Wanda Beach or ''Wanda'' is the northernmost patrolled beach on

Bate Bay Bate Bay is a bay in southern Sydney, Australia. The bay is south of the Kurnell peninsula and its foreshore makes up the beaches of Cronulla. The beaches of Cronulla from north to south are: Wanda Beach, Elouera Beach, North Cronulla Beac ...

Cronulla Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney ...

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 ...

. ''Green Hills'' or ''Green Hills Ridge'' is the name given to the

Cronulla sand dunes The Cronulla sand dunes, also known officially as the Cronulla Sand Dune and Wanda Beach Coastal Landscape, are an open space, heritage-listed nature conservation, and visitor attraction located on the Kurnell Peninsula at Lindum Road, Kurn ...

, just north of Wanda.

History

The original inhabitants of the land were the

Gweagal The Gweagal (also spelt Gwiyagal) are a clan of the Dharawal people of Aboriginal Australians. Their descendants are traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Country The Gweagal lived on t ...

Aborigines who were a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe of Indigenous Australians. They are the traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney. Wanda is an Aboriginal word for ''beach'' or ''sand hills''. The Wanda Surf Lifesaving Club was established in 1946 after

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 ...

by a group of men who banded together, as they did in warfare, to patrol the beaches. The colours of

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

red,

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

blue, and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

blue were adopted as the club colours. The club, located on Marine Esplanade, has grown in size to its current membership of over 900 male and female members, ranging in age from five-year-old Nippers to the original Founding Members. The primary objective of the club is to patrol the beach in an effort to ensure the safety of the surfing public but it is also actively involved in the competition arena, with excellent performances at State and National Competitions. A number of social activities are organised throughout the year to bring together members from all sections of the club. In 1965 the beach became notorious after the

Wanda Beach Murders The Wanda Beach Murders, sometimes referred to simply as "Wanda", is the case of the unsolved murders of Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock at Wanda Beach near Cronulla in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on 11 January 1965. The victims ...

Gallery

Image:Wanda Beach.jpg, Aerial view Image:Wanda Beach 2.JPG, Wanda Beach Image:Wanda Beach Tower.JPG, Wanda Beach Tower Image:Wanda Beach 3.JPG , Wanda Beach Image:Wanda Beach - panoramio.jpg, Wanda Beach

References

{{Beaches of New South Wales Geography of Sydney Kurnell Peninsula Beaches of New South Wales Surfing locations in New South Wales Sutherland Shire