Russell Vale, New South Wales Explained

Type:suburb
Russell Vale
City:Wollongong
State:NSW
Lga:City of Wollongong
Postcode:2517
Pop:1593
Elevation:135
Area:1.974
Stategov:Keira
Fedgov:Cunningham
Near-N:Woonona
Near-Ne:Woonona East
Near-E:Bellambi
Near-S:Corrimal
Near-Se:East Corrimal
Dist1:75.550
Location1:Sydney
Dist2:7.180
Location2:Wollongong

Russell Vale is a small suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.

Geography

Russell Vale straddles the Princes Highway.

History

Russell Vale was the home and estate of surveyor Francis Peter MacCabe, who died in 1897. The name Russell was the maiden name of his mother (Margaret née Russell). The estate was originally . In April 1904, 116 lots were subdivided and sold. In November 1904, a further 96 lots were subdivided and sold. The house at Russell Vale was demolished in 1966.[1]

Sporting amenities

Russell Vale is the home of the Russell Vale Golf Course, opened in 1986. It also contains the soccer field of Cawley Park, the homeground of the Russell Vale Soccer Club.

Demographics

At the, Russell Vale had a population of 1,593, an increase of 360 or 29.2% from the population of 1,233 at the .

Median family incomes in Russell Vale were slightly above average for the Wollongong LGA at $2,201 per week, compared with $2,151 per week respectively. Median rents were $10 per week greater in Russell Vale at $400 than in the rest of the Wollongong LGA, although median monthly mortgage repayments were the same at $2,167.

Mining

Russell Vale Colliery is an underground coal mine under the Woronora Plateau in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment Area to the west of Russell Vale. The mine has been in operation since the 1880s using various underground mining methods to mine different coal seams. More recently, the mine has come under attack from local residents, as subsidence and cracking attributed to the mine's activities have been observed in the catchment area [2]

Notes and References

  1. Herben. Carol. May-June 2005. Russell Vale House, The Estate of Francis Peter MacCabe. live. Illawarra Historical Society. https://web.archive.org/web/20181112001005/https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2228&context=ihsbulletin. 12 November 2018. 12 November 2018. University of Wollongong.
  2. Web site: 'Russell Vale Colliery Underground Expansion Project PAC Second Review Report'. NSW Planning Assessment Commission. March 2016 . NSW Government, March 2016..