Forgotten place names of Lake Macquarie R-Z
Place Names A-I Place Names J-Q Place Names R-Z
| Place Name | Suburb | Origin and Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Radar Hill | Catherine Hill Bay | A radar station was established here during the WWII years as protection for Rathmines Air Base. Known as No 208 Radar Station, it was recommended for heritage listing in 2005. |
| Ramsgate | Wyee Point | A subdivision at Wyee Point in 1894 was named Ramsgate Estate. This name has since fallen into disuse |
| Raspberry Gully | Charlestown | The name of the locality above which Charlestown was established in 1876, and known as Raspberry Gully because of the large number of wild raspberry bushes that grew there. The Waratah Coal Company's first shaft was sunk in 1875. It was also called Charles Pit and the Gully Pit, although its official name was South Waratah. All these names were applied to Charlestown in its early days. |
| Reeces Point, Reeces Wharf | Nords Wharf | Aaron Rees, the first titleholder, received a Crown Grant of 80 acres. Reeces Wharf appears to have belonged to Mr Rees. Reeces (Rees) Wharf was located at Reeces Point. By 1875, a steam ferry service, operated by Thomas Russell of Cooranbong, hauled passengers and cargo between Speers Point and Reeces Wharf. Bullocks were often used to transport the goods from the wharf and over the steep hills to Catherine Hill Bay. Reeces (Rees) Wharf and Point are less well known today. (Source: “Kurrawilla Guest House”). |
| Reids Mistake Head | Swansea Heads | At one time called South Head, Reids Mistake Head was named after Captain William Reid first European to discover the entrance to Lake Macquarie in 1800. |
| Rhondda | Teralba | Was the site of the Rhondda Colliery (1900-1971) near Teralba, also known as the Northern Colliery. A village grew up around the colliery, also called Rhondda. In its heyday the Rhondda Hotel was renowned far and wide for their after hours and Sunday trading. Rhondda was named for the Rhondda Valley, a coalmining district in Wales. The site is now abandoned. |
| Robbery Park | Cockle Creek | The old Boolaroo racecourse at Cockle Creek was known as Robbery Park, possibly by the hapless punters who lost their wages there. (P. Jepson) |
| Rooty Flat | Teralba | A former name for the location of the township of Rhondda, near Teralba |
| Rose Tree Hill | Bennetts Green | An early name for Bennetts Green. |
| Salts Bay | Swansea | Salts Bay was the site of a salt works built in the mid 1800s. It did not last long. Salts Bay separates the Swansea Channel from the wetlands in Black Neds Bay. Considerable stabilisation has been achieved in Salts Bay in recent years. Salts Bay (sometimes spelt Saults Bay) was the site of a salt works built in the mid 1800s. |
| Salty Creek | Edgeworth | An early name for Edgeworth Heights, presumably because of its elevated position and close proximity to Cockle Creek. The school was called 'Salty Creek' until 1968. |
| Sammy Fletchers Beach or Sammys Beach | Swansea | This is a smal beach situated between Crabs Beach and Frenchmans Rock. It was said to be named after Sammy Fletcher who lived there. It is believed that Sammy was a trainer of racehorses. (Source: "What's in a name: a brief history of some of the names past and present in and around the northern end of the Wallarah Peninsular" / [researched and written by George & Noelene Boyd]). |
| Sandy Beach | Summerland Point | Sandy Beach and Sandy Beach Reserve are located running north from Black Neds Point at Summerland Point. |
| Sandy Creek | Barnsley | From Heaton State Forest, Sandy Creek flows between Killingworth and Holmesville to Barnsley. It is a tributary of Cockle Creek. This was a popular bathing spot during summer months in the early part of last century. There was a lifesaving club operating there. (Source: “Youngy Then and Now” by Sue Sokoloff). |
| Sawmill Bay | Arcadia Vale | Sawmill Bay, one of the three bays in Eraring Bay, was named for G Hawkin's sawmill which operated in the area. The sawmill supplied most of the timber for housing in Arcadia Vale and Wangi. |
| Sawmill Creek | Arcadia Vale | Sawmill Creek runs under Ilford Avenue and enters Lake Macquarie just north of Brighton Street into Sawmill Bay. G Hawkin's sawmill was located on what is now the corner of Lisburn Street and Ilford Avenue. This name was suggested by the Eraring Bay Landcare Group in 2005. |
| Scarborough | Bonnells Bay | An early name for Bonnells Bay. Named for the Village of Scarborough subdivision - 600 blocks which went on sale in April 1887. It was touted as the "Darling Point of the future" in a land sale advertising brochure in 1913. |
| Scarborough Point | Bonnells Bay | This was another name for Hungary Point. The “Village of Scarborough” subdivision was developed in 1886 in Bonnells Bay. |
| Secret Bay | Balmoral | Some earlier maps show Balmoral as being named Secret Bay, the same name as the bay it faces. A version of the origin of this name was given in the Newcastle Morning Herald on the 28th February 1964 by two old timers of Lake Macquarie Shire Council, Cr. Jon Pendlebury (President) and Cr. Harry Taylor entitled 'Life in the raw at Secret Bay'. The area used by the former airbase at Rathmines once contained a secret that is no longer a secret. The point at Rathmines was once known as Secret Bay, and then only to a privileged few. The reason was that about 40 years ago, fisherman from other parts of the lake went there for unauthorised netting and other activity. It was explained that the point had to be a secret spot in those days, because a number of fishermen often worked without the benefit of adequate clothing. |
| Shaggy Point | Belmont | Also known as Kahibah Point. Situated at the end of Ross Street, Belmont. The Shaggy Coal mine (Golden Egg Colliery) previously operated here. |
| Shelly Beach | Dudley | Shelly Beach is reached by descending a fishermen’s path to below the cliff face at the Dudley-Redhead rock platform. There is another Shelly Beach on the Central Coast. |
| Shelsea | Nords Wharf | Shelsea was an early name given for Nords Wharf on Captain Deed’s map of 1907-08. (Source: Newcastle Herald, 20/07/2000). |
| Shingle Splitters Point | Balcolyn | Timber cutters used to make wooden roofing tiles from the casuarina trees that grew here. This name originated from the Sara family who had a cottage there in earlier times. Their occupation was the production of shingles (Source: Newcastle Morning Herald, 19/03/1998). |
| Skye Point | Coal Point | This was one of the names given to Threlkeld's Estate. (Source: “Reid’s Mistake: The story of Lake Macquarie from its discovery until 1890” by K Clouten, 1967). It was presumably named after the Isle of Skye. |
| Slatey Creek | Seahampton | A watercourse about 8 km long which rises about 4 km south of Seahampton and flows generally southeast into Bourkes Creek. This name was assigned 23 December 1977. Previous names were Flaggy Creek, Slatery Creek and Slatey Creek (Source: GNB). |
| Snake Creek | Warners Bay | An early name for South Creek. (Source: "Warners Bay The Early Years" by Peter Murray). |
| South Beach | Nords Wharf | Moseys Beach on the southern end of Nords Wharf was named after the Mosey family. Reece Mosey is recorded living in Nords Wharf around 1917. In later years it became known as South Beach. |
| Stingaree Point | Dora Creek | Stingaree Point is the name given to the peninsula of land on the south bank of Dora Creek, in the vicinity of Stingaree Point Road. A stingaree is a kind of stingray, which is prevalent in the area. |
| Stobbart Creek | Croudace Bay | The creek was named after James Stobbart for his work for the local community and fire brigade. He was also involved in establishing the Thomas H Halton Park that this creek flows through. Declared on 27 December 2002. |
| Stockdale Point | Balcolyn | This was another name for Figtree Point, named after early settler George Stockdale who came to the area in 1861. |
| Stockyard Point | Swansea | An early name for the area now occupied by Swansea RSL Club. The name comes from the fact that the area was once a holding place for livestock. (Source: "What's in a name: a brief history of some of the names past and present in and around the northern end of the Wallarah Peninsular" / [researched and written by George & Noelene Boyd]). |
| Stoney (Stony) Creek | Swansea | Another name for Galgabbah Creek at Swansea. It is said to be named for Thomas 'Stoney' (Stony) Drennan who lived there in the 1880s. (Source: "What's in a name: a brief history of some of the names past and present in and around the northern end of the Wallarah Peninsular" / [researched and written by George & Noelene Boyd]) |
| Styles Point | Rathmines | Styles Point was named for a member of the Thomas family who were the first settlers of the land there. John Denis Thomas purchased 35 acres 7p in January 1900 which he called Styles Point. This was the holiday home of the family, and JD Thomas retained this land for 20 years. It is thought that the Styles name commemorated his grandmother Mary Styles. The history of this land is contained in the book 'The Settlers of the Big Swamps: a saga of the Thomas family and their contemporaries', by Dulcie Hartley. |
| Sugar Bay | Brightwaters | In the 1800s a sugar plantation and sugar mill were here.The climate of the lake was far from ideal for growing the cane, and after the mill was destroyed by bushfire in 1875, it was abandoned. |
| Sunderland | Blackalls | An early estate at Blackalls park, it was originally part of the Terzeny Park Estate. It was reported in the Evening News of Tuesday 4 March 1884 that 300 allotments of the Sunderland township on Stony (Stoney) Creek were sold by auction by Joseph Creer. |
| Surprise Town | Windale | Original name of Windale. Called Surprise Township until 1913, when it became 'Surprise Town'. In March 1951 the town's name was gazetted as 'Windale', named after an early settler Vere James Winn. |
| Swamp Mahogany Creek | Jewells | This creek flows through bushland behind Fencott Drive and is dominated by paperbarks and swamp mahogany. The name Swamp Mahogany Creek emphasises the predominant and ecologically significant vegetation. This area is one of the few remaining significant stands of swamp mahogany in NSW. This name was selected in 2005. |
| Terzeny Park | Blackalls | Was a property owned by Lyster and Chapman, on the western side of Stony (Stoney) Creek where it enters the lake. The property was apparently almost completely surrounded by water, with the lake on one side and Stony (Stoney) Creek on the other. It is now in the suburb of Blackalls Park. |
| The Brush | Martinsville | A colloquial name given to the Martinsville area. The term signifies that this was big timber country, and timber felling and milling became one of the major employments of the area. |
| Thriftdale Estate | Mt Hutton | A 1921 subdivision at Mount Hutton. It covered the streets now known as Warners Bay, Auklet and Tennent Roads. It was also bounded, in the south, by Scrubby Creek. It was developed by the Assurance and Thrift Association Ltd, hence the name Thriftdale Estate. |
| Tickhole Creek | Cardiff | A watercourse about 2km long that rises adjacent to Tickhole Tunnel and flows generally west then southwest until its confluence with Winding Creek. Council suggested that this watercourse has always been known as Tickhole Creek. They supplied a registered plan dated January 1925 as evidence. This name was proposed on 18 November 1997 (Source: GNB). A tick-hole is a mining term for is a small hole, or cavity, in a rock, usually lined with a crystalline incrustation. The Tickhole Tunnel is part of the Tickhole Formation known as the Charlestown Conglomerate |
| Tin Hare Creek | Whitebridge and Kahibah | The speedy green railmotor used on the Belmont line was affectionately named after the tin hare that greyhound dogs chase around the track. This creek name was suggested by a group of Green Corp volunteers that had been working on the creek and it was selected in 2005. |
| Toompoah | Toronto | An early Aboriginal name for Toronto West. It means "place of clay". |
| Trialba | Teralba | This was the name given to Ranclaud's 1830 estate, which encompassed present day Teralba. It is thought that this, a Latin word for 'three white things', pertained to three local mountains. Alternatively it may have derived from the Aboriginal words 'Tool-kar-bar' (a soft ti-tree place) or 'Tir-reel-ba' (place of ticks). Another possibility is 'place where edible bush grows'. |
| Trickle Under Creek | Fennell Bay | This creek flows off the hill at the end of Harrington Street, diagonally across the reserve. From there it is piped under houses to Macquarie Road, and then to the main road where it reaches the lake near Fennell Bay Bridge. This name was suggested by a resident and member of the local Landcare Group in 2005. |
| Tulkaba Creek | Teralba | This creek flows from bushland, passes under Railway Street and through an early, round brick-lined tunnel built for this purpose under the railway embankment. The more adventurous school children, (author included) used to walk through this tunnel before the undergrowth eventually obscured the openings. It then passes under William Street, alongside the school yard, under York Street, and beside Tulkaba Park into Cockle Creek at the Five Island bridges. Tulkaba is an Awabakal word meaning ‘a place of soft ti-trees’. (Threlkeld). This name was suggest by Teralba Public School students in 2005.By 2007, the bottom bricks inside the tunnel were showing signs of wear caused by 110 years of flowing water. A few cracks were also found. Although this was not considered dangerous, a concrete pipe liner was installed with cement grout in between the liner and the old tunnel. The portal has been rendered over but unfortunately the old brickwork is no longer visible. |
| Village Bay | Belmont South | A bay located on the eastern side of the lake between Belmont South Caravan Park and Marks Point. |
| Violet Town | Floraville | An early name for Tingira Heights. It was changed to avoid confusion with another town of the same name in May 1965. |
| Warners Creek | Warners Bay | This creek was named officially in honour of Jonathon Warner, whose family homestead was located near the creek. Jonathon Warner, a retired army lieutenant was the first settler in Warners Bay in 1839. This name was suggested by the Warners Bay Landcare Group and it was selected in 2005. |
| Whiteheads Lagoon | Myuna Bay | Near Myunah Bay. Philip Whitehead, a Frenchman, had a vineyard in 1898 with his three nephews on what is now Myuna Bay Recreation Area. The lagoon and point are named from this family. (Source: “Reid’s Mistake: The story of Lake Macquarie from its discovery until 1890” by K Clouten, 1967). |
| Winding Creek | Highfields – Charlestown | A watercourse about 8 km long, it rises about 2 km WSW of Highfields and flows generally NW into Brush Creek. This name was assigned 7 October 1977 (Source: GNB). Riffle ponds were formed in upper Winding Creek in Waratah Avenue Charlestown, to promote creek restoration in combination with planting of native species (Source: “Living Lake Macquarie” Issue 14, 2008). |
| Wombarl | Swansea | Near Myuna Bay. Philip Whitehead, a Frenchman, had a vineyard in 1898 with his three nephews on what is now Myuna Bay Recreation Area. The lagoon and point are named for this family. (Source: “Reid’s Mistake: The story of Lake Macquarie from its discovery until 1890” by K Clouten, 1967). |
| Young Wallsend | Edgeworth | From an 1885 subdivision for the Township of Young Wallsend. Named as a variant on the nearby towns of Wallsend and West Wallsend. The name was changed to Edgeworth in December 1960 |
| Youngy | Edgeworth | An abreviation of Young Wallsend, which became Edgeworth in December 1960. |
This work by Lake Macquarie City Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License