My Coast - Ourimbah
The A-Z of the Central Coast, NSW, Australia
Welcome to the sixteenth installment of my photo blog exploring my local area, the Central Coast. This is my first post of 2017 and this week I have returned to the letter "O", where the destination is Ourimbah.
O-Ourimbah
Ourimbah is a small inland suburb of the Central Coast Region. It has a population of around 4,500, It is located about 75km north of Sydney. It is situated right next to the M1 motorway, providing excellent commuter access to Sydney and Newcastle. There is also a station on the train line that serves the route between these two cities.
The Tall Timbers Hotel on the Pacific Highway
Ourimbah is steeped in history. Its name originates from the Aboriginal word "Oorin", which means "Belt of manhood" (this refers to a stone axe that was carried on hunting expeditions) and "Oorinbah",which is the bora ring or ceremonial ground in which the initiation ceremony of conferring the "Oorin" was carried out.
View from one of Ourimbah’s country roads
There are numerous sites in the area which show evidence of previous Aboriginal occupation. Objects found in these sites include axe grinding grooves, archaeological deposits of campfires and food scraps, cave art, as well as numerous stone implements.Ourimbah was also known as ‘Blue Gum Flats’. Towards the end of the 19th century the name of Ourimbah was universally adopted for the School, Post Office, Railway and Township .
The entrance to the University
The main commercial centre of Ourimbah is along the Pacific Highway, where there a few shops and businesses located near the station. The Ourimbah RSL and The Tall Timbers pub provide the entertainment for locals.
Trees line the avenue at the University of Newcastle Campus
Ourimbah can lay claim to having the oldest school on the Central Coast. It was originally opened way back in 1863 as "Blue Gum Flat school". The other seat of education is the University of Newcastle campus. This incorporates the TAFE NSW – Hunter Institute, and the Central Coast Community College. Students at the campus can choose to study subjects ranging from Business and Law, Education and Arts, Science and Information Technology, and Health.
The Dinosaur Park
Our kids go to playgroup in Ourimbah. This is held in the hall next to the cricket pitch. There are also tennis courts for the locals to enjoy. Our favourite place is the Dinosaur park. This is a recently upgraded playground that is one of the best on the coast. There are two flying foxes side by side so the children (and adults) can race each other to the bottom, as well as the large climbing net and the dinosaur bones that are at the entrance to the playground.
My wife, Tash, and daughter, Ruby, having fun on the flying fox
Ourimbah is a another very family oriented suburb on the coast and is great place for a picnic in the park.Thank you very much for reading. I will be back with my next destination, Rocky Point in a few weeks.