Wyong is the central business hub of the northern end of the Central Coast region. Wyong has a deep history, which can be seen at Alison Homestead. Take the chance to see the way Wyong once was with one of the first, yet final remaining buildings from the early settlers of 1800���Ǩ�Ѣs. If you fancy a spot of fishing or a relaxing time by the water, then make your way to the Wyong River, where there are picnic tables and barbeques waiting for you. There is a public 18-hole championship golf course located here, at the Mantra Kooindah Waters Golf & Spa Resort.
Where is it?: Wyong is located 92 km north of Sydney, 19 km north of Gosford and 12 m above sea-level.
Wyong has several old buildings dating back to the 1890s and 1900s but the oldest house in the shire is Alison Homestead. Charles Alison settled in the area in the 1870s. He built the homestead in 1875 and extended it when he married the grand daughter of Blue Mountains explorer, William Cox. The property passed out of the family in the 1890s and was used for market gardening between 1898 and the 1970s.
The Basin and Watagan State Forests:
The Basin Camping Area is within the Watagan State Forests. There are two outstanding walking trails from the site, the Rock Lily Trail (1.5 km) and the Lyrebird Trail (8 km). Walkers Ridge Rd ultimately runs into Watagan Forest Rd, a major artery for exploring the Watagans.
Koolang Observatory:
Koolang has the largest privately owned public-viewing telescope in Australia. The sun can be studied in the day time though there is, of course, far more to see at night, if the weather is good. There are models, video displays and explanatory talks accompanying the two longer sessions concerning the solar system and astronomic technology. Koolang Observatory offers a walk-through, a 45-minute short day program and a longer two-hour session which is run both in the day and at night. Prices are reasonable and programs for school groups are a specialty.
Horseriding: The area west of Wyong has a number of horseriding establishments. There are two on Yarramalong Rd: The Marena Stud and Riding Academy, contact (02) 4352 1707 and (at no. 1311) Springfield Trails which has escorted rides through the state forests of the Watagan Mountains. Bookings are essential, contact (02) 4356 1148. Just beyond the Yarramalong shops Burning Creek Rd runs off to the left from Yarramalong Rd and there you will find Yarradene Lodge, contact (02) 4356 1155. Breckenridge Stables is located at 941 Dooralong Rd, contact (02) 4351 1285.
Brief history:
Wyong is an indigenous word said to mean either an edible yam or 'place of running water'. The inhabitants prior to European colonisation were reputedly the Darkinjang tribe, a subgroup of the Broken Bay tribe. They occupied the area from Wollombi and Putty in the west, south to the Hawkesbury and east to the coast including the areas around Brisbane Water and Tuggerah Lakes. They camped at Tacoma and in the Yarramalong Valley. By 1860, only two were left at Yarramalong and both were dead by 1870. The last Aborigine to frequent Tuggerah Lake on his bark canoe was Billy Fawkner who died in 1875.
The first European settler in the area was William Cape who received a 1000-acre grant in 1825, bordering on Jilliby Creek to the west. The headmaster of Sydney Public School he was assigned a convict to do the heavy work on the property. Each of his two sons received grants nearby and one of those properties, on the future townsite, was named Wyong Hill or Wyong Place. Cape was an unpopular man who was ultimately shot by Aborigines.
Timbergetters were drawn to the Yarramalong and Dooralong Valleys by the stands of cedar. Indeed, Yarramalong is said to mean 'place of cedar'. Getting the timber to Sydney proved difficult. Settlement really got under way along Wyong Creek in the 1850s with the sale of small allotments which attracted small farmers. The completion of the Sydney to Newcastle railway in 1889 which really started significant expansion and development. The railway also enabled the growth of the timber industry with an immense demand for railway sleepers and the transportation to ship it. Resorts began to emerge around Tuggerah Lake from the turn of the century, with buses and ferry services and daily access via Wyong which became the commercial and administrative centre of the area.
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