Location
Gerroa is a coastal town in the Municipality of Kiama, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia 133 kilometres south of Sydney. Nearby towns are Gerringong, Kiama and Berry.
Situated at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach and the head of Crooked River. (wikipedia)
History
The original village was once a retreat for various religious orders. Today it is a popular holiday town, and residence for retirees.
Indigenous history
The Aboriginal Wodi Wodi people of the language group Dharawal had been using the land for around 20,000 years. They moved to different locations every six weeks or so in family groups. The fertile bushland would have provided a good supply of food.
European history
The first white people to visit the area were probably survivors of the shipwreck of Sydney Cove. They passed through this area in 1797. As early as 1814, cedar cutters explored the area around nearby Gerringong.
In August 1824, the colonial Governor Thomas Brisbane instructed surveyor James McBrien to survey the land surrounding “Long Nose Point”, now known as Black Head Point at Gerroa.
In 1929, Wizard Smith set an Australian land speed record at Seven Mile Beach. The first recording of a car speed of a hundred miles an hour in Australia was recorded on the beach.
On 11 January 1933 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith undertook his historic first commercial flight from Seven Mile Beach to New Zealand. The Southern Cross took 14 hours and ten minutes to make the journey to New Plymouth. The flight commenced at 2.50 am, watched by a crowd of thousands of visitors and local residents. Some had their car headlights turned on to assist Kingsford-Smith in his take off. A memorial plaque and lookout at Gerroa marks the event. (wikipedia)
Places of Interest
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