Welcome to the Woolgoolga Heritage Walk website!
The Woolgoolga Heritage Walk was officially opened on 9th June 2013.
About Woolgoolga
Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 400 km south of Brisbane. The Wikipedia site for Woolgoolga can be found here.
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Gumbaynggirr people, the Traditional Custodians of the land of the Woolgoolga district.
Illustration by Moira MacLachlan & Robyn Graham
The name Woolgoolga comes from ‘wiigulga’, the Gumbaynggirr word for the black apple tree (Planchonella australis).
The black apple is a member of the tropical fruit family Sapotaceae. Its large black-skinned fruit contains a white stringy flesh which, although bland to the human palate, is readily sought after by fruit-eating animals. The dark brown, fluted trunks of these trees are a common sight and they are often easily identified by the many shoots and leaves they produce on the lower part of the trunk. Black apple is a slow growing, medium sized tree with dense timber. Aborigines ate the fallen fruit. Settlers gathered the fruit for preserves.
Why the Walk?
The Heritage Walk is a community asset, aimed at enriching the understanding of Woolgoolga’s history and culture. It is intended to be a pleasant outdoor activity which complements the proposed Whale Watch Headland Walk and Coastal Walk. Locals and visitors to Woolgoolga who “walk the walk” can enjoy coffee and cake, or even do a little shopping, along the way at their leisure.
There will initially be 16 heritage panels placed along the street verge from "Top Town" on River St to "downtown" on Beach St, through to Wharf St. One aim of the Heritage Walk is to enhance overall coherence to the town by linking both areas of Woolgoolga. Themes addressed on the panels include indigenous history, early settlers, logging & sawmills, rail line & jetty (neither of which still exists), Woolgoolga in the wars, various industries, early schooling, original tavern, early policing and the Sikh community.
Distance and time
Heritage Walk (One Way) – 2.2km (approximately 40 minutes)
Return Trip – 4km (approximately 80 minutes)
Visitors Information Centre
Visitors Information Centre Website
Corner Beach St and Boundary St, Woolgoolga 02 6654 8080
Contact us
For more information about the Woolgoolga Heritage Walk, please email michmaths@hotmail.com.