Avalon Beach, New South Wales

Avalon Beach is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 37 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Pittwater Council, in the Northern Beaches region. The area is also known as Avalon, with the name Avalon Beach being assigned during a change in boundaries and names in the Pittwater region in 2012.

History
The Pittwater and Northern Beaches area was formerly inhabited by the Garigal or Caregal people in a region known as Guringai country.

European settlement
Avalon was named after the mythical Avalon, a legendary island in Celtic languages mythology. According to legends, Avalon was an earthly paradise and the final resting place of King Arthur.

The first land grant in the area was 60 acre to John Farrell in 1827. A 400 acre land grant was made to Father John Joseph Therry in 1833, who fought hard for the recognition of the Catholic Church in the colony. He built a church in this area but his plans for a settlement never eventuated. In the 1920s, the area was still known as 'Priest's Flat'. Arthur J Small handled a subdivision in 1921 and chose the name Avalon.

Significant housing developments took place during the 1920s. The architect Alexander Stewart Jolly designed a number of houses that were built in the Avalon area in that period. Loggan Rock was a flamboyant log cabin combined with a stone tower; the combination of logs and rocks gave rise to the name. The house is heritage-listed. Careel House is a bungalow made of stone that was quarried in the area. Nowadays it is on the Whale Beach side of the boundary. It is also heritage-listed. Hy Brasil, located near Clareville, was built in 1936, but was originally known as The Gem. Later it was bought by Ted Herman, son of the painter Sali Herman, who changed the name, using the name of a mythical island west of Ireland. It is heritage-listed.

Another significant development was the creation of Ruskin Rowe in 1950. This street was designed as an estate by the architect Harry Ruskin Rowe, son of the architect Thomas Rowe. Rowe created covenants to preserve the character of the estate, but they have been ignored to an extent over the years. Nevertheless, the estate is heritage-listed because of its historic significance, as well as its scientific significance in preserving the bushland environment of the area.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census of Population, there were 10,602 residents in Avalon. 73.8% of residents were born in Australia. The most common other countries of birth were Britain 9.8%, New Zealand 2.0% and United States of America 1.1%. 91.7% of residents spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included German 1.2%, French 0.5% and Italian 0.4%. The most common responses for religious affiliation were No Religion 31.6%, Anglican 25.5% and Catholic 21.6%.

Commercial areas
Avalon features an RSL club, bowling and sailing clubs; a golf club, a supermarket, shops, offices, cafes and a cinema.

Sport and recreation
Avalon Beach is a surfing beach and has a 25-metre salt water rock pool at the south end. Avalon Beach SLSC members patrol Avalon Beach. Several former surfing world champions are also past or current Avalon residents; including Ben Player.

Avalon Soccer Club, established 1982, has over 80 teams and 1000 registered players. Avalon Junior Rugby League Club has contributed several players active in the Australian National Rugby League. Avalon also has a small nine-hole golf course.

Pittwater Council has created the Bangalley Headland Walk, which goes through part of the Careel Headland Reserve. The track starts at Whale Beach Road and goes to Marine Parade. St Michaels Cave is an interesting coastal feature.

Schools

 * Barrenjoey High School
 * Avalon Public School
 * Maria Regina Catholic Primary School

Culture
An episode of the American television show, Baywatch, was shot at Avalon Beach in the late 1990s. Producers of the show, seeking to relocate from their Californian base due to cost constraints, proposed a full relocation to Avalon. However, following complaints from residents (supported by former world surfing champion and local property owner Mark Warren), the series moved instead to Hawaii. The anti-Baywatch supporters were led by former Pittwater mayor Alex McTaggart who was subsequently elected to NSW State Parliament for two years.

Notable residents

 * Mandy Zieren (1978-), competitive bodyboarder
 * Yahoo Serious, actor and director