From harmony to chaos

For 40,000 years before recorded time, the Central Coast, at any given time was home to around 380 Aboriginal people.

After discovery by Cook in 1770 and thereafter by Phillip in 1788, our local indigenous peoples dwindled sadly to perhaps less than 41 members by the late 1840’s.

The arrival of the first white settlers heralded a major smallpox epidemic and, by 1789, many of the Eora or coastal tribes perished, as a result of this white man’s disease.

When Bongaree, a Brisbane Water Aboriginal man was finally convinced to relocate his family to Sydney aided by Governor Macquarie around 1821, the Peninsula and Gosford regions were deemed Terra Nullias and proclaimed Crown land.

Macquarie was quick to issue land grants to entitled British settlers, with three grants disbursed after the removal of Bongaree’s family.

The following data reflects a staggering history of uncontrolled growth and is taken from Commonwealth census records for the Brisbane Water region, since 1821.

1829 - 100 settlers had the coast to themselves

1833 - 315 settlers were registered in the region

1888 - 800+ railway workers built the Woy Woy Tunnel and railway line from Sydney

1911 - 660 residents enjoyed the bushland (that hadn’t been logged and shipped to Sydney)

1917 - The township of Umina was established and started to flourish as a holiday destination

1947 - The population grew steadily to about 1,710 residents

1954 - 7,396 residents called the Coast their home (a five-fold population increase over seven years)

1966 - 16,287 residents (the population grew by about 220% over a 12-year period)

1993 - 100,000 residents (a five-fold population growth rate over 27 years)

1999 - 153,319 residents (the population growth had slowed to around 53% over six years)

Born in Gosford in 1961, I witnessed with other "locals", the population explosion that transpired to mould the Peninsula and Gosford regions over the past 40 years.

Within this short time, we have seen our coastal life, natural eco-systems and tourism attraction potential slip significantly, due to the pressures and continued advancement of regional development and urbanisation.

What is expected for the year 2001 and beyond?

Clearly, a more pro-active and ecologically-sustainable development plan for the Peninsula and Gosford region must be urgently addressed, if we are to cope with the forecast invasion of an estimated 100,000 residents, calling these areas their new home.

Only then, can we expect our current era of retrospective action and environmental damage to end and instead achieve a much brighter future for our children to enjoy.

Wayne Peters, Koolewong