Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Lawrence Hargrave Drive, part of the Grand Pacific Drive, is a scenic coastal road and popular tourist drive connecting the northernmost suburbs of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, to Wollongong, in the south, and Sydney, in the north. The road was originally constructed in the 1870s.
Lawrence Hargrave Drive | |
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Lawrence Hargrave Drive | |
| General information | |
| Type | Rural road |
| Length | 18.7 km (12 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Old Princes Highway, Helensburgh[1] |
| South end | Bottom of Bulli Pass, Princes Highway, Thirroul[1] |
| Location(s) | |
| Major settlements | Stanwell Park, Austinmer[1] |
Route
The road begins at the Old Princes Highway, Helensburgh (Princes Motorway exit) and passes through Stanwell Tops to descend the steep Illawarra Escarpment at Bald Hill, the site of a spectacular lookout and hang gliding area. The road then passes south through Stanwell Park and Coalcliff to cross the Sea Cliff Bridge and adjoining Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge. Together, the Sea Cliff Bridge and Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge construction were completed in December 2005, replacing the former cliff-hugging route which was prone to rockfalls and consequent closures.[2] Remnants of the former road can still be seen to this day, including some of the guard rail and most of the road section which is now overgrown with trees and ridden with boulders and rocks that have fallen freely since the roads closure, essentially acting as a ditch.
The road then winds its way through the coastal villages of Clifton, Scarborough, Wombarra, Coledale, Austinmer and finally Thirroul where it meets the Princes Highway at the bottom of Bulli Pass. The road was formerly known as Lower Coast Road until 1947 when it was renamed after Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian aviation pioneer and explorer who had a house at Stanwell Park and flew his devices from Bald Hill.
References
- Wollongong Street Directory, 18th Edition. UBD (A Division of Universal Publishers Pty Ltd). 2006. ISBN 0-7319-1706-5.
- "Lawrence Hargrave Drive". Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
External links
- "Map of Lawrence Hargrave Drive, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2009.