South West Rocks is a town located on the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...

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 ...

, near the mouth of the

Macleay River The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...

. It is approximately from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby. The population of South West Rocks is 5,313 people, and maintains a steady growth rate. The tourist population of South West Rocks increases markedly during the holiday season. The area's beaches as well as man-made attractions such as

Trial Bay Gaol Trial Bay Gaol is a heritage-listed former public works prison and internment camp at Cardwell Street, Arakoon, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. It was added to th ...

and

Smoky Cape Smoky Cape is a headland in Australia on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast. It lies just east of the town of South West Rocks, New South Wales, South West Rocks, and within the Hat Head National Park. Cape The cape was named ''Smoky Cape'' ...

Lighthouse are local tourist attractions. Because of the warm ocean in the area fed by the East Coast current which flows down from the tropical regions it is possible to swim all year round. 36% of the population of South West Rocks are over 65 and the town has an average age of 56 as of the 2016 Australian census.

Trial Bay Trial Bay is a broad bay on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The bay faces northwards and extends from Laggers Point in the east around to Grassy Head to the west, past the town of South West Rocks and the Macleay River mouth. ...

is one of the few north facing bays on the Australian east coast.

History

Arakoon was originally established as the township on Trial Bay in 1866. However, by 1889, South West Rocks had established itself as a popular bathing resort with people of the Macleay Valley. South West Rocks got its name most likely from the captains of passing ships, who claimed it was safest to moor vessels near the rocks, south west of Laggers Point (the point on which Trial Bay Gaol is built). Another theory is that their moorings would be safe if they kept the rocks to their south west. Trial Bay was named after a

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

, ''The Trial'', which was stolen and wrecked by

convicts A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

in 1816 in the bay that now bears its name. On 13 May 1770, Captain

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

observed smoke from a fire on a mountain which he named Smoky Cape. The headland in front of the mountain is now the location of Smoky Cape Lighthouse. In 1972, a Sydney Harbour showboat, ''Sydney Queen,'' and the former Newcastle

car carrier Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

s ''Lurgurena'' and ''Koondooloo,'' were wrecked on the Main Beach after breaking free from their moorings in heavy storms. Elements of all three vessels were salvaged, but the hull of ''Sydney Queen'' filled with sand and could not be removed. It was eventually burned to the waterline to remove the obstruction from the beach.

Heritage listings

South West Rocks has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 5 Ocean Drive:

South West Rocks Pilot Station Complex South West Rocks Pilot Station Complex is a heritage-listed former pilot station at 5 Ocean Drive, South West Rocks, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1902 by C. B. Smith. It was added to the New South Wales State Heri ...

(in Arakoon); * Cardwell Street:

* Lighthouse Road:

Smoky Cape Lighthouse Smoky Cape Lighthouse is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Smoky Cape, a headland in Arakoon east of the town of South West Rocks, Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia, and within the Hat Head National Park. It directs b ...

Climate

South West Rocks has a warm and wet humid subtropical climate. The warmest month on average is February with a

mean There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value (magnitude and sign) of a given data set. For a data set, the ''arithme ...

maximum temperature of and the coldest month on average is July with a mean maximum temperature of . On an annual basis, South West Rocks averages 121.2 clear days, the most in August with 14.7 and the least in January with 8.1. Dew-points in the summer average at around . The wettest month is March and the driest month is September. South West Rocks experiences a mean of 137.5 raindays annually, with the most occurring in March and the least occurring in July. South West Rocks gets the highest mean amount of rain during the Autumn and the lowest mean amount of rain during the Spring. Some of the heaviest rainfall received at South West Rocks is quite often received from weather systems known as "East Coast Low Pressure systems" also known as "Mid Latitude Cyclones" not to be confused with Tropical Cyclones which are formed by different type of convection currents. These weather Systems often cause major flooding in the valley and also cause

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...

and wind damage. Approximately an average of four of these systems impact on the area each year to varying degrees depending on their location and mostly occur from January to June although have been known to occur at other times of the year. Tropical cyclones which form further to the north have been known to impact on the area occasionally but this has only happened on an about half a dozen occasions over the last 100 years. South West Rocks'

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

activity is mainly during the period from September to March (inclusive), with October and November being the months where the risk of a

severe thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

is increased due to a relatively high frequency of unstable

atmospheric An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

conditions which favour frequent and strong thunderstorm development.

Hail Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...

is relatively rare at South West Rocks, only occurring once every year or two, and it is usually less than in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid for ...

Climatic Averages for South West Rocks (Smoky Cape Lighthouse)

Industry

South West Rocks has a long history of commercial fishing. Local fishermen, OceanWatch Australia and the local surf life saving club hold an annual Loaves and Fishes Barbeque on Good Friday.

Aged Care

South West Rocks also has an Aged Care Facility, Japara South West Rocks Aged Care, which has 80 rooms low to High Care and employs many of the people who reside in South West Rocks.

Media

''The South West Rocks News'' was once printed as a cover page to the Tuesday edition of ''The Macleay Valley Argus''. This is no longer the case. A weekly free paper ''The Mid Coast Observer'' and magazine the ''Macleay Valley Happynings'' are home delivered every Wednesday to households within South West Rocks. TV broadcasts are usually received from Mt Moombil, west of

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

, though in some locations it is possible to receive signals from Middlebrother Mtn, North-east of

Taree Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distri ...

. Radio signals are able to be received from multiple locations, including;

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

, Kempsey, and Coffs Harbour.

Shopping

South West Rocks' main shopping street is Prince Of Wales Avenue. The major shopping centre is Rocks Central Shopping Centre, with a

Coles Supermarket Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trade name, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood, Victoria, Collingwood ...

(including a

LiquorLand LiquorLand (sometimes referred to as Liquorland) and Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (sometimes shortened to Henry's) are franchises of independently owned bottle shops around New Zealand, operated by Foodstuffs. The stores sell a range of beer, w ...

) and

The Reject Shop The Reject Shop Limited () is an Australian discount variety store chain selling a range of goods such as food, snacks, gift cards and party, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, storage, kitchenware, homewares and seasonal items in 356 sto ...

, on Gregory Street, closer to the town's entrance. The (Wests) IGA Supermarket is also located a further kilometre or so to the North along Gregory Street and there are also two petrol stations located in Gregory Street.

Development

Development in the town has increased over the past few years, with The Rocks Central Shopping Centre opening in 2002, and an adjacent housing subdivision known as Oceanside. South West Rocks may be divided into five main areas: South West Rocks, Arakoon, Oceanside, New Entrance and Spencerville. Arakoon is located to the east of South West Rocks and is home to

. New Entrance is the river mouth located to the west of South West Rocks and locals also refer to the residential area on a ridge just to the east of the Macleay River at the river mouth as Sandfly Hill. Oceanside is located adjacent to The Rocks Shopping Fair; it is a relatively new subdivision in South West Rocks and consists of recently built houses. Spencerville is the most southern area of South West Rocks. It runs from The Rocks Shopping Fair south to Spencers Creek Bridge and was its own village prior to recent development in Oceanside that joined South West Rocks and Spencerville.

Suburbs

* South West Rocks * Arakoon * Sandfly Hill * Jerseyville * Oceanside * Spencerville

Schools

South West Rocks has two pre-schools and a Government primary school
South West Rocks Public School
There is no high school despite the efforts of the Lower Macleay Valley High School Association. High school students travel to Kempsey to one of the three high schools, Melville High School, Kempsey High School or St Paul's Catholic College. Some primary school students also travel to St Josephs Primary School, Kempsey East Public School, Kinchela Primary School or Kempsey Adventist School (which is both a pre-kindigarten, primary and secondary school).

References

External links

*
South West Rocks Photo Gallery

Bureau of Meteorology - Climate Averages for South West Rocks (Smoky Cape Lighthouse)
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Surfing locations in New South Wales Mid North Coast Coastal towns in New South Wales Kempsey Shire