Clifton - History

Land grants

North of the town of Wollongong the land available in the Illawarra consists of a narrow strip lying between the Illawarra escarpment and the ocean. This narrow strip gradually tapers to a point where the range dips to the sea at Clifton. The majority of this area was absorbed in grants north of the township of Wollongong made to R and C Campbell and John Buckland. (Lindsay, 1994)
Early residents

Mr Bill Newstead

Bill Newstead was born in Clifton in 1907 and worked in the Coalcliff mines from 1922 until he retired. He was born in the first cottage across the railway line in Clifton School Parade.

The Newstead family looked after the railway gates. Bill's mother did not like the family living so close to the railway lines so they moved into a little cottage down the cliff road towards Coalcliff. Bill's father worked on the jetty and his mother ran the boarding house.

Bill's family lived mostly off corned beef, damper, and whatever vegetables were available. Fresh meat was a luxury most people could not afford. Social life in the area at the time included films at the public hall. Clifton also had a football team. (Illawarra Mercury, 20 August 1983. p.25-26

Early industry

Coal Mining

Coal was first discovered in the Illawarra District at Clifton in 1797 by survivors of the shipwreck "Sydney Cove".

The first mine manager was Thomas Hale. He supervised the erection of the jetty (500 feet out to sea, 20 feet deep at low tide) and a timber slide that was constructed down the 120 foot cliff to deliver the materials.

The mine was officially opened in 1878 and Sir Alexander Stuart had two small steam colliers built in Glasgow, the 'Hilda' and the 'Herga'. These were especially designed for the hazardous conditions at Coal Cliff. They were 125 feet long with a capacity of 240 tons. Hilda was lost after striking a reef near Port Hacking in 1893 but Herga served the Coal Cliff mine throughout the entire period of operations of the jetty. Steam colliers were used because it was considered unsafe for sailing ships to come near to "the bold coast".

In 1878 the mine employed 73 miners. By 1884 there were 150 miners producing 51,500 tons of coal annually and most of these men and their families lived at Clifton.

The mining settlement prospered and two years after the opening of the mine, the community boasted its own school, post and telegraph office, and a new licensed coaching inn, James Farraher's Clifton Inn. In 1884 the Illawarra Mercury reported that the township had a population of 'near 1000 residents', of whom a large proportion worked at the mines.

Clifton suffered greatly when storms lashed the South Coast and washed the jetty into sea. The mine was forced to close with serious consequences for the miners and their families.

In 1910 the Coal Cliff Colliery miners went on strike for six months. It was during this strike that the existing School of Arts was built. The striking miners supplied some of the labour for this project. Clifton's population began to drop dramatically from about this point on as men sought work in neighbouring collieries. (Local Studies Cuttings File)

Early transport

Railways

In 1887 a section of line, 13 miles 24 chains long, was opened between Clifton (later South Clifton) and Wollongong. When Clifton Tunnel was completed rails were laid through it and to about a mile beyond. A temporary terminus was laid in at North Clifton at a point accessible to the coaches.

Clifton platform, south of Clifton Tunnel, was opened as North Clifton in 1888 when the line was connected with Sydney. Trains from North Kiama were also extended to North Clifton in 1888. (Singleton, 1970)

Roads

Before the opening of the Rail service four-horse coaches would leave Wollongong at 5am during the week and arrive at the Clifton hotels in time for breakfast. There the coaches would be serviced, the horses attended to and the waiting passengers taken on board. With drivers and horses refreshed, the coaches would then continue the journey, via Bald Hill, to the railhead at Waterfall. Here they would catch the 10.15am steam train to Sydney.

One of the coaching proprietors to run a service from Wollongong, via Bulli and Clifton, to Waterfall was Matthew Bloomfield, later to become host of the Imperial Hotel at Clifton. He started his service in 1886. (Illawarra Mercury: 18 May 2000. p. 21)