It has been named the best beach in NSW and Tourism Australia crowned it Australia's second best beach in early February this year, but behind its natural beauty and great waves, Killalea State Park’s ‘The Farm’ has a fascinating history.
It starts with Dharawal history, as the Tread Shellharbour App states in its historical Killalea tour: “Aboriginal people have lived in Shellharbour for at least 17,000 years.”
In 1836, the area’s namesake, Irish convict Edward Killalea, was sentenced to transportation to Australia. Shellharbour City Museum records indicate his involvement with the Farm started in 1847 when he and his wife took up a clearing lease on the land. The couple had 12 children and the family lived in a slab hut on the hillside near the beach now known as The Farm.
Edward explored for gold in the area but stopped when his attempts only uncovered alluvial gold, and his partner, Thomas Henry, left for the goldfields. In 1872, Edward started prospecting again with another man, Thomas Reddall, whose name would also later become attached to a popular gathering place in the area: Reddall Reserve, Lake Illawarra. The renewed partnership was short-lived, however, when Edward died.
The land we now know as Killalea Regional Park was once farmed by two brothers, Timothy and Daniel Buckley. One of them is presumed to have built a homestead known as ‘Seaview’ near the where the kiosk now stands at Killalea. The Dunster and Fraser families both leased it, until the Fraser family took it over. The Seaview Farm later became known as Killalea.
Historical records indicate that, possibly in the late 1930s, Edward Killalea's son, Patrick, on a visit to his hometown, met a member of the Fraser family while walking on the beach. John Fraser, then 15, took Patrick to his home to meet his parents and after this meeting the Frasers renamed Seaview Farm ‘Killalea’ in honour of Edward and his family.
Another private farm, however, actually gave ‘The Farm’ beach its name. It was behind Killalea Lagoon and beach-goers had to walk via the lagoon to access the beach. Access was not from the top as it is today.
“Killalea National Surfing Reserve was declared in 2009 and includes Killalea Beach (‘The Farm’) and Mystics Beach," according to the Tread Shellharbour App.
In 2021, the Farm was the focus of much media attention when a battle between the state-owned Reflections Holiday Park and the public over a proposed redevelopment dominated local news. A huge response from the public – including well-supported petitions, rallies, and a record-breaking 682-strong surfer paddle-out – managed to prevent the development from happening.
The park was transferred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service in July 2022.
Information thanks to The Shellharbour City Museum, visit the website at www.museum.shellharbour.nsw.gov.au
