South West Rocks, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
South West Rocks is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales
, Australia
, near the mouth of the Macleay River
. It is approximately 40 km from Kempsey
. Jerseyville
is located nearby.
The population of South West Rocks is 4,069 people, though the town maintains a steady growth rate, the tourist population of South West Rocks increases markedly during the holiday season. Beautiful scenery, numerous beaches, and man-made attractions such as Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape
Lighthouse are published as local tourist attractions.
Trial Bay
is one of only a few north facing bays on the Australian East Coast.
, The Trial, which was stolen and wrecked by convicts in 1816 in the bay that now bears its name.
On 13 May 1770, Captain James Cook
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 carriers 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.
TV Broadcasts are received from Coffs Harbour, though it is possible to receive some stations from the Taree
transmitter.
Radio signals are able to be received from many stations between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour
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 Trial Bay Gaol. 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 New Entrance. 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 used to be its own village before recent development in Oceanside joined South West Rocks and Spencerville. A new area for South West Rocks has been proposed for the land around Saltwater Creek, west of Arakoon, which may house a new shopping centre and around a thousand houses. The local council is yet to approve this application.
Locals refer to the neighbouring hillside residential estate as New Entrance although this is not officially a recognised locality.
A boat ramp and fishing charters also leave from this area. Although there are no shops, New Entrance has the Riverside Tavern.
The area is home to some of South West Rocks' more expensive houses, as the area has panoramic views of the surrounding area to the west and the Pacific Ocean. Despite this, the area has a well known sandfly problem and is often referred to by locals as "Sandfly Hill".
maximum temperature of 26.9°C and the coldest month on average is July with a mean maximum temperature of 18.7°C. The wettest month is March and the driest month is September. South West Rocks experiences a mean of 137.4 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. South West Rocks' thunderstorm
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 is increased due to a relatively high frequency of unstable atmospheric conditions which favour frequent and strong thunderstorm development. Hail
is relatively rare at South West Rocks, only occurring once every year or two, and it is usually less than 2 centimetres in diameter
.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, near the mouth of the Macleay River
Macleay River
The Macleay River is a major river on the Mid North Coast , Australia.The headwaters of the Macleay River rise as the Gara River on the eastern side of the Northern Tablelands near Armidale and Walcha, New South Wales. From here the Chandler River, Styx River and Apsley Rivers are important...
. It is approximately 40 km from Kempsey
Kempsey, New South Wales
Kempsey is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia and is the council seat for Kempsey Shire. It is located 15 kilometres inland from the coast of the Pacific Ocean where the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line cross the Macleay River...
. Jerseyville
Jerseyville, New South Wales
Jerseyville is a small village on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in Kempsey Shire. It is on South West Rocks Road, near South West Rocks. It is situated between Spencers Creek and the Macleay River. The village consists of only a handful of streets. It is a satellite suburb of...
is located nearby.
The population of South West Rocks is 4,069 people, though the town maintains a steady growth rate, the tourist population of South West Rocks increases markedly during the holiday season. Beautiful scenery, numerous beaches, and man-made attractions such as Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape
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, and within the Hat Head National Park.- Cape :...
Lighthouse are published as local tourist attractions.
Trial Bay
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 only a few north facing bays on the Australian East Coast.
History
Whilst Arakoon was originally established as the township on Trial Bay in 1866, 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 brigBrig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
, The Trial, which was stolen and wrecked by convicts in 1816 in the bay that now bears its name.
On 13 May 1770, Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
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 carriers 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.
Media
South West Rocks has a weekly news paper The South West Rocks News which comes as a cover page to Tuesday edition of the Kempsey The Macleay Valley Argus. A weekly free paper and magazine are home delivered every Wednesday to households within the Kempsey Shire and Nambucca Shire.TV Broadcasts are received from Coffs Harbour, though it is possible to receive some stations from the Taree
Taree
Taree is a city in Australia: It may also refer to:a personal name:* a Japanese boys/girls name meaning "bending branch".* a boys name derived from an Aboriginal word meaning "wild fig", "fruit of the wild fig", or "fig tree"....
transmitter.
Radio signals are able to be received from many stations between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour
Shopping
South West Rocks' main street is Prince Of Wales Avenue, which is lined with shops, the other major place for shopping is The Rocks Shopping Fair (which includes a Bi-Lo) which is placed closer to the towns entrance, there are also a 2 petrol stations and an IGA on Gregory Street.Development
Development in the town has increased over the past few years, with a new shopping centre The Rocks Shopping Fair 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
Arakoon
Arakoon is an eastern suburb of the town of South West Rocks in Kempsey Shire, New South Wales, Australia. On Census night 2006, Arakoon had a population of 466 people.Arakoon was the original settlement of the town of South West Rocks...
, Oceanside, New Entrance and Spencerville. Arakoon is located to the east of South West Rocks and is home to Trial Bay Gaol. 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 New Entrance. 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 used to be its own village before recent development in Oceanside joined South West Rocks and Spencerville. A new area for South West Rocks has been proposed for the land around Saltwater Creek, west of Arakoon, which may house a new shopping centre and around a thousand houses. The local council is yet to approve this application.
New Entrance
The Geographical Names Board of New South Wales designates New Entrance as a river mouth and describes it as “The mouth of the Macleay River where it enters the Pacific Ocean about 2 km NW of South West Rocks.” The name was acquired in 1893 when the river changed its course and created a new river entrance.Locals refer to the neighbouring hillside residential estate as New Entrance although this is not officially a recognised locality.
A boat ramp and fishing charters also leave from this area. Although there are no shops, New Entrance has the Riverside Tavern.
The area is home to some of South West Rocks' more expensive houses, as the area has panoramic views of the surrounding area to the west and the Pacific Ocean. Despite this, the area has a well known sandfly problem and is often referred to by locals as "Sandfly Hill".
Suburbs
- South West Rocks
- Arakoon
- New Entrance
- JerseyvilleJerseyville, New South WalesJerseyville is a small village on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in Kempsey Shire. It is on South West Rocks Road, near South West Rocks. It is situated between Spencers Creek and the Macleay River. The village consists of only a handful of streets. It is a satellite suburb of...
- Oceanside
- Spencerville
Education
There are two pre-schools located at South West Rocks, as well as Government primary school. There is no high school at South West Rocks, despite the efforts of the Lower Macleay Valley High School Association. High school students travel to Kempsey every weekday to one of the three high schools, Melville High School, Kempsey High School or St Paul's Catholic College. A few Primary school students also travel to St Josephs Primary School, Kempsey East Public School or Kinchela Primary School.Climate
South West Rocks has a warm and wet subtropical climate. The warmest month on average is February with a meanMean
In statistics, mean has two related meanings:* the arithmetic mean .* the expected value of a random variable, which is also called the population mean....
maximum temperature of 26.9°C and the coldest month on average is July with a mean maximum temperature of 18.7°C. The wettest month is March and the driest month is September. South West Rocks experiences a mean of 137.4 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. South West Rocks' thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
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 is increased due to a relatively high frequency of unstable atmospheric conditions which favour frequent and strong thunderstorm development. Hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
is relatively rare at South West Rocks, only occurring once every year or two, and it is usually less than 2 centimetres in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
.
Climatic Averages for South West Rocks (Smoky Cape Lighthouse)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YEAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 26.8 | 26.9 | 26.1 | 24.0 | 21.4 | 19.2 | 18.7 | 19.8 | 21.7 | 23.2 | 24.4 | 25.9 | 23.2 |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 19.5 | 19.7 | 18.8 | 16.6 | 14.3 | 12.1 | 11.2 | 11.7 | 13.4 | 15.1 | 16.7 | 18.4 | 15.6 |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 149.7 | 169.1 | 183.9 | 169.9 | 135.6 | 131.8 | 78.8 | 82.2 | 56.9 | 91.3 | 112.8 | 118.5 | 1481.1 |
| Mean number of rain days (>0.2mm) | 13.5 | 14.0 | 15.3 | 12.8 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 12.56 | 137.4 |