures average between 24 °C and 29 °C in the summer months, and rarely go above 33 °C. Average day temperatures during winter months are between 6 °C and 12 °C, and rarely dip below 2 °C. Night temperatures tend to be much cooler, dropping off anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees after the sun goes down. Helensburgh often seems like it has its very own climate compared to neighbouring locations, with visitors to
Stanwell Tops, New South Wales - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-437: Was founded in 1896. From the 1950s to 1970s, Lilyvale Mushrooms operated in the abandoned railway tunnels. Lilyvale railway station was closed in 1989 when the railway was electrified. On the southwest fringe of Helensburgh is the locality of Blue Gum Forest, formerly a rural area. A mural depicting miners is at the starting point of the old line. Helensburgh has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: According to
1089-475: Was still closed for the next three days due to the health hazard associated with a malfunctioning electricity grid, and sewage and water systems, which were also damaged in the fire. Local community groups remarked on the solidarity of residents during the crisis, particularly in helping to preserve property; however opinions of the actions of authorities were mixed. An official inquiry found that fire originated from powerlines operated by Integral Energy , and that
#975024