Bilgola Beach is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...

in the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. Bilgola Beach is 33 kilometres north-east of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...

, in 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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

Northern Beaches Council The Northern Beaches Council is a local government areas of New South Wales, local government area located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 after the a ...

. It and Bilgola Plateau were gazetted as suburbs in 2012, dividing the previous suburb of Bilgola.

Location

Bilgola Beach is located on the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

side of the Barrenjoey Peninsula between Avalon Beach to the north and Newport to the south. The landscape rises steeply behind Bilgola Beach to Bilgola Plateau, descending to Clareville on the western side of the peninsula.

History

The name "Bilgola" is derived from an Aboriginal term ''Belgoula'' meaning "swirling waters", or perhaps "a pretty beach with steep slopes, studded with cabbage palms". The word ''Belgoula'' was noted in Surveyor James Meehan's records of 1814. Robert Henderson received a grant of in 1822 which he named "Belgoola". The district eventually adopted the simplified name "Bilgola". The area was owned by the McLurcan family from the start of the early 1900s. Mrs McLurcan was famous for her cookery book, 'Mrs McLurcan's Cookery Book'. The large family home was surrounded by cabbage tree palms, for which the area is noted. There were plans during the 1960s to build a bridge bypass of the twisting road ('Bilgola Bends') between the north and south headlands of Bilgola. The bridge was not built but a small amount of landfill was added to remove a sharp bend in the southern end of the road in preparation for construction. The bend still remains, with the landfill now providing a small grassy area, with an excellent view of Newport Beach.

Demographics

According to the of Population, there were 251 residents in Bilgola Beach. 69.3% of people were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were England 8.8%, New Zealand 3.6%, South Africa 2.4%, Germany 1.6% and Netherlands 1.6%. 89.2% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included French 2.8%, Dutch 1.2% and Arabic 1.2%. The most common responses for religion in Bilgola were No Religion 51.8%, Catholic 17.9% and Anglican 14.3%.

Transport

The main road connecting the northern part of the Barrenjoey Peninsula to the rest of Sydney, Barrenjoey Road, runs through Hewitt Park along the cliff line between Bilgola headland and Bilgola South headland. The road separates Bilgola Plateau from Bilgola Beach.

Sport and recreation

Bilgola Surf Life Saving Club is located at Bilgola Beach. It was formed in the summer of 1949 with construction of the club house beginning in 1950. Avalon Bilgola Amateur Swimming Club swims at the Bilgola Rock Pool on Saturday mornings during the summer months. The club was formed in 1961.

References

External links

Bilgola, from Beachnet

Bilgola Surf Lifesaving Club

Avalon Bilgola Amateur Swimming Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilgola Beach, New South Wales Suburbs of Sydney Beaches of New South Wales Northern Beaches Council