Ocean Beach

At the commencement of settlement the area was known as Ettalong Beach and is referred to in 1830 by Sir Thomas Mitchell when he determined "the price of land at Ettalong, Tuggerah and Wyong at 3/- per acre".

John Terry Hughes, a nephew of the wealthy Samuel Terry, received the original grant of 534 acres, together with many other portions of land in the Brisbane Water District.

In 1824 he was declared insolvent and his large estates were disposed of over a number of years.

However, it was not until the early 1900s that subdivision began to take place.

The real estate men of that period, or developers as we would call them today, Arthur Rickards, CJ Staples and Dunban and Dunban began clearing the land and giving different names to their subdivisions.

CJ Staples called one of his subdivisions Ocean Beach City, others were Santa Clause Estate, Golden Crown Estate, Ocean Wave Estate and Our Boys Estate.

A Receiving Office for mails had been established at Ettalong Beach on January 1, 1918, with mails being carried from Woy Woy six times weekly.

With continued development, petitions were received for another post office.

The district postal inspector from Newcastle reported that Umina was an Aboriginal term meaning place of sleep and was adopted for the name of the post office, after reference to the Lands Department.

The Receiving Office was opened in Umina in 1920 and a telephone installed during 1921.

Apparently there was some move to change the name of Umina Post Office to Ocean Beach as on November 28, 1921, CJ Staples wrote to the postal department: "...to change the name of Umina to Ocean Beach would lead to endless confusion."

"I may mention that a site for a post office has been reserved in the Ocean Beach City subdivision, plan of which is forwarded under separate cover.

"As settlement at Ocean Beach City is progressing rapidly, we hope that at some early date your department will be able to utilise this site."

Ocean Beach City did not become the city that was envisaged by the developer and a post office was not opened.

The name remained as Umina until January, 1952, when the name Umina Beach appeared on official papers.

There is no trace of official instructions for this alteration but the Post Office Guide for 1952 listed the office as Umina Beach and it remains as such today.

Historical monograph, 1970

Eileen Pratt, Place Names of the Central Coast