HELENSBURGH HISTORY
Welcome to the village of Helensburgh, located about 45km south of Sydney, above the Illawarra escarpment and region. Helensburgh is in the Wollongong City Council LGA and is surrounded by bushland reserves adjacent to the southern end of the Royal National Park and Garrawarra State Conservation Area, and the Woronora reservoir water catchment is to its west. Helensburgh has proximity to the Illawarra beaches and overall quiet, unpolluted bush surroundings.
Originally called Camp Creek, Helensburgh is named after the town of Helensburgh located by the River Clyde in Scotland which is also a railway town. Helensburgh was founded as a railway construction camp in the 1880s, during the construction of the South Coast Railway which became the nucleus for a coal mining settlement with the opening of the Metropolitan Coal Mine. The village grew significantly after coal was discovered, and the name was officially changed to Helensburgh in 1887. Its history is tied to the coal mine, but the town's economy later diversified with population growth in the 1970s and 1980s. Helensburgh railway station is a heritage-listed railway station.
The population of Helensburgh is around 6 500 (as per the 2021 census). There are two primary schools (public and Catholic) in Helensburgh but no high school. There is a train station at Helensburgh and local buses that can transport passengers from the station and to Wollongong. There are many sporting facilities within the township, including athletics, tennis, swimming, rugby league, soccer (football), cricket, netball, BMX riding, skateboarding and horse riding. There is also a fun run held at Rex Jackson Oval every Saturday morning.
There are several monuments and statues dedicated to the history of Helensburgh. This 5 stage multi (plus GZ) will take you on a short tour of the village. All 5 WPs are within a few hundred metres of the parking WP. The final (GZ) location will require a walk of about 600m. At each WP collect the information needed to calculate the location of GZ. Each letter represents one digit. We hope you enjoy this brief historical tour of Helensburgh.
There is no room for TBs or SWAG in the cache. BYO pencil/pen.
Remember: No signey, no smiley!
Good luck
There is a Christmas TB tag attached for FTF.
WP1: WAR MEMORIAL
The Helensburgh and District War Memorial is a paved area with a sandstone monument at its centre, and a surmounted centrepiece. Affixed to the front face of the monument are two bronze plaques. The back of the monument has an honour roll of Helensburgh and District veterans who died during the First and Second World Wars.
On the northern side of the paved area is a stone wall divided into two panels, faced with black basalt. There are three sandstone-faced pillars supporting the wall, one at each end and one in the centre. The panels display multiple bronze plaques, inscribed with the names of individual veterans. At the southwestern corner of the area is a flagpole, and the southern and eastern sides of the square are bounded by 1m tall sandstone bollards, placed at every metre.
AB = The number of sandstone bollards.
WP2: CHARLES HARPER MONUMENT
Charles Harper was one of the founders of Helensburgh. The Charles Harper Monument was originally erected over his grave, and commemorates this major figure in the establishment of the mining industry in the region. The monument over the grave was removed and unveiled in the Charles Harper Park on the 7th October 1984 as part of Helensburgh's centenary celebrations.
In 1884, Charles Harper, and a crew of mining engineers and labourers, moved into the Helensburgh area to begin drilling for "Black Diamonds", otherwise known as coal. They are believed to have been the earliest Europeans to settle in the area. They found an abundance of water available in Camp Creek and set up a drilling rig close by. Tragedy struck on Saturday August 4th 1888 when Charles Harper, who was now the manager of the mine, was killed while supervising the installation of a winding engine in the air shaft. A wire rope, being used to haul the engine, snapped and hit Mr. Harper. He died a short time later.
CD = The age of Charles Harper when he died.
WP3: MINER'S TRIBUTE
The Helensburgh Miners Tribute is a sculpture that commemorates the town's mining heritage. It features two refurbished coal "skips," which were restored by community volunteers and are a tribute to the miners who worked in the area.
Officially unveiled on April 26, 1998, Helensburgh Lions Club’s Miners Tribute is dedicated to miners who have worked in the township’s coal mine since the discovery of coal in 1883. The stone monument has a detailed description about the "Miner's Tribute" to the region. Use this plaque to find the next answer.
E = The number of letters in the name (two words) of what the coal "skips" were pulled by deep below the surface.
WP4: HELENSBURGH COALMINER
The sculpture commemorates the town's mining heritage.
In 1883 Cumberland Coal and Iron Mining Company took a ninety nine year lease of 18,000 acres of Government land known as 'Camp Creek '. Coal was found in 1884 on the site where the mine is located today. The opening of the coal mine was responsible for the growth of the village of Helensburgh. The Metropolitan Coal Company of Sydney took over the mine in 1887 and opened in 1888, employing 45 men.
This mine was described as the most perfectly arranged mine in Australia because miners were able to walk perfectly erect in contrast to most mines. It was also possible to use horses rather than ponies in the unusually high tunnels. The mine was bought by Australian Iron & Steel, Port Kembla in 1965. This mine has been closed and re-opened on a few occasions.
Near the statue is an information board outlining "A Brief History Of Early Coal Mining In Helensburgh". Use this to find the next answer.
FGH = At the start of the Great Depression about how many men worked in the mine.
WP5: SAYA & KAI MURAL
Located near the corner of Short St and Walker St, this giant mural is dedicated to local hero, Saya Sakakibara, and her brother Kai. Saya won the Gold medal in the Women's BMX Racing event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The mural was painted over 30 hours by local artist Sarah Rowan. She actually painted the mural before Saya raced in the final. When she won the Gold Medal, Sarah returned the next day to add the "finishing touches" by hightailing it back to her mural of the siblings to paint the glistening gold medal around Saya’s neck.
Southlake Illawarra BMX Club had thrown its support behind its former member, with young children riding in T-shirts reading “Let’s go, Saya!”. The local community assisted by helping fund the project which now stands proudly in the street in Helensburgh for all visitors to see. The larger than life painting will be a constant reminder of one of Helensburgh's local heroes. The Sakakibara siblings have endured a long journey since Saya and her older brother Kai were talented teenagers. This includes them rising up through the world rankings, to Kai’s terrible race crash in Bathurst in 2020, Saya’s fall at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and ultimately to her triumph in Paris in 2024.
JK = The number of letters after the @ symbol on the mural.
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GZ can be found at: S 34° 11.(K - C)(J - H)(F + D)′ E 150° 58.(E)(G - A)(B)′
Check sum: S 19 / E 33
RESOURCES:
WP 1: NSW WAR MEMORIALS REGISTER
WP 2 :MONUMENTS AUSTRALIA
WP 3: THE ILLAWARRA FLAME
WP 4: MONUMENTS AUSTRALIA
WP 5: SYDNEY MORNING HERALD & THE ILLAWARRA FLAME
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