Oak Flats, New South Wales

Last updated

Oak Flats
New South Wales
Oak Flats Aerial.jpg
Aerial view of Oak Flats from the east
Australia New South Wales location map blank.svg
Red pog.svg
Oak Flats
Oak Flats, New South Wales
Coordinates 34°33′43″S150°49′08″E / 34.56194°S 150.81889°E / -34.56194; 150.81889
Population6,840 (2021 census) [1]
 • Density1,783/km2 (4,620/sq mi)
Established1831
Postcode(s) 2529
Elevation14 m (46 ft)
Area3.590 km2 (1.4 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST) AEDT (UTC+11)
Location
LGA(s) City of Shellharbour
Region Illawarra
County Camden
Parish Terragong
State electorate(s) Shellharbour
Federal division(s) Whitlam

Oak Flats is a suburb of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia situated on the south western shores of Lake Illawarra and within the Illawarra region of New South Wales. It is a residential area, which had a population of 6,840 at the 2021 census. [1]

Contents

Oak Flats is one of the 324 suburbs that sits within the Wollongong Statistical District, which covers the local authority areas of Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama. Oak Flats is locally governed by the Shellharbour City Council, which governs 22 suburbs within the area.

History

The Indigenous people of Yuin are the traditional owners of the South Coast. Traces of Aboriginal occupation of Oak Flats date back to around 15,000 BC.

The area was discovered by George Bass and Matthew Flinders in 1796, whilst free settlers arrived in the nearby town of Shellharbour between 1817 and 1831. As the population in the suburbs around Oak Flats grew, the need for more residential areas became more important. The eastern end of the suburb is commonly known as Balarang.

Ownership of area was first as a grant of 1,200 acres (485 hectares) to army officer John Horsley in 1821. The grant was situated on the southern shores of Lake Illawarra and known as the 'Oak Flats Run'. The land was used to run cattle in the area. Development of Oak Flats as a suburb began in 1925 with the Lake Illawarra Township Estate as the centre, followed by the Kembla Vista and Panorama Estates. Economic Depression of the 1930s coupled with the onset of WWII, slowed development. Post WWII migration brought immigrants predominantly Dutch, and German to Oak Flats, and the town began to develop rapidly. [2]

In the early 1930s, Sydney newspapers invited holiday makers to the therapeutic waters of Lake Illawarra as an alternative to spas in the Blue Mountains. Visitors to Oak Flats initially stayed in the two-storey guesthouse on the Boulevarde. Blocks were also purchased and small week-enders erected by visitors keen to return to Lake Illawarra as a holiday destination. A boat shed, where rowing boats could be hired, stood on the end of the small point at Central Park. The shoreline was popular on hot summer days when families would congregate on the grassy banks to rest or swim in the Lake. [3]

Many streets of Oak Flats are named after Australian prime ministers. These include Deakin Street and Barton Street.

Oak Flats was designed by Walter Burley Griffin who also designed Canberra. Similar concepts in the design include that the town centres around a round street (Bridge Ave) like Canberra does Parliament house.

Demographics

Oak Flats is located in southeast New South Wales and had a population of around 6,840 (48.7% male, 51.3% female) at the 2021 census. Around 1,949 families lived in the area and of those 37.5% had one or more children under the age of 15. 20.6% of families had only a single parent while 39.3% of couples had no children. [1] Oak Flats covers an area of approximately 359 hectares (887 acres).

In terms of people aged 15 years or more living in Oak Flats, 44.5% were married, 10.4% were divorced, 4.1% were separated, 6.7% were widowed and 34.4% had never married. [1]

Country of birthNumberPercentage of total inhabitants
Australia5,33177.9%
England3334.9%
Germany901.3%
New Zealand751.1%
Scotland420.6%
Italy420.6%

Geography

Oak Flats varies in altitude/elevation from about −4 m (–13.12 ft) (highlight point) to 36 m (118 ft) (highlight point) above sea level.

Neighbouring suburbs/regional areas of Oak Flats include Albion Park Rail, Albion Park, Blackbutt and Mount Warrigal.

Education

Oak Flats has four major schools within its boundaries, including Balarang Primary, Oak Flats Primary School, Oak Flats High School and Corpus Christi Catholic High School.

Oak Flats High School

Oak Flats High School is a government-funding secondary school, which was opened on a 20-hectare (49-acre) site on the eastern end of the suburb in 1962. It has 760 enrolments and provides education to children between year 7 and year 12.

Balarang Public School

Balarang Public School was opened in 1968 in a four hectare landscape in Oak Flats. It is located right next to Oak Flats High School. The school provides education to children between Kindergarten and year 6 and draws 30% of its enrolments from other surrounding suburbs. The name of the school is an Indigenous meaning for 'place of swamp oak'.

Corpus Christi Catholic High School

Corpus Christi Catholic High School is a Catholic co-educational school which opened in 2006 with its first group of Year 7 students. The students are drawn from the parishes extending from Port Kembla in the north to Kiama in the south. Since the opening, Corpus Christi has grown to become a Years 7–12 school.

Oak Flats Public School

Oak Flats public school is the first school to open in the area of Oak Flats. It provides education and supervision for children between Kindergarten and Year 6. The school also provides pre-school.

Churches

Oak Flats Anglican Church began services in a house in 1947 before moving to the current premises at 35 Fisher Street, Oak Flats, in 1951. The Uniting Church was once located in Parkes St Oak Flats. The property is now home to Uthman mosque

Transport

Oak Flats Railway Station Oak flats railway station building.jpg
Oak Flats Railway Station

Oak Flats has its own rail station on the NSW TrainLink South Coast line. There is also a bus station/bus stop at the rail station for interchanging with trains.

Recreational

Oak Flats contains two cricket grounds (Shane Lee Oval, Geoff Shaw Oval and Brett Lee Oval), two soccer grounds (Keith Bond Oval and Panorama Oval), and one tennis court.

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wollongong</span> City in New South Wales, Australia

Wollongong 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.

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

The Illawarra is a coastal region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour and the coastal town of Kiama. Wollongong is the largest city of the Illawarra with a population of 240,000, then Shellharbour with a population of 70,000 and Kiama with a population of 10,000. These three cities have their own suburbs. Wollongong stretches from Otford in the north to Windang in the south, with Maddens Plains and Cordeaux in the west.

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

Mount Keira is a suburb and mountain in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albion Park, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia

Albion Park is a suburb situated in the Macquarie Valley in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia. Although it is surrounded by a 'green belt' of farms, Albion Park had a population of 13,316 at the 2016 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Coast railway line, New South Wales</span> Railway line in New South Wales, Australia

The South Coast Railway is a commuter and goods railway line from Sydney to Wollongong and Bomaderry in New South Wales, Australia. Beginning at the Illawarra Junction, the line services the Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division of Throsby</span> Former Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Throsby was an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was named after Charles Throsby, a prominent pioneer and explorer in the early nineteenth century of the areas to the south of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Coast Line</span> Rail service in New South Wales, Australia

The South Coast Line (SCO) is an intercity rail service operated by NSW TrainLink that services the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The service runs from Central, and runs the entire length of the eponymous South Coast railway line to Bomaderry. The service also runs along the Eastern Suburbs railway line at peak hours and the Port Kembla railway line to Port Kembla. It is operated with NSW TrainLink H sets and Sydney Trains T sets, with Endeavour railcars operating the service on the non-electrified line between Kiama and Bomaderry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunmore railway station</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Dunmore railway station is a heritage-listed former railway station that was located on the South Coast railway line in Dunmore, City of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia. The station served the southern Wollongong suburb of Dunmore and indirectly Shellharbour and opened on 9 November 1887. The weatherboard station on Platform 2 dates from 1887. It is also known as the Shellharbour Railway Station Group, Shellharbour railway station and Dunmore Railway Station. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Flats railway station</span> Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Oak Flats railway station is a single-platform intercity train station located in Oak Flats, New South Wales, Australia, on the South Coast railway line. The station serves NSW TrainLink trains travelling south to Kiama and north to Wollongong and Sydney. Together with the Dunmore and later Shellharbour Junction stations, Oak Flats has long served as the rail connection for the coastal suburbs of the City of Shellharbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albion Park railway station</span> Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Albion Park railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the South Coast railway line on the Princes Highway in Albion Park Rail, New South Wales, Australia. The station was designed by New South Wales Government Railways and built during 1887 by William Monie & Company, with the single line railway line built by David Proudfoot and Thomas Logan. The complex is also known as the Albion Park Railway Station Group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The station is located close to Shellharbour Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dapto railway station</span> Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Dapto railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the South Coast railway line in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unanderra railway station</span> Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Unanderra railway station is located on the South Coast railway line in the Wollongong suburb of Unanderra, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warilla, New South Wales</span> Suburb of City of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia

Warilla is a seaside suburb of the City of Shellharbour, Australia within the Wollongong urban area. It is one of the more established areas and is between the suburbs of Mount Warrigal in the west, Barrack Heights and Barrack Point in the south and Lake Illawarra in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Shellharbour</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The City of Shellharbour is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The city is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Sydney and covers the southern suburbs of the Wollongong urban area centred on Shellharbour and it had an estimated population of 68,460 at the 2016 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shellharbour Junction railway station</span> Railway station in New South Wales, Australia

Shellharbour Junction railway station is a railway station located in Dunmore in the City of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia, on the Illawarra railway line. The station is served by NSW TrainLink South Coast Line trains traveling south to Kiama and north to Wollongong and Sydney. Premier Illawarra operates a connecting bus service from the station to Shellharbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group 7 Rugby League</span>

South Coast Group 7 Rugby League is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia and is governed by the NSWCRL. The main semi-professional competition,, comprises ten (10) teams from across the region. Group 7 Rugby League also administers reserve grade, third grade, and under-18s competitions, Ladies League Tag, as well as looking over many junior competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Warrigal, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia

Mount Warrigal is a large suburb of Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia. The population, according to the 2021 Australian Census, was 4,880. The suburb is in the Shellharbour City LGA.

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

Balarang is a suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, located on the southern shore of Lake Illawarra. It is officially designated an urban place, and forms the eastern end of the suburb of Oak Flats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Wollongong</span> School in Australia

Corpus Christi Catholic High School (CCCHS) is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in Oak Flats, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 2006, the school is operated by the Wollongong Catholic Education Office in its service of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wollongong. The school is registered by the NSW Board of Studies as an accredited Year 7 to Year 12 high school.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Oak Flats". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 July 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. ↑ "Place Names of Shellharbour City" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Shellharbour Images" . Retrieved 4 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.