Robertson, New South Wales
| Robertson New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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 Memorial to Railway Workers. | |||||||||||||||
  Robertson | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°35′S 150°35′E / 34.583°S 150.583°ECoordinates: 34°35′S 150°35′E / 34.583°S 150.583°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,865 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2577 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 731 m (2,398 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Wingecarribee Shire | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Southern Highlands | ||||||||||||||
| County | Camden | ||||||||||||||
| Parish | Yarrawa, Kangaloon | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Goulburn | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Whitlam | ||||||||||||||
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Robertson is a large village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The town is located on the edge of an elevated plateau (the Illawarra escarpment) about 35 km from the coast. At the 2016 census, Robertson and its surrounding area had a population of 1,865.[1]
Robertson is known for its high annual rainfall and fertile soil. It was previously covered by an extensive temperate rainforest, most of which has been cleared for farming though remnants such as Robertson Nature Reserve still exist today. The town is colloquially known as "Robbo" by the locals.
The town was once famous for cheese production. Today, the remnants of the industry are seen with one of the old cheese factories remaining in the town; it has been converted into a commercial row of shops. Robertson is now more widely known for potato growing and is the home of the "Big Potato". The Big Potato was built in the 1970s by a local potato grower. Robertson is also where the 1995 movie Babe was filmed.
Robertson is named after former Premier of New South Wales Sir John Robertson, whose 1861 Land Act cleared the way for the establishment of the town.[2] Before then it was called Yarrawa Bush.
Events
In February or March of each year the Robertson Show is held, featuring "The Great Australian Potato Race".
In Spring Robertson holds a spring festival, with local gardens open to the public.
Attractions
Robertson Hotel
Robertson is home to the famous hotel "Robertson Hotel", a popular hotel and wedding venue. Robertson Hotel was originally built in 1924 opening as Hotel Robertson and has had an interesting history. The Hotel boasted a nine-hole golf course, two tennis courts, croquet, lawn bowls, billiards, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and an onsite mechanic who looked after guests' cars during their stay. The hotel won the "Most luxurious hotel in the Commonwealth" award in 1925, and was the first hotel in Australia to have phone lines to every room.
The Hotel was built to draw some of the Sydneysiders, who in the past retreated to the cool climate of the Southern Highlands to escape the heat of a Sydney summer and enjoy the beauty of the countryside. The Hotel was a success and the developer went on to subdivide and develop the local area. This unfortunately was not a success.
In 1930 the hotel was sold and marketed as an exclusive country club and renamed Ranelagh Country Club after Ranelagh Gardens in London. However, the Great Depression made those plans short lived.
In the buildup to World War II the hotel became a WRAAF base, serving as a signals base and a training area for budding pilots. After World War II, the hotel was used as a hospice for returned pilots.
The building sold again in 1947 and became, St Anthony's College, a Franciscan friary and seminary. During this period the hotel was also used as a school and accommodation house run by the monks. It was during this period that the beautiful stained glass windows, rock walls and fountains were built. These are still in the building and around the gardens and grounds.
The hotel has its own railway platform , Moss Vale – Unanderra line, which is still used today.
In 1972 the Monks moved to smaller premises in Campbelltown and the building returned to its intended use as a hotel, named Ranelagh House.
The hotel was sold again in late 2007, and was renamed Fountaindale Grand Manor and Ranelagh Gardens, the hotel is undergoing major renovations and refurbishments. Recently it was renamed to Robertson Hotel.[3]
Illawarra Fly
On 15 March 2008, the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk opened to the public. It is similar to the Otway Fly,[4] in Victoria. It is perched on the Illawarra escarpment at Knights Hill, located east of Robertson. The tree top walk is joined with an observation outdoor tower with views of Wollongong. It is expected to have approximately 200,000 visitors every year.[5]
The Big Potato
Built in 1977 by local potato grower Jim Mauger, the Big Potato sits off the Illawarra Highway. It was modelled on the Sebago potato and is approximately ten metres long and four metres wide. The original idea was for this structure to contain a Potato Information Centre but rising costs chipped away at this dream and in the end it boiled down to nothing. Recently the locals of Robertson have worked together to turn the surrounding land into a park.
Transport
Robertson was served by a railway station on the Unanderra Moss Vale railway line. The railway line is mainly used for freight. Occasionally, a tourist train travels from Sydney to Moss Vale and return (via Wollongong), but is not used by passenger services.
CountryLink buses travel along the Illawarra Highway, three times a day that have replaced passenger trains, linking the Southern Highlands to Wollongong. The Illawarra Highway winds down the escarpment via the notorious Macquarie Pass. Robertson would be a major beneficiary of a major upgrade or replacement to Macquarie Pass. Despite most Illawarra and Highland residents strongly supporting a major improvement to the link between Robertson and Albion Park, no government has shown any interest in such a project.
Heritage listings
Robertson has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Illawarra Highway: Wingecarribee Swamp[6]
Notable residents
- Nathan Hindmarsh: Parramatta Eels NRL player who grew up in the town. Born in Bowral.
- Ian Hindmarsh: brother of Nathan and retired NRL player. Born in Bowral.
- Noeline Brown: Australian entertainer.
- Bob Dwyer: former Australian Wallabies rugby union coach
- Brett Lee: Australian cricketer, owns property near town
- Miriam Margolyes: British-born actress
- Ben Quilty: award-winning artist
- John Waters (actor): English-born actor
- Kyle Sandilands: radio host
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Robertson (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ↑ http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13117116
- ↑ http://www.fountaindale.com.au/ Fountaindale Grand Manor
- ↑ "Otway Fly Treetop Adventures - Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia". The Otway Fly Tree Top Adventures. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ↑ "Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures - Illawarra Fly". Illawarra Fly. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ↑ "Wingecarribee Swamp, New South Wales State Heritage Register (NSW SHR) Number H00784". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 18 May 2018.