Lawrence_Hargrave_Drive
Lawrence Hargrave Drive
Road in New South Wales, Australia
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 across the scenic Sea Cliff Bridges. It was named after Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian aviation pioneer who lived nearby.
Lawrence Hargrave Drive | |
|---|---|
| Lawrence Hargrave Drive | |
| Coordinates |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Road |
| Length | 19.5 km (12 mi)[1] |
| Gazetted | August 1928[2] |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | Old Princes Highway Helensburgh, New South Wales |
| Lady Wakehurst Drive | |
| South end |  Princes HighwayThirroul, New South Wales |
| Location(s) | |
| Major suburbs | Stanwell Park, Coalcliff, Clifton, Austinmer |
The road begins at the Old Princes Highway, Helensburgh[3] (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.[4] 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.[3]
The road was originally constructed in the 1870s as Lower Coast Road. It was renamed Lawrence Hargrave Drive after Lawrence Hargrave, an Australian aviation pioneer and explorer who had a house at Stanwell Park and flew his devices from Bald Hill, on 18 December 1946.[5]
The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[6] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 185 was declared along Lower Coast Road on 8 August 1928, from the intersection with Princes Highway in "The Dummies", via Bald Hill, Stanwell Park, Clifton, Austinmer, and Thirroul to the intersection with Princes Highway at the foot of Bull Pass;[2] with the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[7] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Main Road 185 on 8 April 1929. Main Road 185 was later extended north along the former Princes Highway alignment to Waterfall on 25 October 2002.[8]
The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[9] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Lawrence Hargrave Drive retains its declaration as part of Main Road 185.[10]
Lawrence Hargrave Drive is entirely contained within the City of Wollongong local government area.
| Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helensburgh | 0.0 | 0.0 | Princes Highway – Waterfall, Bulli, Wollongong | Northern terminus of road | |
 Princes Motorway (M1) – Heathcote, Mount Pleasant, Dapto, Kiama | Southbound exit and entrance only | ||||
| Stanwell Tops | 3.4 | 2.1 | South Coast railway line | ||
| 3.9 | 2.4 | Lady Wakehurst Drive – Otford, Lilyvale | |||
| Coalcliff | 8.5– 8.8 | 5.3– 5.5 | Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge | ||
| Clifton | 9.0– 9.6 | 5.6– 6.0 | Sea Cliff Bridge | ||
| Thirroul | 18.5 | 11.5 | South Coast railway line | ||
| Thirroul–Bulli boundary | 19.5 | 12.1 | Princes Highway (B65) – Fairy Meadow, Wollongong | Southern terminus of road | |
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- Google (19 August 2022). "Lawrence Hargrave Drive" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- "Main Roads Act, 1924-1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. National Library of Australia. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- 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.
- "Main Roads Act, 1924-1945". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 12. National Library of Australia. 17 January 1947. p. 78. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929
- "Roads Act 1993" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 189. Legislation NSW. 25 October 2002. p. 9185. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- "Map of Lawrence Hargrave Drive, NSW". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
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