Cronulla Community Guide and Business Directory

Location

Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, located 26km south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire.

Cronulla is located on a peninsula framed by Botany Bay to the north, Bate Bay to the east, Port Hacking to the south, and Gunnamatta Bay to the west. The neighbouring suburb of Woolooware lies to the west of Cronulla. The Kurnell peninsula, the site of the first landfall on the eastern coastline made by Lt. (later Captain) James Cook in 1770, is accessed by driving northeast out of Cronulla on Captain Cook Drive.

Commercial

The main shopping strip runs along Cronulla Street, which has been partly converted into a pedestrian mall known as Cronulla Plaza. It also extends along the Kingsway, Gerrale Street and other surrounding streets. Cronulla has developed a café culture, with some great cafés and restaurants located along the North Cronulla foreshore and Cronulla Plaza. Tourists can choose from a number of hotels, motels and serviced apartments. Cronulla has many attractions including an independent cinema, nightclubs, pubs and bars. Northies is a well-known pub, near North Cronulla Beach.

Beachside Shopping, Dining and Entertainment

Cronulla Beach CBD is located next to the Cronulla Beaches. It’s 26 km south of Sydney and just a step off the Cronulla railway station. Enjoy our friendly outdoor, shopping, dining and entertainment precinct, where there is something for everyone! Whether you want to be entertained, pampered, fed or just hang at the beach, the CBD is waiting to meet your needs, including:

· Daily needs - fresh food, groceries, newsagents, chemists, liquor outlets, dvd store and supermarket.

· Shopping - surf and beach wear, ladies and kids fashions, homewares, variety stores, toys, books, and heaps more.

· Entertainment (day/night) - Cinema, live music, dinner and bands, dance areas, bars and clubs.

· Facilities & Services - banks, library, post office, baby change, internet café, shoe repair, dry cleaning.

· Dining - excellent cuisine among many alfresco café and restaurants; most open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

· Takeaway food - fresh fruit juice bars, crepes, salads, sandwiches, noodles, asian food, seafood, chicken, sushi & much more.

· Hair & Beauty - get your hair styled, perhaps a massage, manicure/pedicure or indulge with a day spa treatment.

· Kids - children’s playgrounds, craft and music activities, school holiday entertainment and lots more.

Transport

Trains terminate at Cronulla railway station on the Cronulla branch of the Illawarra line, on the City Rail network. Cronulla tunnel gallery is just north of station, linking Cronulla street to Tonkin Street.

Cronulla and National Park Ferry cruises runs passenger services around Port Hacking and a regular route between Cronulla and Bundeena, on the edge of the Royal National Park. The Cronulla Ferry wharf sits on Gunnamatta Bay, beside Tonkin Park.

Bus Link has three bus routes, that all stop at Cronulla Railway Station. These are:

984 Miranda via North Caringbah, 985 Miranda via South Cronulla, 987 Kurnell via North Cronulla.

Cronulla and National Park Ferry Cruises operate a ferry service from the wharf on Gunnamatta Bay, which provides a link between Cronulla and Bundeena across Port Hacking, on the edge of the Royal National Park.

Though the wharf was built for boat use the area inside the shark nets is now mainly used to dive, jump, flip into the water. It is hard to go to the wharf without seeing hordes of people jumping and pulling a 'coffin' (maori bomb). Kids generally just jump feet first but there are some who dare to do more. Teenage locals attempt backflips forward flips and ultra flips the latter being the hardest to pull off. Some even use the surroundings to their advantage jumping and flipping over the rail just managing to clear it.

Getting To Cronulla

Cronulla is easily reached from Sydney with a fast electric train service and efficient road system. Visitors coming to the area wanting public transport information can phone the NSW transport Infoline on 13 1500 or use their web site at www.131500.info.

By Train

From the city, access the Shire from the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Lines. Visitors from south of the Shire, including Nowra, Wollongong and Dapto, can travel via the South Coast Line. From the airport, change at Wolli Creek onto the Illawarra line. For full details contact the Transport Infoline above.

Cronulla Railway Station is at the southern end of Cronulla Street. Cronulla boasts the only Sydney beach accessible directly by rail.

By Road

From Sydney's CBD, Cronulla is approximately 45 minutes drive and is reached by several main roads by car or taxi, including the Princes Highway. From Sydney's International and Domestic Airports Cronulla is approximately 30 minutes drive best reached by taxi. For a personalised service, there are Shuttle Services specialising in airport pick-ups and charters.

Bus

To reach Cronulla by bus a network of three to four different routes is required from the city, making the train service a much faster option.

Buses are available next to Cronulla Railway Station or at the Kingsway which go to other destinations within Sutherland Shire.

Getting around

On arrival to Cronulla there are trains and buses for transport in and around the area. The Buslink Shire Shuttle covers all parts of the coast region. The CBD is also a short walk to Cronulla Marina for those wishing to catch the ferry to Bundeena.

Parks

· Bass & Flinders Point is the southernmost part of Cronulla and features a monument to explorers George Bass and Matthew Flinders, who explored the Port Hacking estuary.

· Darook Park, Gunnamatta Park and Tonkin Park are all located on Gunnamatta Bay.

· Cronulla Park is located behind the beach at South Cronulla.

· Dunningham Park sits behind the beach at North Cronulla, shaded by large Norfolk Island Pines. It features a children's playground, picnic tables and a kiosk.

· Munro Park, featuring the Cronulla War Memorial, is located opposite Cronulla railway station.

· Cronulla Recreational Reserve is located beside the car park at Wanda Beach, popular for sport and recreational activities such as flying Kites.

Events

Cronulla Spring Festival is held every year on the second weekend of September. It includes free entertainment, food and many variety stalls.

Cronulla Markets are held every two weeks at Cronulla High School. They feature fresh produce, organic produce and variety stalls.

October School Holidays

Location:Cronulla Beach CBD Organiser:Cronulla Beach CBD Contact Name:Anita Kenny Telephone No:9527 2100 Email Address:cronullabeachcbd@ssc.nsw.gov.au

Australia Day

Location:Throughout Cronulla, Organiser: Sutherland Shire Council and others, Telephone: 9710 0333

Email Address:ssc@ssc.nsw.gov.au

Plenty to do in Cronulla on Australia Day, including Opera on the Beach and more.

Schools (See Detailed List of Schools in The Shire)

Cronulla is home to a number of primary and secondary schools: Cronulla High School, De La Salle College, Our Lady of Mercy College, Cronulla Public School, South Cronulla Public School, St Francis De Sales, Burraneer Bay Public School, St Aloysius Catholic Primary School.

Sport

The local National Rugby League football club is the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The Cronulla-Sutherland League's Club and home ground, Endeavour Field, are located on Captain Cook Drive at Woolooware.

Surf Life Saving clubs are located along the beach at Wanda, Elouera, North Cronulla and South Cronulla.

Many soccer clubs are located in the Cronulla district, the most prominent being Cronulla Seagulls and the Cronulla RSL clubs.

Churches

St Andrews Anglican Church, St Aloysius Catholic Church, Cronulla Baptist Church, Cronulla Uniting Church, Presbyterian War Memorial Church.

Cronulla Community Project

Great news for Cronulla! the Cronulla Community Project at 38-60 Croydon Street, Cronulla. The project will revitalise Cronulla's CBD with comprehensive new community facilities, office and retail space and a new library. More than 140 new car parking spaces will also be created through new levels of car parking constructed on the new and existing multi-deck car park in Croydon Street. The project is expected to be complete by August 2008. Revitalising Cronulla's CBD (259 Kb PDF)

History

Cronulla is derived from kurranulla, meaning ‘‘place of the pink seashells’’ in the dialect of the area's Aboriginal inhabitants, the Dharawal people. The beaches were named by Surveyor Robert Dixon who surveyed here in 1827-28 and by 1840, the main beach was still known as Karranulla.

Matthew Flinders and George Bass explored and mapped the coastline and Port Hacking estuary in 1796 and the southernmost point of Cronulla is named Bass and Flinders Point, in their honour. John Connell received a grant of 380 acres in 1835. Thomas Holt (1811-88) owned most of the land that stretched from Sutherland to Cronulla in the 1860s. Holt built Sutherland House on the foreshore of Gwawley Bay in 1818, on the eastern side of Sylvania. The Cronulla area was subdivided in 1895 and land was offered for sale at 10 pounds per acre. In 1899, the government named the area Gunnamatta, which means sandy hills. On the 26th February 1908 it was officially changed to Cronulla and Gunnamatta was used for the name of the bay, on the western side.

After the Illawarra railway line was built to Sutherland in 1885, the area became popular for picnics and swimming. Steam Trams operated between Cronulla and Sutherland from 1911. Many regulars rented beach houses at Cronulla every year for school holidays. The Oriental Hotel was built by Captain Spingall in 1888, on the present site of apartments behind the North Cronulla Hotel. The Cecil Hotel was located on the foreshore of South Cronulla and the Ritz Café was popular with holiday-makers. The Cecil Apartments were built on the former site of this hotel. The steam trams were replaced by the Cronulla branch of the Illawarra railway line when it opened in 1939.

The post office opened in January 1891, known as Cronulla Beach, but closed in 1893. It reopened in 1907 and the name was officially changed to Cronulla in 1929. The first public school opened in 1910. From the 1950s, many of the guest houses began being replaced by high rise flats. Even though it developed as a residential area, Cronulla remained popular with beachgoers and tourists. Several hotels, motels and serviced apartments operate today. The Cronulla Bicentennial Plaza opened in February 1989.

The area around the bay was subdivided in 1895 and land was offered for sale at 10 pounds per acre. In 1899, the government named the area Gunnamatta, which means sandy hills. On the 26th February 1908 it was officially changed to Cronulla and Gunnamatta was used for the name of the bay, on the western side.