Kiama, New South Wales
Kiama is a town on the Princes Highway in the region Illawarra 120 km south of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the seat of the homonymous administrative area ( LGA) Municipality of Kiama and had at the last census in 2006, 12,286 inhabitants. Kiama is the first country dominated town south of the metropolitan area of Sydney. Because of the known Kiama Blowhole and the popular beaches come from there many day trippers.
History
The town of Kiama is located at a point where two strong streams of lava, called the Gerringong Volcanics, overlay. They came from the 600 m high Saddleback Mountain, now a collapsed volcanic vent. The Kiama Blowhole created by erosion processes in this younger rocks of columnar basalt and latite.
Long before the first Europeans came to the area, lived the tribe of Aborigines of Tharawal in this area. Such finds of discarded shells near the Bass Point that have lived here for more than 17,000 years, people. During this time, the entire coastal area was covered by rainforest and cedar thicket. There is evidence of a flourishing culture, with lavishly produced Possumumhängen, a well-developed song and history cycle and a deep understanding of many plants of the rainforest. Today the rain forest exists only in some pockets along the Illawarra escarpment as for example in Minnamurra Rainforest Centre.
With George Bass happened on December 6, 1797 the first European to this area. On his expedition to Bass Strait he anchored here and noticed the beauty and diversity of this area and was amazed when he saw the Kiama Blowhole for the first time.
About 15 years later, in 1810, the Australian red cedar, came the so-called Cedar getters, a violent bunch of convicts, ex- convicts and fugitives, in the area around here is known for its robust and durable wood to embark. In the following period was Kiama, Gerringong and Shellharbour next to one of the most important ports for the cedar trade in Sydney. According to Surveyor - General John Oxley in 1826, 90% came the cedar that was transhipped in Sydney, from this area.
By David Smith then came the first settlers to Kiama. The sawyers here settled in 1821 and built after he had been assigned in 1831 country, a year later, the first permanent building, which six years later the first hotel, called the Gum Tree Inn, the town was. The official appointment as the city was in 1839.
After the deforestation of the rainforest Kiama became one of the first centers of dairy farming in Australia. 1880 was exported from here butter directly to England. The second important industry were the quarries. Here the basalt was mined, which originated in the two volcanic eruptions, before 240 million and 66 million years ago and for the growing colony represented a major commodity. Thus, the basalt was needed for road construction and for the track bed of the railways. The first quarry opened in 1855, with the opening of the port of Kiama was 1883 400 tons per day, with the specially equipped fleet Stone, are transported to the capital.
Kiama Blowhole Light the lighthouse at Point near the famous blowholes was built in 1887.
Climate
Kiama has a maritime climate ( Cfb Effective climate classification ) typical of central and southern New South Wales, with warm summers and mild winters. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with the wettest months in the fall, which are the driest in the spring.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Charmian Clift (1923-1969), writer and essayist
- Orry George Kelly (1897-1964), award-winning costume designer