Wyong () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in the Central Coast of

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 ...

, located approximately 63 km SSW of Newcastle and 89 km NNE of Sydney. Established in 1888, it is one of the two administrative centres for the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

History

Wyong is an indigenous word meaning either 'an edible yam' or 'place of running water'. William Cape was the first European settler to settle in the area and bring cattle and sheep into the district, on a land grant bordering

Jilliby Jilliby is a large non-metropolitan suburb located in the Dooralong Valley of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area. Population In the 2016 Census there were 1,646 people in Jillib ...

Creek in 1825. Cape had two sons who also held land grants.

Historical sites

* Alison Homestead, Cape Road, Wyong, built by Charles Alison, ; destroyed by arson 3 December 2011. * Chapmans Store, Cnr Alison Road & Hely Street, Wyong, opened in 1901. * Court House, Alison Road, Wyong, built in 1924. This building is built on the site of the first Post Office which opened in 1892. * St Cecilia's Church, Byron Street, Wyong. Built in 1908, it is the oldest church in Wyong and is still in use today. * ''Strathavon'', Boyce Avenue, Wyong. Dates from 1912 to 1913, formerly known as ''Hakone''. * Turreted buildings, Cnr Church Street, Wyong. Built by Albert Hamlyn Warner, 1915. * Wyong Public School, Alison Road, Wyong. Built in 1889 and last used as school in September 1979. * Wyong Milk Factory, 141 Alison Road, Wyong, .

Wyong Plaza Work-In

In May 1974, 67 BLF-affiliated construction workers at the shopping centre construction site responded to the dismissal of a labourer by announcing from the jib of the crane that they would remain there until the job was reopened for all workers. They practiced

workers' control Workers' control is participation in the management of factories and other commercial enterprises by the people who work there. It has been variously advocated by anarchists, socialists, communists, social democrats, distributists and Christ ...

for 6 six weeks and only ended after the company agreed to generous allowances and conditions, including the right of workers to be consulted on "hire and fire" decisions.

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 4,326 people in Wyong. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 6.3% of the population. * 73.9% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 3.6%. * 82.3% of people spoke only English at home. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 27.2%, Anglican 22.3% and Catholic 22.3%.

Facilities

Wyong has an efficient and compact town centre, housing the Wyong Shire's Council Chambers, Village Central Wyong Shopping Centre,

Hunter Institute of TAFE TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory bod ...

Wyong Campus, Wyong Police Station, Wyong Local Court House
The Art House Wyong Performing Arts and Conference Centre
and banks, government offices, local businesses and community services. Wyong Public School is located on Cutler Drive, north of the town centre. Wyong High School is west of the town centre on Alison Road. Wyong is the hub of transport services in the northern part of the Central Coast Council

. Wyong railway station is served by

NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Queensland and South Austral ...

services. Bus services are operated by

Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in 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 ...

Coastal Liner Coastal Liner is an Australian bus company operating services on the New South Wales Central Coast. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Australia. History Established in 1986 after the acquisition of the Dooralong to Wyong bus run from local o ...

and

Red Bus Services Red Bus Services is an Australian bus company operating route bus services on the New South Wales Central Coast. History In 1923 Messrs. Barham & Wells started a bus service between The Entrance and Wyong in opposition to a ferry service. In ...

. The Pacific Highway passed through the town until bypassed in December 1983.Annual report for year ended 30 June 1984 Department of Main Roads 30 June 1984 page 6 Wyong Racecourse is an important provincial track with weekly meetings. The town has extensive sport and leisure facilities. Wyong Hospital is not located in the town, rather it is located 8.6 km North-East in Kanwal.

Notable people

Notable people who are from or who have lived in Wyong include: *

Dale Buggins Dale Charles Buggins (1961–1981) was an Australian stunt motorcyclist who had built a national and international reputation by the age of 20. At 17, Buggins broke a world record previously held by American stuntman Evel Knievel when he jumped ...

, motorcycle stunt rider * Steve Carter, Australian rugby league player * Roy Ferguson, Australian rugby league player * Noel Miller, Australian cricketer *

Mark Skaife Mark Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as a six-time Bath ...

. race car driver

References

External links

Wyong Shire Council

Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council

Central Coast Tourism

Wyong Milk Factory

Central Coast, Wyong Branch of National Seniors Australia
{{authority control Suburbs of the Central Coast (New South Wales) Towns in New South Wales