Lawrence Hargrave Drive

Lawrence Hargrave Drive

New South Wales
Lawrence Hargrave Drive; New South Wales
	Lawrence Hargrave Drive
	North end South end
Coordinates	34°12′11″S150°58′04″E / 34.2031°S 150.9678°E (North end); 34°19′22″S150°54′48″E / 34.3227°S 150.9134°E (South end);
General information
Type	Road
Length	19.5 km (12 mi)
Gazetted	August 1928
Major junctions
North end	Old Princes Highway ; Helensburgh, New South Wales
	Lady Wakehurst Drive
South end	Princes Highway ; Thirroul, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major suburbs	Stanwell Park, Coalcliff, Clifton, Austinmer

Last updated July 01, 2023

View from Bald Hill lookout, with Lawrence Hargrave Drive visible following the coast towards Wollongong and the Sea Cliff Bridge on the second headland. StanwellParkView.jpg — View from Bald Hill lookout, with Lawrence Hargrave Drive visible following the coast towards Wollongong and the Sea Cliff Bridge on the second headland.

Lawrence Hargrave Drive, part of the Grand Pacific Drive, is a scenic coastal road and popular tourist drive connecting the northernmost suburbs of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, to Wollongong, in the south, and Sydney, in the north across the scenic Sea Cliff Bridges. It was named after Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian aviation pioneer who lived nearby.

Route

The road begins at the Old Princes Highway, Helensburgh ^[3] (Princes Motorway exit) and passes through Stanwell Tops to descend the steep Illawarra Escarpment at Bald Hill, the site of a spectacular lookout and hang gliding area. The road then passes south through Stanwell Park and Coalcliff to cross the Sea Cliff Bridge and adjoining Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge. Together, the Sea Cliff Bridge and Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge construction were completed in December 2005, replacing the former cliff-hugging route which was prone to rockfalls and consequent closures.^[4] Remnants of the former road can still be seen to this day, including some of the guard rail and most of the road section which is now overgrown with trees and ridden with boulders and rocks that have fallen freely since the roads closure, essentially acting as a ditch.

The road then winds its way through the coastal villages of Clifton, Scarborough, Wombarra, Coledale, Austinmer and finally Thirroul where it meets the Princes Highway at the bottom of Bulli Pass.^[3]

History

The road was originally constructed in the 1870s as Lower Coast Road. It was renamed Lawrence Hargrave Drive after Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian aviation pioneer and explorer who had a house at Stanwell Park and flew his devices from Bald Hill, on 18 December 1946.^[5]

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924^[6] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 185 was declared along Lower Coast Road on 8 August 1928, from the intersection with Princes Highway in "The Dummies", via Bald Hill, Stanwell Park, Clifton, Austinmer, and Thirroul to the intersection with Princes Highway at the foot of Bull Pass;^[2] with the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929^[7] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Main Road 185 on 8 April 1929. Main Road 185 was later extended north along the former Princes Highway alignment to Waterfall on 25 October 2002.^[8]

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993^[9] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Lawrence Hargrave Drive retains its declaration as part of Main Road 185.^[10]

Major intersections

Lawrence Hargrave Drive is entirely contained within the City of Wollongong local government area.

Location	km^[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Helensburgh	0.0	0.0	Princes Highway – Waterfall, Bulli, Wollongong	Northern terminus of road
Helensburgh	0.0	0.0	Princes Motorway (M1) – Heathcote, Mount Pleasant, Dapto, Kiama	Southbound exit and entrance only
Stanwell Tops	3.4	2.1	South Coast railway line
Stanwell Tops	3.9	2.4	Lady Wakehurst Drive – Otford, Lilyvale
Coalcliff	8.5– 8.8	5.3– 5.5	Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge
Clifton	9.0– 9.6	5.6– 6.0	Sea Cliff Bridge
Thirroul	18.5	11.5	South Coast railway line
Thirroul–Bulli boundary	19.5	12.1	Princes Highway (B65) – Fairy Meadow, Wollongong	Southern terminus of road
Incomplete access Route transition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Hargrave</span> Australian engineer and inventor (1850–1915)

Lawrence Hargrave, MRAeS, was a British-born Australian engineer, explorer, astronomer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer.

Wollongong, colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound of the sea'. Wollongong lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 85 kilometres south of central Sydney. Wollongong had an estimated urban population of 302,739 at June 2018, making it the third-largest city in New South Wales after Sydney and Newcastle and the tenth-largest city in Australia by population. The city's current Lord Mayor is Gordon Bradbery AM who was elected in 2021.

Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of 1,941 kilometres (1,206 mi) or 1,898 kilometres (1,179 mi) via the former alignments of the highway, although these routes are slower and connections to the bypassed sections of the original route are poor in many cases.

Stanwell Park is a coastal village and northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost point of the Illawarra coastal strip and lies south of Sydney's Royal National Park. It is situated in a small valley between Bald Hill to the north, Stanwell Tops to the west and Mount Mitchell to the south. It has two lagoons from the village's two creeks, Stanwell and Hargrave Creeks and a beach running between headlands. Stanwell Park and the surrounding suburbs are colloquially referred to by its postcode 2508.

Thirroul is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 73 km south of Sydney. It lies between the Pacific Ocean and a section of the Illawarra escarpment known as Lady Fuller Park, adjacent to Bulli Pass Scenic Reserve.

Stanwell Park railway station is located on the South Coast railway line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the seaside village of Stanwell Park opening on 23 December 1901, relocating to its current location on 10 October 1920.

Bald Hill is a hill on the Illawarra Range, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. With an elevation of approximately 300 metres (980 ft) AMSL, Bald Hill is one of the best known and most popular lookouts in the Illawarra region providing panoramic vistas across the Illawarra escarpment and over the Illawarra plain and the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illawarra escarpment</span> Mountain range in New South Wales, Australia

The Illawarra escarpment, or officially the Illawarra Range, is the fold-created cliffs and plateau-eroded outcrop mountain range west of the Illawarra coastal plain south of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The range encloses the Illawarra region which stretches from Stanwell Park in the north to Kiama, Gerringong and the Shoalhaven River in the south.

The Sea Cliff Bridge, together with the adjoining Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge, are two road bridges that carry the scenic Lawrence Hargrave Drive across the rockface on the Illawarra escarpment, located in the northern Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The balanced cantilever and incremental launching girder bridges link the coastal villages of Coalcliff and Clifton and carry two lanes of traffic, and a pedestrian walkway.

Coledale is a small sea-side village approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Wollongong along the Princes Highway in New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the City of Wollongong and lies between Wombarra and Austinmer.

Coalcliff is a town on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, between Sydney and Wollongong.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austinmer, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sublime Point</span>

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References

1 2 Google (19 August 2022). "Lawrence Hargrave Drive" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
1 2 "Main Roads Act, 1924-1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. National Library of Australia. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
1 2 Wollongong Street Directory, 18th Edition. UBD (A Division of Universal Publishers Pty Ltd). 2006. ISBN 0-7319-1706-5.
↑ "Lawrence Hargrave Drive". Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
↑ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1945". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 12. National Library of Australia. 17 January 1947. p. 78. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
↑ State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
↑ State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929
↑ "Roads Act 1993" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 189. Legislation NSW. 25 October 2002. p. 9185. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
↑ State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes. Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
↑ Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

External links

"Map of Lawrence Hargrave Drive, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2009.

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[gmaps-1] 1 2 Google (19 August 2022). "Lawrence Hargrave Drive" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 19 August 2022.

[nswgovgaz28-2] 1 2 "Main Roads Act, 1924-1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. National Library of Australia. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

[ubd_wsd-3] 1 2 Wollongong Street Directory, 18th Edition. UBD (A Division of Universal Publishers Pty Ltd). 2006. ISBN 0-7319-1706-5.

[rta_lhd-4] "Lawrence Hargrave Drive". Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2009.

[nswgovgaz47-5] "Main Roads Act, 1924-1945". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 12. National Library of Australia. 17 January 1947. p. 78. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.

[6] State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924

[7] State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929

[nswgovgaz02-8] "Roads Act 1993" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 189. Legislation NSW. 25 October 2002. p. 9185. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2023.

[9] State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes. Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924

[nswroadsched-10] Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 August 2022.

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