Gwynneville - History

Land grants

Spearing's "Paulsgrove", 1884

According to the 1828 census, James Stares Spearing "came free" to Australia in 1825. Upon his arrival he received promises of two grants, each of 1000 acres, from Governor Brisbane. These became portions 7 and 8 of the Parish of Wollongong, and were known as the "Paulsgrove estate". Portion 7 extended west from Foley's Rd to about half way up Mt Keira and south from Lysaght St, North Wollongong to Wiseman Park, Gwynneville.

In December 1835, the Paulsgrove properties were conveyed to Lt Colonel John Thomas Leahy, who changed the name to Mt Keera. On his death in 1839 the property passed to his heir, his brother Daniel. Daniel conveyed the property to Robert and Charles Campbell in 1841. In accordance with the trusts of sale, the Campbells subdivided the estate into a large number of smaller housing and farm lots. These were sold piecemeal over the next few years. The subdivision was known as the Mt Keera Estate subdivision. (Paulsgrove Diary, 1988)

Mt Keera Estate subdivision, 1842

Maps of the area at this time confirm that the Mt Keera subdivision roughly encompassed Gwynneville in Lots 60-80 found North and South of Gipps Road, and Lots 85-90 found North of Murphy's Road and adjacent to Gleniffer Brae. Lots 66-70 encompassed the Dobing's bush area. (Gwynneville, [18--], [map]; Plan of Mount Keera Estate [map], 1842; Plan of Mount Keera Estate (2nd edition) [map], 1889); Subdivided land at Gwynneville [map], 1890.

Further subdivisions

In 1929, fifty residential lots with tarred and metalled roads, town water & electric light were advertised. They were encompassed by Kiernan Street, Gipps Road, Crawford Avenue and Foleys Flat Road.

In 1937, thirty blocks along southern Porter Street were released.

In 1938, the "Mountainview Estate" was developed along along Eastern Avenue.

Also in 1938, there was a subdivision bordered by Frances Street, Foleys Road, Fairy Creek and Murphy's Lane (now Hillview Avenue). The advertisement notes that a regular bus service was available.

Wiseman's Park was also further subdivided in 1938.

In 1940, the "Sunnybank" estate along Murphys Road perpendicular to Eastern Ave was released. It contained 24 sites with electric light, water and gas.

In 1941, a further 38 sites were offered in W J Robinson's subdivision. In the advertisement for the land sale, the area is described as the "most popular and progressive residential centre in Wollongong".
(Robinson's 1st subdivision [map], 1924; W.J Robinson's 2nd subdivision [map], 1927; W J Robinson's 3rd subdivision [map], 1929; Robinson's 5th subdivision [map], 1937; Mountainview Estate, Woodlawn, Wollongong [map], 1938; Gwynneville - Frances Street [map], 1938; Wiseman's park 3rd subdivision [map], 1938; North West Wollongong [map], 1939; Sunnybank - North Wollongong [map], 1940; Robinson's 10th North Wollongong Station subdivision [map], 1941; Greater Wollongong City Council - Central districts [map], 1949).

Early residents

Spearing family

As noted in the Land Grants section, James Spearing acquired one of the earliest land grants in the area. The 1832 census credits him with 400 acres of cleared land and 250 acres of cultivated land, as well as 5 horses, 50 cattle and 111 sheep.

In the 1832 Australian Almanac, Spearing was noted as being the "principal agriculturalist of the district". He had a beautiful garden well stocked with fruit trees and vegetables, two water mills and a windmill, with tradesmen employed at them. By 1830 he had had up to sixty-one convicts assigned to him, who performed most of the manual work on the property. (Paulsgrove diary, 1988)

Gwynne Family

The Gwynne family have a long connection with the area. They first acquired 100 acres of land during the Mt Keera subdivision, and held land well into he next century. Maps show that John Gwynne had property north of Gipps street, on lot 72 of the Mt Keira Estate. This land encompassed Eastern Avenue, William (now Moore) Street, Fairy Street and John Street, and extended east to Foley's Road and north to Murphy's Avenue. (Gwynneville, [18--], [map]; Plan of Mount Keera Estate, 1842; Plan of Mount Keera Estate (2nd edition) [map], 1889; Subdivided land at Gwynneville near Wollongong [map], Gwynneville 1890).

John Gwynne was heavily involved with operations at the Mt Keira mine, and was injured by a run away skip on the mine tram line in 1888 (Illawarra Mercury, 14 June 1888). He also participated in an 1894 survey of the Illawarra area with noted local surveyor Carl Weber (Illawarra Mercury, 18 March, 1932). His will, probated in 1911, describes him as a farmer of the Gwynneville area and notes that he left all of his land to his wife, Anne Gwynne. (Probate of will of John Gwynne [Manuscript])

Edward Oxenbridge

Edward Oxenbridge was born in Camden in 1839. From the age of fifteen, he made the daily trip from Appin down the Mount Keira pass to Wollongong on horseback, in order to deliver Her Majesty's mails.

In The Pioneer Sourcebook he remembers John Gwynne of the Gwynneville Estate who worked with him in the mail distribution. He also describes one occasion when he was held up by a bushranger. (Organ & Doyle, 1989, p87-89)

The Shipp family

The Shipp family established a connection with the Gwynneville area through their residence at Mt Keira at a time when "all the area west of Wollongong was known as Mt Keira" (Organ& Doyle, 1989, p81). William Shipp arrived in Australia with his brother in about 1851.

He worked for a while in the Wollongong area, before settling with his family in Gwynneville/Keiraville. He became associated with the Mt Keira Colliery when he helped to build the rail incline down to the harbour. He also assisted with the braking of the wagons down that incline.

His brother Thomas came to the area a little later, and worked in the colliery as a carpenter. (Organ& Doyle, 1989, p81)

The McGoldricks

The Shipps also describe other residents of the area at the time. They note that amongst the old families of Mt Keira must also be mentioned James & Thomas McGoldrick. (Organ& Doyle, 1989, p81)

James McGoldrick was described as a miner in an abstract to the title of allotment 17 - 18 of Gwynne's 1924 subdivision (lots 71 & 72 of the original subdivision of the Mount Keira Estate). (Abstract of the title of James McGoldrick, 1924).

According to a 1920 map, the McGoldricks resided in Moore Street, (Robinson's 1st subdivision [map], 1924). Mrs McGoldrick along with T J Gillis and Frank Gray, is also mentioned as one of the main workers at the Gwynneville School of Arts (Illawarra Mercury, 9 March, 1934).

Other residents

The Pioneer Sourcebook notes that amongst the old families who purchased farms on the original Mt Keira estate were Denis Foley, Denis Williams, Mr Young, Percy Owen, William Northfield, Mr Zlotkowski, John Stewart, William Robson, John Gilmore, Hugh Higgins and John Spence.

With very few exceptions, the old holdings have changed hands. In some cases they have been cut up into smaller areas and re-sold. (Organ & Doyle, 1989)

One of these residents, Mr Young, later gave a lecture in the School of Arts describing 1870 as he remembered it. (Organ & Doyle, 1989, p.151)

Mr James Dean of Crown Street also describes many of the settlers in the area West of Wollongong, including Billy Ahearn, Dennis Foley, William Gwynne, Dennis Williams and Walter Buckle. He describes how on moonlight nights he would go to shoot opossums at Wiseman's Park, and notes that birds of every kind frequented the area.

He describes how at the top end of this park Mr Walter Buckle had a fine orchard containing some beautiful fruit, where the residents of Wollongong would often take a walk to gather fruit. (Organ & Doyle, 1989, p151)

Early industry

As noted above, James Spearing was a noted early agriculturalist in the area. After the subdivision of his land the area continued to be used for agricultural purposes. A number of small farms used the land for grazing and producing different items ranging from oats, barley, maize and potatoes to fruit and other crops. (Yewen, 2004, p551-552)

Later, the area became noted for its association with the Mt Keira Colliery and the Hoskins-Australian Iron and Steel Works. The tram line which conveyed coal to the harbour passed directly through Gwynneville, and many locals were involved in the operation, upkeep and maintenance of the line. (Raxworthy, Oral history; Illawarra Mercury 20 Jul 1860, 26 Oct 1860 & 4 Oct 1888; Illawarra Historical Society Bulletin, Nov-Dec 2000, p 84-91)

The Federal Cokeworks was situated on the site now occupied by Beaton Park. It employed 32 men at the end of 1911. The adjacent gas works also dominated industry in the area. (South Coast Local History, Wollongong at work resource Kit, no3, transport changes, Dept of Education Professional Services Centre, 1978. p 27; Raxworthy, Oral history)

On the site of Wiseman's park a small brickworks operated for a number of years. (Organ & Doyle, 1989, p 156)

By the early 1920s, the business district of Wollongong was developing along the Princes Highway. A 1924 subdivision encompassing the western side of the Princes Highway and Gipps Street is described as prime land for business purposes. (Robinson's 1st subdivision [map], 1924)

Some later local businesses included:

S.A Denison & sons, Championship bread makers specialising in wheatmeal, located on Foley's Road. Their premises were built in 1939, and Mr Denison had to work long hours due to the labour shortage created by WWII. He worked through the night with the inside staff and delivered throughout the day.

Improvements made in 1947 included an oil fired oven, more space, new carts and more horses. The bakery won numerous championships in all open classes of bread for many years running (South Coast Times, June 11, 1951).

The South Coast Nursery, on Foley's Road. The nursery were reputed local growers and producers of high quality flowers, fruits and vegetables. (South Coast Times, June 11, 1951)
The grocery store known as Martin's Corner, Foley's Road. The store was well stocked with locally produced fruit and vegetables, and operated a delivery service throughout the Illawarra. (South Coast Times, June 11, 1951)

Early transport

In the 1860s, the Illawarra district was re-zoned into municipal government areas. Gwynneville became part of the municipality of Northern Illawarra. At this time there were some important roads of considerable length which linked East and West in the district, including Foley's Road, Murphy's Lane and Northfield's lane. (Organ & Doyle, 1989. p 62)

In 1908, Gwynneville itself was approached by a narrow track, rather then a proper one lane roadway. (Illawarra Mercury, 23 Oct 1908). By the 1920s, Gipps Road had been established and a 1920s map notes that it was 66ft wide. (W.J Robinson's 2nd subdivision [map], 1927).. By 1934 this road was constructed of bitumen, and was the main road linking the Princes Highway and Keira Village (Keiraville). (Illawarra Mercury, February 9, 1934)

As noted in the Land Grants section above, there were many land subdivisions in the Gwynneville area throughout the 1950s. Advertisements for land in these subdivisions note that facilities included electricity, light, water, tarred and metalled roads and a regular bus service. (Robinson's 1st subdivision [map], 1924; W.J Robinson's 2nd subdivision [map], 1927; W J Robinson's 3rd subdivision [map], 1929; Robinson's 5th subdivision [map], 1937; Mountainview Estate, Woodlawn, Wollongong [map], 1938; Gwynneville - Frances Street [map], 1938; Wiseman's park 3rd subdivision [map], 1938; North West Wollongong [map], 1939; Sunnybank - North Wollongong [map], 1940; Robinson's 10th North Wollongong Station subdivision [map], 1941; Greater Wollongong City Council - Central districts [map], 1949)..

The Gwynneville area was separated from the city by the main South Coast rail line, which bordered Gwynneville on the Eastern side. The Gwynneville people were part of a group instrumental in having a railway platform established at North Wollongong from the late 1800s. (Illawarra Mercury, July 26,1887)