Croobyar, New South Wales Explained

Type:town
Croobyar
State:nsw
Coordinates:-35.3208°N 150.4°W
Lga:City of Shoalhaven
County:St Vincent
Parish:Croobyar
Region:South Coast
Postcode:2539
Pop:174
Elevation:108
Stategov:South Coast
Fedgov:Gilmore
Dist1:9
Dir1:NW
Location1:Ulladulla
Dist2:63
Dir2:S
Location2:Nowra
Dist3:223
Dir3:SSW
Location3:Sydney
Near-N:Little Forest
Near-S:Woodstock
Near-Nw:Little Forest

Croobyar is a rural suburb of the Milton-Ulladulla district within the City of Shoalhaven on the New South Wales South Coast in Australia.[1] It is located immediately west of Milton and in 2021 the population was 174. The main industry in Croobyar is dairy farming.

History

The first European settlement in Croobyar occurred in the late 1840s, when prominent local shipbuilder and future mayor of Ulladulla, David Warden purchased 2650m2 of land and between 3-400 cattle from the estate of Alexander Macleay, the former Colonial Secretary.[2] Warden built a stone cottage and dairy by Croobyar Creek and later, the heritage listed Mount Airlie homestead at nearby Woodstock in 1868.[4] Following Warden's death, the Croobyar estate was subdivided between his four sons.[5] By 1881, the Warden family had built a school to educate children of farm workers, which became a hub for community activities. The school would eventually close during World War II, although the schoolmaster's cottage was preserved and remains today as a boutique guest house.[6]

Croobyar Farm was still operating as a commercial dairy in 2022.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Croobyar (Suburb). New South Wales Geographical Names Board. 2 December 2022.
  2. Web site: Milton Ulladulla in 1883. Milton Ulladulla Historical Society. 2 December 2022.
  3. Web site: Old Croobyar Farm House & Dairy. Ulladulla.info. 2 December 2022. [2]
  4. Web site: Mount Airlie - two storey Victorian Italianate estate residence and trees. State Heritage Inventory. Department of Planning and Environment. 2 December 2022.
  5. Web site: Historic homesteads of Milton-Ulladulla. Milton Ulladulla Historical Society. 2 December 2022.
  6. Web site: Old SchoolHouse Milton, our early history. Old Schoolhouse Milton. 3 March 2019.
  7. Web site: Narrawilly, Milton, New South Wales. Narrawilly. 2 December 2022.