Boolaroo, New South Wales
- 19 km (12 mi) W of Newcastle
- 10 km (6 mi) WNW of Charlestown
Suburbs around Boolaroo: | ||
Argenton | Argenton | Cardiff |
Teralba | Boolaroo | Macquarie Hills |
Teralba | Speers Point | Lakelands |
Boolaroo is a suburb and former town of Greater Newcastle, city of Lake Macquarie, in New South Wales, Australia.
Geography
The suburb is located 166 kilometres (103 mi) from Sydney and is 18 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of Newcastle's central business district in Lake Macquarie's West Ward.[2]
Boolaroo borders a number of well-known towns and suburbs within the Lake Macquarie Region, including Warners Bay and Speers Point, and, for a small strip of land, fronts onto Lake Macquarie itself.
History
The Aboriginal people, in this area, the Awabakal, were the first people of this land.[3]
The Aboriginal meaning of Boolaroo is 'place of many flies'[2][4] or 'place of may flies.'[4]
It was founded as a village in 1829 and proclaimed a town in 1896.[2]
The Boolaroo Jockey Club ran race meetings in the town from 1907 to 1931.[2]
It was the epicentre of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake.
The suburb's boundaries were defined on 31 May 1991, and amended on 10 September 2001.[4]
It is unclear when Boolaroo was redesignated from a town to a suburb.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, Boolaroo recorded a population of 1,039 people, 50.5% female and 49.5% male. The median age of the Boolaroo population was 42 years, 4 years above the national median of 38, with 88.0% of people living in Boolaroo were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 1.9%, New Zealand 1.7%, Philippines 1.0%, Scotland 0.4% and Wales 0.4%. 94.0% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.1% Tagalog, 0.4% Mandarin, 0.3% French, 0.3% Italian and 0.3% Serbo-Croatian/Yugoslavian, so described.[5]
In the 2021 census, Boolaroo recorded a population of 1,636 people, 52.0% female and 48.0% male. The median age of the Boolaroo population was 39 years, 1 year above the national median of 38, with 85.6% of people living in Boolaroo were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were England 2.4%, New Zealand 1.3%, South Africa 0.7%, India 0.6%, and Scotland 0.4%. 90.5% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.6% German, 0.6% Afrikaans, 0.4% Hindi, 0.3% Arabic, and 0.3% Gujarati.[6]
Amenities
Boolaroo previously housed a lead/zinc smelter, owned by the former Pasminco (now Zinifex) however the site has been cleared since the smelter ceased operations on 12 September 2003.[7]
Boolaroo is home to several churches, of various denominations, as well as Boolaroo Public School, a library, a cinema (which was partially destroyed in the 1989 Newcastle earthquake) and a number of shops, including a small supermarket and a military disposal store.
Transport
Within Boolaroo is the Cockle Creek railway station, a small station on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line.
See also
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Boolaroo". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d Boon, Robert (1991). The Concise Encyclopedia of Australia and New Zealand. Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Sydney: Horwitz Grahame Pty Limited. pp. 213–214. ISBN 0 7255 2236 4.
- ^ "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people". Lake Macquarie City. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ a b c "NSW Place and Road Naming Proposals System". proposals.gnb.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Boolaroo (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Boolaroo (Suburb and Locality)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Dalton, C.; Bates, L. (2005). "Impact of closure of a large lead-zinc smelter on elevated blood lead levels of children in adjacent suburbs, Boolaroo, Australia" (PDF). WIT Press. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
External links
- History of Boolaroo (Lake Macquarie City Library)
- v
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& localities
- Adamstown Heights
- Arcadia Vale
- Argenton
- Awaba
- Balcolyn
- Balmoral
- Barnsley
- Belmont
- Belmont North
- Belmont South
- Bennetts Green
- Blackalls Park
- Blacksmiths
- Bolton Point
- Bonnells Bay
- Boolaroo
- Booragul
- Brightwaters
- Buttaba
- Cameron Park
- Cams Wharf
- Cardiff
- Cardiff Heights
- Cardiff South
- Carey Bay
- Catherine Hill Bay
- Caves Beach
- Charlestown
- Coal Point
- Cooranbong
- Croudace Bay
- Dora Creek
- Dudley
- Edgeworth
- Eleebana
- Eraring
- Fassifern
- Fennell Bay
- Fishing Point
- Floraville
- Freemans Waterhole
- Garden Suburb
- Gateshead
- Glendale
- Highfields
- Hillsborough
- Holmesville
- Jewells
- Kahibah
- Kilaben Bay
- Killingworth
- Kotara South
- Lakelands
- Little Pelican
- Macquarie Hills
- Mandalong
- Marks Point
- Marmong Point
- Martinsville
- Mirrabooka
- Morisset
- Morisset Park
- Mount Hutton
- Murrays Beach
- Myuna Bay
- New Lambton Heights
- Nords Wharf
- Pelican
- Pinny Beach
- Rankin Park
- Rathmines
- Redhead
- Ryhope
- Seahampton
- Silverwater
- Speers Point
- Sunshine
- Swansea
- Swansea Heads
- Teralba
- Tingira Heights
- Toronto
- Valentine
- Wakefield
- Wangi Wangi
- Warners Bay
- West Wallsend
- Whitebridge
- Windale
- Windermere Park
- Woodrising
- Wyee
- Wyee Point
- Yarrawonga Park
points of interest
- Avondale College
- Belmont Anti-Tank Ditch
- Blackalls Park railway station
- Cardiff Locomotive Workshops
- Charlestown Square
- Cockle Creek Smelter
- Eraring Power Station
- Fernleigh Track
- Glenrock Lagoon
- Lake Macquarie
- Lake Macquarie Petrified Forest
- Mount Sugarloaf
- RAAF Base Rathmines
- South Waratah Colliery
- Teralba Colliery
- Toronto railway line
- Toronto railway station
- Wangi Power Station
- Watagans National Park