Cronulla and the surrounding Sutherland Shire are layered with history. Once you start looking, you see the stories everywhere.
Here are a few other local spots with fascinating histories:
The Railway That Built the Resort: Cronulla Station
It’s hard to imagine now, but before 1911, Cronulla was a remote and rugged coastal outpost. It was primarily home to fishermen, and getting here from the city was a long, arduous journey involving a train to Sutherland and then a bumpy steam tram ride.
The game-changer was the extension of the Illawarra railway line from Sutherland to Cronulla, which opened in 1911. This single piece of infrastructure transformed everything. Suddenly, Cronulla was within easy reach of the entire city. It exploded in popularity, becoming the premier seaside resort for Sydneysiders. Grand guesthouses and hotels sprang up, and the beachfront was developed to cater to the throngs of day-trippers and holidaymakers who could now arrive with ease. The train line is, in many ways, the true origin story of modern Cronulla.
The Shifting Sands of Time: The Kurnell Peninsula Dunes
The vast sand dunes that you can see across the water from Cronulla beach, stretching towards Kurnell, hold some of the deepest and most varied history in Australia.
- Ancient Indigenous History: For thousands of years, this area was the home of the Gweagal people of the Dharawal Nation. The dunes and surrounding peninsula were rich with resources for fishing and gathering, and many significant Indigenous sites have been discovered there.
- Industrial History: For much of the 20th century, the dunes were the site of extensive sand mining, which reshaped the landscape dramatically. This sand was crucial for Sydney’s construction boom, used to make glass and concrete for the growing city.
- Film History: The otherworldly, barren landscape created by the sand mining became a filmmaker’s dream. Most famously, it was the post-apocalyptic setting for the iconic Australian film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). The rusting remains of the film set were a local landmark for years.
Today, the sand mining has stopped, and much of the area has been rehabilitated and is part of the Boat Harbour Aquatic Reserve, but its immense historical layers remain.
The Grand Old Pub: The Cecil Hotel
Now the Cecil Apartments, the Cecil Hotel used to stand proudly on the corner of Cronulla Street, as one of its classic local institution.. A hotel has been on or near that site since the area’s earliest days as a resort town.
In the era before widespread car ownership, the hotel was the social and commercial heart of the suburb. It was more than just a pub; it was a community hub, a guesthouse for travellers arriving on the new train line, and a central meeting place for locals.
Previously the site was Monro Flats, named after Joe Monro who lived in the Sutherland Shire from 1911. He tool over Mobbs Real Estate based on Gerrale Street in 1918 and wanted to have premises that were close the sea and Cronulla Park. The Hotel Cecil was designed by archtects Moore and Dyer who created their vision of deluxe accommodation featuring grand yet understated opulance which provided a cool and welcoming place for weary travellers.
The hotel was taken over to support the war effort of WWII, and provided a location in which troops were housed, with the site even being used by the Royal Australian Air Force as a training location for technical skills.
Following the war and in conjuction with the new train services from Sutherland, Cronulla became a location for day trippers seeking fun and relaxtion and this slowly took over from those staying in the town for holidays. The change from hotel to apartments commenced in the 1980s with the first building proposals, and approval finally being granted in 1987 with the Cecil Apartments opening in 1988. Part of the original façade of the hotel being kept for prosperity.
The stretch of ocean at North Cronulla, famously known as “The Alley,” is the spiritual home of surf culture in the Shire. But its history is rooted in something far more serious: saving lives. The powerful rips and currents that create the perfect surfing banks also make this one of the more dangerous parts of the beach.
The North Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club, founded in 1925, was established directly in response to this. The club and its members became local legends, performing countless rescues over the decades. The story of “The Alley” is the story of the birth of surf lifesaving in the area, a history built on bravery, community service, and a deep respect for the power of the ocean.
The story begins in the early 20th century with the establishment of a Catholic convent and school in Cronulla, run by the Sisters of Mercy. This convent, known as the “Star of the Sea,” was a prominent landmark on the headland just south of Cronulla Beach. It served not only as a school but also as a place of rest and convalescence for nuns from across the order.
A Need for Privacy and Modesty
In the social context of the early 1900s, public sea bathing was becoming popular, but it was still a relatively new and public affair. For the nuns, adhering to their vows of modesty was paramount. Swimming on the main public beaches, especially in their traditional, heavy woollen habits, was simply not feasible or appropriate.
They needed a secluded spot where they could bathe in privacy, away from the public gaze.
The Perfect Secluded Spot
Just below the convent grounds was a natural rock pool, beautifully shielded from the main beach by the surrounding rock formations. This pool was naturally protected from the large waves of the open ocean, making it a much safer and calmer place to swim.
This location became the designated bathing area for the sisters from the “Star of the Sea” convent. The sight of the nuns, clad in their distinctive habits, making their way down to this secluded rock pool became a regular and notable feature for local residents.
From Local Observation to Lasting Name
Locals began to refer to the spot simply and affectionately as “The Nun’s Pool.” The name stuck. It was a perfect, descriptive piece of local vernacular that was passed down through generations.
