Mollymook is a town located on the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

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 ...

approximately three hours' drive south of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

within the City of Shoalhaven local government area. At the , Mollymook had a population of 1,083 while the adjacent locality of Mollymook Beach was home to a further 2,447 people. Geographically, Mollymook is considered part of the Milton-Ulladulla district, a coastal corridor of urban development stretching from

Burrill Lake Burrill Lake is a small village on the Princes Highway in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is a seaside suburb of the Milton-Ulladulla district, a part of the City of Shoalhaven local government area and surrounds the l ...

, south of

Ulladulla Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

to Mollymook's northern neighbour, Narrawallee and the historic town of

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

a few kilometres inland. The area collectively referred to as Mollymook is formed by two distinct localities; Mollymook Beach – a mostly residential area incorporating Bannister Headland adjoining Narrawallee, and Mollymook – containing the Mollymook golf and surf lifesaving clubs, motels and serviced apartments. The name "Mollymook" is believed to derive from

mollymawk The mollymawks are a group of medium-sized albatrosses that form the genus ''Thalassarche''. The name has sometimes been used for the genus ''Phoebetria'' as well, but these are usually called sooty albatrosses. They are restricted to the South ...

, the name given by sailors to small species of

albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacifi ...

History

Mollymook was first settled as a rural area of Ulladulla. In 1859, the Mitchell family established a property named "Molly Moke" in the vicinity of Garside Road. "Mollymook" is possibly a reference to the

black-browed mollymawk The black-browed albatross (''Thalassarche melanophris''), also known as the black-browed mollymawk,Robertson, C. J. R. (2003) is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae; it is the most widespread and common member of its family. ...

. A cemetery overlooking the sea was in use by 1893. Sometime around 1900, John Coller allowed public access to the beach and rock pools on his family estate (present-day Collers Beach), and Mollymook began to earn a reputation as a popular retreat.

Silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

mining operations were commenced on Mollymook's southern headland by the Illawarra brick company prior to 1920 and brought an influx of workers to the quarries. Bannister Headland at the northern end of Mollymook beach was the site of a silica crushing facility and loading jetty in the early 20th century. In 1924, a tramway was constructed across Narrawallee Inlet to transport silica from mining leases near Conjola for preparation and shipping. The industry declined during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During the 1990s, many of Mollymook's older homes began to be redeveloped with medium density apartments and resort style hotels. Like much of the south coast, the town is popular with retirees.

Facilities and infrastructure

Today Mollymook has an

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

largely based on tourism relying on nearby Ulladulla with a larger population base for many services and employment opportunities. A small shopping centre with a supermarket, pharmacy and several specialty shops is located at the northern end of Mollymook, as well as a public sportsground – the Bill Andriski Mollymook Oval, medical centre and bowling club. A range of beachside accommodation options are popular during the summer holiday seasons including motels, holiday rental homes, serviced apartments as well as the upmarket Bannister Head Lodge. In peak holiday times South Mollymook Beach, North Mollymook Beach and Narrawallee are all patrolled by members of the Mollymook Surf Lifesaving Club. The Sandridge Memorial Gardens Cemetery has been in use since 1893 and is the largest in the district, located at the corner of Ocean Street and Mitchell Parade, overlooking Mollymook Beach. Ulladulla Bus Lines route 740 provides public transport services six days per week toward Ulladulla and Milton, with several stops in Mollymook up to five times per day.

Sport and recreation

The Mollymook Golf Club maintains two golf courses; the Hilltop course is an 18-hole Championship course, renowned as a challenging and picturesque layout. Designed in 1977, the March 2006 edition of Australian Golf Digest rated this course as number 97 in the top 100 Australian golf courses. The smaller 9 hole, Par 33 Beachside course is aimed mainly at social golfers. The Hilltop course features a lounge bar, pro-shop and locker room, offering cart hire, conference and practice facilities. The main clubhouse is located next to Mollymook Beach, adjacent to the Beachside course and offers gaming and dining options and a large function room with panoramic views of the beach. The smaller Mollymook Beach Bowling Club also offers bistro style dining and a range of recreational activities including lawn bowls and

poker tournaments A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table (called a " heads-up" tournament), and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tabl ...

. The Mollymook Surf Lifesaving Club hosts many competitions and surf carnivals throughout the year. Events include

surf boat A surfboat (or surf boat) is an oar-driven boat designed to enter the ocean from the beach in heavy surf or severe waves. It is often used in lifesaving or rescue missions where the most expedient access to victims is directly from the beach. ...

races and ocean swims. The club encourages the participation of "

Nippers Nippers are young surf lifesavers, usually aged between 5 and 14 years old, in clubs across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Unlike senior surf lifesavers, the majority of them do not patrol the beaches. The focus for Nippers tends t ...

", junior club members aged between 5 and 14 who learn skills in water safety and surf lifesaving many of whom go on to patrol the local beaches. The club also maintains a kiosk and function rooms at their clubhouse at the southern end of the beach. The Bill Andriski Oval is the home ground of the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs, a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

team which competes in the Group 7 competition of the

Country Rugby League The Country Rugby League of New South Wales (CRL), formed in 1934 and disbanded in 2019, was the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in areas of New South Wales outside the Sydney metropolitan area until it merged with NSW Rug ...

. In July 2004, the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

broadcast an episode of The Footy Show live from the oval, including several pre-recorded segments featuring Mollymook Beach and the Surf Lifesaving Club. Collers Beach, Mollymook

Surfing is a common sport in the area and Mollymook contains numerous popular breaks, including Colliers, Golfies, Kamakazes, and more along Mollymook beach. Diving and spear fishing is also popular around the rocks, and Bannister Head to the north of Mollymook beach contains the well known jumprock and run-and-jump.

Tourism and attractions

In addition to the surf beach, Mollymook also boasts a large natural rock pool known as the "Bogey Hole". This sheltered pool is protected from the sea, making it popular with families due to the calm waters. Nearby Collers Beach offers opportunities for snorkelling and has been designated by the Shoalhaven City Council as an

off-leash area A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4' to 6' fence, separate double-gated ...

where dog owners can allow their pets to exercise freely. Additional amenities are provided at the northern end of Mollymook Beach which is popular with surfers due to it being more exposed to the open sea. In October 2009,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

celebrity

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and restaurateur

Rick Stein Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

opened his first Australian restaurant in Mollymook – 'Rick Stein at Bannisters'. Located at 'Bannisters' a Boutique Hotel on the cliff tops of Bannisters Point, the opening of 'Rick Stein at Bannisters' increased media attention and public awareness of the town of Mollymook.The Daily Telegraph
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References

External links

''Travel South'' Mollymook visitors guide

Mollymook quick guideVISITNSW.com – Mollymook
{{authority control City of Shoalhaven Towns in New South Wales Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales) Coastal towns in New South Wales