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PAMBULA/PAMBULA BEACH
History Meets Surf
A relationship between the coastal surfing town of Pambula Beach and the inland rural township of Pambula, gives the visitor a sense of a surfing country town. The beach with its white clean sand stretches for 6km’s right around to the mouth of Merimbula Lake. You could easily stroll for hours taking in the contrasting views of lush green hills on one side and the expanse of clear ocean on the other. Pambula Beach has a modern caravan park built on the water front - walk out of your tent and straight onto this wonderful beach which is patrolled by the Pambula Beach Surf Lifesaving Club during the summer months. There are many walks in the area that will take you up into the hills above the many small beaches and which give excellent views across the water.
There are toilets and a large shaded picnic area with BBQ's (coin operated), a playground for children in a safe area surrounded by native bush.
You can fish on the Pambula River or at the mouth, while the kids are having a swim. Across the river is the back drop of Ben Boyd National Park, another popular destination with many beautiful beaches and walking tracks to explore (see the menu on the left for walking tracks).
Moving inland to Pambula Village you will find on the main street a range of galleries, coffee shops, local craft and places to eat. There are many colonial buildings in the small town which give the place a rustic feeling.
One of the best examples of Pambula's historical buildings is 'The Grange' which is located 2kms south of the town. It once belonged to a sea captain but is now a top class restaurant which holds functions on a regular basis. The Grange Restaurant is the perfect location for that special wedding day.
Just north towards Merimbula you will find the Merimbula Pambula Golf Club. This challenging 27 hole course is renowned for its even fairways and greens to match. Grey kangaroos watch you swing into action as they lounge in the sun. Visitors, members and their guests can enjoy all the club facilities while taking in great views of this beautiful golf course.
Pambula or Pambula Beach can be reached by either walking along the beach from Merimbula or by taking the walking track along the airport on Arthur Kane Drive. This is a great track for the whole family as it is flat and the kids can ride their bikes a safe distance from the main road.
Short History Of Pambula
For centuries the Far South coast of New South Wales was populated by the Thaua Yuin Aboriginal peoples and there are middens in the Broadwater area dating back 3000 years. The European connection started in 1797 with the voyage of discovery by George Bass but the first white settlement was not made until the 1830’s when the Imlay brothers established cattle runs on the Pambula River flats.
In 1843 Surveyor Townsend drew up plans for the village of Pambula situated on the flats by the river and it was there that the first school and churches were built. However, frequent and severe flooding finally forced the relocation of the village to its present site on higher ground.
Initially grazing and agriculture were the main land uses and stock routes opened up the country. Tents were replaced by slab or bark huts and then more permanent buildings were erected for homes, accommodation houses, smithies, shops, hotels etc. By 1856 there were 5 licensed hotels and the foundation stone for the Courthouse was laid in 1860. A soft drink manufacturing plant and a tannery was established in the late 1870s on the outskirts of the village and the harvesting of wattle bark was a supplementary activity for local farmers. Pambula was not proclaimed a town till 1885. Three years later the population exploded following the discovery of gold in 1888. Villages emerged around the mines at Yowaka and Pipeclay Creek. The Pambula Cooperative Creamery and Dairy Company operated from 1897 in the building which still stands on the Mt Darragh Road until its closure in 1974.
The early 1900s saw the gradual decline of mining and the return to dairying and agriculture but Pambula continued to be the dominant town of the district with its banks, Courthouse, hospital, newspaper, School of Arts and commercial premises. It was not until after the Second World War that Merimbula expanded to become an important centre.
Pambula has retained many of the original buildings from the 1800s and the best way to appreciate these tangible reminders of local history is to follow the self guided walk set out in the publication “Discover Pambula”. The original leaflet produced by the Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society has been modified by PAPPA and this is available for purchase from various outlets in the town.
There are two buildings which have important international and national links – Covington’s with its connection to Charles Darwin and McKell’s, where Sir William McKell, Premier of NSW and later Governor General of Australia, spent his early childhood.
Syms Covington sailed around the world with Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle, helping him collect, catalogue and preserve specimens and then working with him in London on the preparation of his ground breaking publications. In 1840 Covington sailed from England again, this time to make his home in New South Wales. First he lived in the Stroud area, then in Sydney before coming to Pambula, sometime between 1846 and 1848. In January 1852 he bought two blocks of land in Quondola Street on which he built a modest house. In 1856 he wrote to Darwin commenting on the expense he had incurred in the construction of a new building which was both home for his family, store and licensed premises, The Forest Oak.
After the death of Covington in 1861 the building continued to operate as The Forest Oak with various licence holders including John Behl who eventually purchased the property in 1884. It then became known as The Retreat and later as Rosstherne. From 1908 it was referred to as “the Doctors’ House” as a series of medical practitioners lived there and had their surgeries on the premises. Since the 1980s the building has been used as a restaurant with various combinations of the old names and it has been classified by the National Trust.
The McKell complex in Toalla Street consists of a shop on the street frontage with a slab and weatherboard cottage at the back of the block. This was the Behl property, with the house construction dating around the 1850s and the shop later in the century. It is the connection with William John McKell that has given it the name that has persisted through the years, regardless of the nature of the commercial businesses operating from the premises. It was McKell’s butchers shop when William was born in 1891. He left school when aged 13 to begin his apprenticeship as a boilermaker. In 1917 he was elected as Labor Member for Redfern and went on to become the Premier of NSW. Sir William McKell was appointed Governor General of Australia in 1947.
Every township has a history which influences its character and this should be valued by its residents. The Pambula community is fortunate to have so much architecture from its past which has been preserved for present and future enjoyment.
Acknowledgement to Shirley Bazley, Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society for the above information.
Pambula Community Local Links:
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