Narara () is a
suburb just north of
Gosford
Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extr ...
on the
Central Coast region of
New South Wales
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, 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. It is part of the
local government area.
The suburb is mostly residential but also holds
Narara railway station on the
Central Coast & Newcastle Line
The Central Coast & Newcastle Line is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service that runs along the Main North railway line in New South Wales, connecting the state's two largest cities, Sydney and Newcastle. The service runs from through to o ...
. It also contains a corner shop and bottleshop, a number of parks, sporting grounds, and a concrete public skatepark. It is the home of
Narara Valley High School, a NSW government public high school, an
St Philips Christian College Gosford a private school educating children from kindergarten to year twelve.
It is also home to th
Narara Ecovillage which aims to research, design and build a stylish, intergenerational, friendly demonstration Ecovillage, blending the principles of ecological and social sustainability, good health, business, caring and other options that can evolve from our well-being. Narara also hosts the annua
Ecoburbiafestival, awarded Best Community Event by Gosford City Council in 2015.
The name 'Narara' can be traced back to the local
Aboriginal term for 'black snake', which appears on the official emblem of
Narara Valley High School and the
scarf
A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...
of
1st Narara Scout Group.
Narara's claim to fame is that the
Narara Music Festival was held nearby in
Somersby in 1983 and 1984.
The Angels, an Australian rock band, produced an 11 track live album recorded at the festival named, appropriately enough, "Live at Narara".
Narara largely consisted of orchards and small mixed farms. Water from the small dams that used to be accessible from Narara Creek Road was piped in wooden piping across Narara Creek to the Railway station to supply steam trains. The dams were also a popular swimming spot especially when the ladder and walkway still existed on the lower dam wall.
History
Narara is situated in the traditional lands of the
Darkinjung people
The Darkinjung (not to be confused with the Darkinyung people further inland) are the Local Aboriginal Land Council in the Central Coast, New South Wales, area of Australia and a major landowner on the Central Coast, participating in formal jo ...
, whose name of the area means ''black snake''.
On 15 August 1887,
Narara railway station was opened. Two years later, with the opening of the
Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge, the
Main North railway line went through Narara.
References
External links
Narara Valley High School websiteSt Philips Christian College Gosford websiteNarara EcovillageNarara Eco Living Network
Suburbs of the Central Coast (New South Wales)
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