Blackalls Park is a
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
of the
City of Lake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is ...
,
Greater Newcastle
Newcastle ( ; Awabakal language, Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the City of Newcastle, Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie, Lake Macquarie Local gov ...
in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to the immediate north-west of the town of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
on a bay west of
Lake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent ...
.
History
Early industries were farming and broom-making.
Blackalls Park was named after the first family to live in the area, the Blackall family.
Blackalls Park was originally named Blackall Platform due to the, now unused, rail station in the area. The name was changed to Blackalls but then changed to Blackalls Park due to mail being sent to a town with a similar town,
Blackall, Queensland
Blackall is a rural town and locality in the Blackall-Tambo Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Blackall had a population of 1,416 people.
The town is the service centre for the Blackall-Tambo Region. The dominant industry ...
.
In 1891, a tramway between
Fassifern and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
opened.
Due to the Blackall family being the only people boarding the platform, the area was to become known as Blackall Platform.
This became the
Toronto railway line
The Toronto Branch Railway Line is a closed railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line opened in 1891, and branched off the Main Northern line at Fassifern station, crossing over a single lane tunnel on Fassifern Road, and following ...
, but was later replaced by a bus service in the 1990s.
The public primary school was opened in 1954 and services about 245 children (December 2012). It is a feeder school for Toronto High School, approximately 1.5 km to the south.
Blackalls Park is located on an inlet of Lake Macquarie. Small creeks also are found near the lake – Stoney Creek in the south-east separating Blackalls Park from Toronto, and LT Creek just 70 metres north-east of Fassifern Railway Station at the northern extremity of Blackalls Park's suburban limit.
In the mid-1980s, Blackalls Park acquired a small shopping village with a hardware store, a combined newsagency/post-office, a pharmacy, a mini-mart (small general store), a hot-bread shop, a hot food takeaway shop and a hairdresser. This was on the corner of Faucett Street and the main road connecting Toronto with Fassifern and Fennell Bay.
By 1989, a second smaller collection of shops opened at the corner of Centre Street and the main road. It had a large bottle shop (liquor store), a Chinese restaurant, a hairdressing salon and a small shop that sold toys and was later a Beany Babies (TM) outlet when that fad was at the peak of its popularity.
References
External links
History of Blackalls Park(Lake Macquarie City Library)
{{City of Lake Macquarie suburbs
Suburbs of Lake Macquarie