Seal Rocks, New South Wales
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Seal Rocks is a small coastal settlement in the
Mid-Coast Council MidCoast Council is a local government area located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the Gloucester Shire, Great Lakes and City of Greater Taree Councils. 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 ...
, in 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, situated 416km north of Sydney, covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens at Hawks Nest to as far ...
region 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, north-north-east of
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 ...
. It is famous for its many premier surfing beaches (including Lighthouse Beach, Treachery and Yagon), and also for being the home of Seal Rocks lighthouse, officially known as Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse. At the 2021 census, the area had a population of 56 persons.


History

Prior to European settlement, the area that is now Seal Rocks was occupied by the
Worimi The Worimi (also spelt Warrimay) people are Aboriginal Australians from the eastern Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Before contact with settlers, their people extended from Port Stephens in the sou ...
Aboriginal people On 2 June 1864, the ''Rainbow'' was wrecked on Seal Rocks. The Sugarloaf Point Light was installed and lit on 1 December 1875. In 1923, the lighthouse converted from kerosene to acetylene gas. The lighthouse was electrified in June 1966. By 1987, the lighthouse had been automated and no longer required staffed keepers. In 1895 the '' SS Catterthun'', heading for China from Sydney, was wrecked on the rocks and 54 (31?) passengers and crew drowned. In 1945 the former Dutch submarine HMAS_K9 was lost near the lighthouse. It was discovered in 1999 and has been designated a heritage site.


Heritage listings

Seal Rocks has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Seal Rocks Road, Myall Lakes National Park: Sugarloaf Point Light


Resistance to commercialisation

Seal Rocks is well known for its peaceful resistance to attempts by developers to commercialise the small picturesque fishing village. On entering the town by the road, the slogan "Save Seal Rocks The Last Frontier" can be seen painted on the road itself, this has been continually repainted for over 30 years. Currently the local council is making an attempt to commercialise the small caravan park, and a movement is once again growing against this. The 2013 movie Adore was filmed at this location.


Seal colony

Seal Rocks was named after the Australian fur seals that were often seen on the rocks near the Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse. There is some evidence that a breeding colony of seals once existed at Seal Rocks, although the species no longer breeds in NSW and the colony was lost. However, more recently sightings have been increasing in the Port Stephens area.


Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse

The construction of Sugarloaf Lighthouse was completed in 1875, ten years after it was recommended a light be placed to highlight the treacherous Seal Rocks. It was originally intended to place the light on Seal Rocks but landing was difficult and so the proposition was abandoned. The tower is constructed of brick, rendered and painted white. Also constructed were three adjoining cottages, various outbuildings, the construction of the road from Bungwahl, and a long jetty which was used to land some of building supplies and materials. The light was upgraded in 1923 and was converted from
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
to
acetylene Acetylene (Chemical nomenclature, systematic name: ethyne) is a chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is u ...
gas. Electricity was introduced in 1966 and the light was kept staffed for many years despite
automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...
in 1987. The Sugarloaf lighthouse is the second-most easterly one in Australia, after the
Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...
lighthouse, and offers accommodation in three cottages.Australia’s iconic lighthouses
Australian Geographic, 26 July 2010
One of Australia's biggest shipping disasters occurred off Sugarloaf Point; the wreck of the in 1895 when bound from Sydney to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
with the loss of thirty one lives. Although some reports state that 54 persons lost their lives, the NSW marine board of inquiry listed 31 as the correct number.


References


External links

{{Suburbs of Mid-Coast Council Suburbs of Mid-Coast Council Mid North Coast Coastal towns in New South Wales