Bellambi - a brief history

Captain Cook: Woonona / Bellambi 28 April 1770 |

Bellambi jetty, c.1907. Photo: P. Grant.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Chronology
3. References

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Introduction

Bellambi is a coastal town located north of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Bound on the west by the Illawarra Escarpment and to the east by the sandy beaches of the coastline fronting on the Tasman Sea, in between is a coastal plain which graduates into the heights of the scarp, amongst which can be found evidence of the famous Illawarra coal seams. The story of Bellambi is in two parts - like all of Australia - the first being the little known Indigenous history, prior to the European invasion of January 1788; the second is the years after that leading up to the present. This article provides a brief summary history of the area, with a chronology noting historical highlights. References are also included for those seeking a deeper dive in the story of Bellambi. From Australian Aboriginal place for tens of thousands of years, through European settler farm lands, on to coal mining, railways and jetties, followed by industrial enclaves and then "Houso" housing estates, the location has evolved over time to provide a rich and varied historical tapestry.

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Chronology

pre 1770 - Dharawal people own and occupy Bellambi.  

1770 - 28 April - Lt. Cook and the Endeavour anchors off Collins Pt to the north and attempts to land a boat. Unable to do so due to the surf. The Endeavour drifts towards Bellambi reef, but is saved by a wind getting up.

1824 - Moses Brennan occupies 800 acres at Bullambee.

1827 - Harriet Overington promised the Bellambi Estate of 1920 acres. She marries James Stares Spearing of the Paulsgrove Estate in Wollongong.

1835 - Lt. Col. John Thomas Leahy obtains the Bellambi Estate. 

1841 - Robert and Charles Campbell of Sydney obtain the Bellambi Estate. It is eventually sold off during the 1850s. 

1857 - 16 November, Illawarra Mercury - opening of Bellambi coal mine. 

1858 - original rail jetty constructed connecting the coal mine to coastal shipping via a tramway. Hale purchases schooner Nightingale and Victoria Packet.

1859 - first shipwreck at Bellambi. 

1860 - Coal mine operator Thomas Hale expands coal loading facilities at Bellambi harbour. 

1863 - a second jetty built at Bellambi harbour.

1882 - Llewellyn wrecked at Bellambi. 

1887 - a new South Bulli Coal Mine jetty constructed at Bellambi bay. 

1889

- railway station opens on the Illawarra line.

- Bellambi Coal Company jetty constructed. Damaged in 1898 and no longer used. 

- Bellambi Hotel opens. 

1890 - 15 February, Sydney Mail - Aboriginal burial at Bellambi sand dunes discovered and described.

1896 - Adinga wrecked at Bellambi. 

1898 - Saxonia wrecked at Bellambi. 

1909 - 23 January - Bellambi Surf Life Saving Club formed. 

1913 - electric light erected at Bellambi harbour to assist shipping. 

1924 - 19 September, Illawarra Mercury - story on some of the Indigenous history of the area, including campsites and burials around Bellambi Lagoon and nearby Towradgi. 

1927 - Bellambi Mines Rescue Station built to service the northern Illawarra coal mines.

1949 - S.S. Munmorrah runs aground at Bellambi. 

1952 - South Bulli jetty ceases operation, partially collapsed in 1955 and was demolished in 1970. 

1956 - Bellambi Public School opens.

1965 -  Bellambi rock pool constructed.

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References

Bayley, William A., Black Diamonds - History of Bulli District, New South Wales, Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong, 2002, 124p. Originally published in 1956. Republished in numerous editions up to 2002, with an index added in 1989.

Bellambi, Wollongong City Libraries, accessed 27 September 2026. 

Bellambi, Bulli Black Diamond District Heritage Centre Museum, accessed 27 September 2026. 

Bellambi Lighthouse, Illawarra Historical Society Museum, accessed 27 September 2026.

Bellambi Surf Life Saving Club, History, accessed 27 September 2026. 

Hale's Woonona (Model or Bellambi) Colliery, Illawarra Heritage Trail, accessed 27 September 2026.

McIlwain, Kate, Bellambi Point declared an Aboriginal Place, Illawarra Mercury, 29 December 2012. 

Milton House, Bellambi, Illawarra Historical Society Bulletin, Jan-March 2022. 

Roberts, Mick, Bellambi’s ‘other hotel’ was a harbourside pub frequented by hard-drinking waterside workers and sailors, Time Gents - Australian Pub Project, 11 June 2013. 

The Bellambi Estate, Bulli Black Diamond District Heritage Centre Museum, accessed 27 September 2026. Refer the comprehensive timeline for the Bellambi Estate.

The jetty at Bellambi Harbour, Illawarra Heritage Trail, accessed 27 September 2026.   

Wikipedia, Bellambi, Wikipedia, accessed 27 September 2026.

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Captain Cook: Woonona / Bellambi 28 April 1770 |  

Last updated: 27 September 2026

Michael Organ, Australia.