ROBERTSON HERITAGE TRAIL
Explore Robertson village by following the trails which you can find at the Community Information Centre at Hampden Park
the history of robertson
Prior to white settlement, the land where Robertson now lies was known as the Yarrawa Brush. This dense rainforest, which covered an area of about 2,500 hectares around Kangaloon, Robertson and Burrawang, meant that the early history of Robertson was notably distinct from the development of the rest of the Wingecarribee. In fact, despite its proximity to Sydney, the Yarrawa Brush remained a dark hole in the colonial map for a generation. The Wingecarribee had been uncovered in 1798 by John Wilson, and the Illawarra district was examined by Dr. Charles Throsby’s servant Joe Wild in 1815. However, knowledge of this impenetrable rainforest remained as dark as the land inside its twisting vines and towering eucalypts.
Of course, the Aboriginal peoples knew about the place. Robertson sits on the lands of the Gundungurra Nation which extends from the Wingecarribee/Wollondilly Rivers to Camden in the north, Goulburn in the south, and west to the Blue Mountains. The landscape around Robertson and the surrounding parks and reserves contains a variety of Aboriginal sites, including rock shelters and middens, where trading took place. Paintings, stencils, axe-grinding marks and tools, as well as scarred trees remain. The important sites of women’s and men’s places are sacred.
The Wodi Wodi people occupied the Illawarra region and it is believed that, when fish and other seafood were in abundance, they lived on the coastal plain and climbed the escarpment to the highlands at other times to trade and socialise. They used to come together for a Corroboree in what is now Moss Vale. Robertson was a passing-through place.
It was from the Wodi Wodi people that Throsby and Wild first learnt of the presence of this area in 1818. However, it wasn’t until 1830 that white men first ventured into the formidable Yarrawa Brush.
Better known for his later work laying out the city of Melbourne, Surveyor Robert Hoddle’s forgotten labours included his bridle track through the Yarrawa Brush to Kiama.
In March 1830, Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell instructed Hoddle to plot the form of the Wingecarribee Swamp, cut a track through the brush along the ridgelines towards the top of the escarpment and descend to the coast between Kiama and Gerringong. Assisting him in this task was a road gang of 20 men, most likely convict prisoners serving out their sentences. Hoddle was less than impressed with most of them saying he had never met a more idle and useless crowd. In their defence, they had to camp in the open with nothing but a few boughs to shelter under in the heavy rain. They constantly complained about the damp timber of the rainforest that was impossible to light as a fire.
Hoddle’s journal records that, after surveying the swamp, he encountered “the most formidable brush I have seen since I have been in this colony. It abounds with every species of prickly bush, vine, bramble, and nettle. The vines so thickly entwined around the huge trees and as to render the sun obscure at the time it shone with great brilliancy”. The rainforest was so thick that progress slowed to about a mile a day.
Hoddle set out from a point near the intersection of the Illawarra Hwy and Church Street Burrawang and headed eastward in search of a route to the coast. Three creeks ran across his path which was just to the north of Hoddle Street. Robertson. Upon reaching the escarpment at a lookout overlooking Lake Illawarra, Hoddle proceeded to follow the cliff line out to the eastern tip of the escarpment at the end of Barren Grounds. Finally, Hoddle made his descent to Kiama Boat Harbour. He submitted his survey to Surveyor-General Mitchell in July 1830, where it remained forgotten for decades. It wasn’t until the passage of Robertson’s Crown Lands Acts that eyes were again turned to the Yarrawa Brush.
Robertson’s Land Acts
The town of Robertson is named after Sir John Robertson, five-time premier of New South Wales, and the man behind the revolutionary Crown Lands Acts of 1861.
These Acts provided for free selection before survey of unreserved Crown Lands, to be bought freehold in blocks from 40 to 320 acres at £1 an acre, with a 25% down-payment, paid in full within 3 years and interest-free.
John Robertson was elected to the brand-new Legislative Assembly in 1856 and became Premier in March 1860 when he completed drafting the Crown Lands Alienation Bill and Crown Lands Occupation Bill. However, his radical land reforms were defeated, resulting in the dissolution of Parliament. At the resulting election he won a clear majority, while all candidates who openly opposed the reforms were defeated. He subsequently held the position of Secretary for Lands winning the seat of Shoalhaven. He eventually served as Premier five times and was knighted in 1877.
Following the passage of the Acts, the gates were thrown open for the settlement of vast tracts of New South Wales. So, almost 75 years after the First Fleet, and more than three decades after Hoddle cut his track, the ancient Yarrawa Brush was about to wake from its slumber.
While John Robertson may have made the district possible in the corridors of power, it was Kiama councillor John Hanrahan who brought the dream into reality for these emerald hills perched above the escarpments.
Hanrahan, born in Ireland in 1815, was a well-educated man before coming to our shores in 1840. After years of supporting the Jamberoo and Kiama communities, Clr Hanrahan organised a party of selectors which settled the Yarrawa Brush.
After searching further afield for land suitable to purchase under the new land acts, Hanrahan looked closer to home and, with three others, set off to explore the dense brush beyondJamberoo in February 1862. Dressed for the heat, the party ascended the mountain and soon came across what they believed to be Hoddle’s line, blazing through three decades of neglected overgrowth. By the afternoon they began retracing their steps, but in typical Robertson fashion, thick fog rolled in and they became profoundly lost, and were forced to camp out on the mountain overnight with insufficient food or clothing. After this false start, Burrawang was eventually reached and within days Hanrahan became the first selector of the Yarrawa Brush, lodging his application on 18 February 1862 for a portion of land between Robertson and Burrawang. In the following months, other pioneers of the district registered their selections, many of whose descendants still call Robertson home.
The Birth of a Town
On Friday, 2nd May 1862, the Governor of New South Wales, John Young, on the advice of Secretary for Lands John Robertson, proclaimed a reservation of a one square mile block of land from sale, for the purpose of establishing a town.
The place chosen was on Hoddle's line of road at the place he had named Three Creeks. At first the town was known as Yarrawa, but the early settlers saw fit to honour the man who made it all possible by naming it Robertson. Growth was slow at first. Though the private village of Burrawang was already developing into a thriving centre, the government township of Robertson got off to a slow start. The street layout was approved in July 1865, and the first blocks of land were sold that September. However, it was almost two decades before development of the town really took hold. Of the major buildings in the village, the Primary School is the oldest - opening its doors in April 1872. It was followed by St. John’s Anglican Church, which opened in December 1876. These two little sandstone buildings have watched history go by as the village developed from a muddy street through the rainforest to the town it is today.
The Winds of Change
From these humble beginnings, over the ensuing century and a half, Robertson has seen periods of both growth and stagnation, new developments, and the passing of old ventures.
In 1876 George Schlaadt opened the first store in town, followed by two bootmakers and a wheelwright, but it wasn’t until the 1880s that the development of Robertson really took hold. These years saw the addition of a post office, the School of Arts (which as well as hosting dances and public meetings, also held the library in the annex), the Police Station, the butter factory, the Criterion Hotel (now Robertson Inn) and the bank. By the 1890s Robertson boasted 3 hotels, 3 stores, 5 butchers, a baker, a bootmaker, 3 auctioneers, 2 churches, a local newspaper - the Robertson Advocate, and the sandstone Post Office replaced the earlier timber office in 1896.
Services were slower to arrive in Robertson, however, due to Robertson’s isolation, but this was improved in 1898 with the construction of Macquarie Pass. The year 1914 saw the telephone service arrive but it wasn’t until 1930 that electricity was connected. The railway was opened in 1932, some 60 years after lobbying first began. The iconic Hotel Robertson opened in 1924. Though better known as “Ranelagh” for most of its life, it is now The Robertson Hotel. The School of Arts was significantly enlarged in 1939.
An active community, residents quickly formed the cricket, rugby and tennis clubs, then post- WW2 formed the bowling, hockey and soccer clubs. A strong community spirit also formed a troop of the Light Horse and a local fire brigade. Despite all efforts though, the town comprised little more than the main street until the 1980s.
Today, Robertson is home to more than 1,300 people, with many more in the surrounding countryside. Despite many new residents arriving in recent years, many of whom commute to work in places such as Bowral, Wollongong and Sydney, the town retains a community spirit in its church, sporting clubs, and other community groups. A growing town once more, numerous shops and services are again found in Robertson.
Living on the Land
The tall trees and tangled under-storey of the Yarrawa Brush was a major deterrent to settlement, unlike the open grassy country settled decades earlier elsewhere in the Wingecarribee.
The promise of deep fertile soils provided incentive for pioneers to set about the herculean task of clearing and opening up the country. All sorts of crops were planted but not all made it to market due to isolation from Sydney prior to decent roads and transportation.
Isolation did not prevent the impact of world events reaching the district. Notably in 1862, during the American Civil War, the mills of Manchester were desperate for raw material, so efforts were put into cotton ventures. This failed however, as did experiments with wheat and wine grapes.
Far more successful were cabbages and potatoes. John Hanrahan grew the very first Robertson potatoes marketed in Sydney in 1865 – 112 potatoes, weighing 112 pounds. Eventually Robertson became renowned for its potatoes. Lush pastures also supported a thriving dairy industry. The cream was at first churned into butter on the farms, but soon butter factories were established throughout the district, including Robertson in 1888.
Improved transport and new technologies created changes in local primary industries. In the early 1920s small butter factories closed as more efficient, economical and centralised factories were established. In 1936, cheese-making began when the Robertson Cheese Factory was opened, soon winning state and national prizes for its distinctive cheddar. Trucks were introduced to transport vegetables to Sydney and potato-harvesting became mechanised. With the closure of the Cheese Factory in 1989, deregulation of the dairy industry and a growing
suburban population, the industry reduced dramatically. Today, hobby farmers and niche market specialty produce occupy much of the farming lands around Robertson.
Stories of Interest
In 1878, the Burrawang Farmer’s Club was formed and later began planning an agricultural show to compare produce and share knowledge about the local environment.
The inaugural show was held in makeshift pavilions and tents in Burrawang in April 1880. It rained – setting a precedent for many show dates including the legendary cancellation in 1977 following 10 days of torrential rain totalling more than 500mm, leaving the ring underwater!
The second show was held in Moss Vale, alternating annually between the two towns until 1885 when the popular show was clearly in need of a permanent home. Intense rivalry flared between Burrawang and Wildes Meadow, each hoping to establish the showground in their village. Wildes Meadow members began a land search while the Burrawang section countered by signing up 300 new members from Robertson and Kangaloon. That move didn’t work so well. At the fiery 1885 AGM, while Burrawang and Wildes Meadow bickered, and some of the more hot-headed came to blows in the street, Robertson put a surprise motion to establish the showground there. The vote was carried, and while Burrawang and Wildes Meadow were mutually pleased to see the other lose, they were both annoyed to see the show move to Robertson. As a result of the tensions no show was held that year and the first show held in Robertson was in 1886 on land around the present Bowling Club.
In 1887 W.R. Hindmarsh Jnr leased 10 acres of his land to the show, which has since been purchased by the Crown and managed by the Showground Trust. The 8th Show was held at the current showground in 1888 as the Robertson Agricultural & Horticultural Society set its roots down. Since 1969, the signature event of the show has been the Potato Race. Entrants carry a 50 kg bag of potatoes around the 400-metre ring to claim the title of Australian Champion, for who else would think of such a race? Held each year, it is now firmly established as “the best little country show around”.
The potato-growing Irish farmers were also fond of a slightly less legal ‘produce’ – moonshine – the most lucrative of all being ‘Mountain Dew’. For many years before the 1920s, there were many illicit stills around Robertson and the Illawarra Escarpment, stories of which were reported to authorities over a period of some 40 to 50 years before the Excise Department began to investigate. The most famous bust was reported across Sydney in the Daily Telegraph in January 1930.
One of the more memorable events occurred at 7:40am on Monday, 22 May 1961. Robertson was near the epicentre of a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, the most powerful ever recorded in NSW (Newcastle, 1989 was 5.7) Macquarie Pass suffered extensive damage and was closed. In town, many public buildings were significantly damaged as walls cracked and chimneys toppled. Part of the school’s sandstone walls came down on desks which students were due to return tofrom holidays the next morning. The bell-tower of St. John’s Church crashed to the ground. The Post Office was one of the worst affected as the original facade featuring an arched window caved in. The square window that eventually replaced it in 1966 is the most prominent scar remaining from the earthquake.
The Big Potato
“The foundations of Robertson’s Big Potato have been laid and soon the town will have an impressive landmark” (Berrima District Post – 19 Feb 1979). Originally the vision of local community groups, the Big Potato was constructed in 1979. Intended to promote Robertson’s famous red soil potatoes when the industry was a big part of Robertson, later years saw it fall into disrepair as locals harboured mixed feelings on their “big” thing. In 2008, a group of volunteers tidied up the area for the International Year of the Potato. Plants and benches have made it more attractive for frequent tourists photographing the landmark.
Lions Club Park
The Robertson Community Information Centre has been developed on the site of Robertson Lions Club Park, within Hampden Park. A flag pole was erected to fly the National flag and Lions banner. In 1983 Robertson received an award in the Tidy Towns Competition, acknowledged with a commemorative plaque.
In 1994 there was great excitement among residents during the six-month filming of the Kennedy Miller film “Babe”. Most of the film was shot in and around the village and many locals were involved in the production. Sets were constructed on farms and in large potato sheds, but all were removed after filming finished.
This Park was dedicated in 1897 and named after 2nd Viscount Hampden, the Governor of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899. It has been a centre for passive and active recreation for residents, for sports, community picnics or celebrations. The facilities today include a BBQ, children’s playground and a small skate park.
Caalang Creek borders the playing fields and a little wooden bridge, built by Lions Club volunteers, connects the fields to a part of the Park called the Bush Park. Previously a swampy wasteland, it was rehabilitated with Council assistance and, in 1988, the bicentennial year, the school children and residents planted over 1,000 trees there. These have now grown to create the setting for a pleasant winding path, part of the Caalong Street walk.
Information compiled with the assistance of Helen Tranter and Quentin Waters for the Robertson Community Information Centre Project 2018