A Brief History Of The Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Shire has affiliations with the “birth of modern Australia” due to it’s inclusion of Kurnell, the first landing spot of the British. ‘The Shire’ is a well-known part of Sydney – and for that matter, Australia – located amongst Georges River and Botany Bay. it was originally inhabited solely by the Dharawa people, 7000 years before Lieutenant Cook’s arrival in 1770.
Initially, it was intended that Botany Bay would be the base of settlement for the British, but Sydney Harbour was eventually chosen due to its better-sheltered harbour for shipping. Captain James Birnie was the first settler to own land in the area, which only grew to 1,500 inhabitants a hundred years later. It was officially named the “Sutherland Shire” by Government Proclamation in 1906. Currently the Shire is home to 215 084 residents. The rapid growth is mostly due to the population boom of the 1950s with an increase in housing in the region.
The Sutherland Shire is host to a wide variety of significant landmarks and natural environments; from the second largest national parkin the world to one of Australia’s biggest oil refining companies – Caltext, located at Kurnell. It also boasts one of the biggest shopping complexes in Australia, Miranda Fair, and well-known strips of beach, Cronulla.
The Shire has long been well known for its community-minded spirit, beautiful coastal areas and scenic parks; however, conflict between the different races within region erupted into a day of shocking and unprecedented large-scale violence. Approximately 5000 angry, mostly white, people gathered at North Cronulla plaza and chased about 10 men of middle eastern appearance into a nearby hotel. Fuelled by alcohol, and years of much smaller-scale conflict between the two groups, December 11th, 2005, became a day of violent racial outbreak and of huge embarrassment for the Sutherland Shire residents. The news and disturbing images of the day travelled the world over, and the area is affiliated with the riot to this day.
This category of violence is largely diminished; however problems continue for the area in the of drunken disorderly behaviour as nightclubs Carmens and Northies have both been publicised as being on probation for their increasingly violence patrons and their failure to control it.
The Sutherland Shire can be seen as an example of the pitfalls of multiculturalism – a clash in strong opinions in a deeply intertwined community. This is not to say that this characterises the Shire – it is simply an issue which is being addressed currently.
Photograph courtesy of Sutherland Shire Council
