Woronora, New South Wales

Woronora is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woronora is located 27 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire. Woronora Heights is a separate suburb, to the south-west.

History
Woronora is derived from an Aboriginal word wooloonora, meaning 'black rock'. It is believed to have been named by Surveyor Dixon in 1828.

Historically, Woronora has been used to refer to the hundred including all land to the east of the Woronora River, from is source to is confluence with the Georges River. The name was also used to refer to the Woronora Village, which was occupied during the construction of the Woronora Dam.

Location
The residential area of Woronora lines both sides of the Woronora River. The Woronora bridge is northern limit to residential housing. A footbridge crosses the river at the southernmost limit of housing on the western bank. The housing on the eastern bank continues beyond the end of Prince Edward Park Rd, and some houses can only be reached by a walking track or by boat. The suburb is completely ringed by bushland, with only a single road providing access. Many think that this adds to the charm of the suburb which has curiously escaped the development that its surrounding suburbs have experienced. They feel that this has contributed to the sense of community in the Woronora.

The Woronora Reservoir is one of the sources of Sydney's water supply, and lies to the south of Woronora along the river. River levels and water quality at Woronora can be affected by the release of water from the dam.

The Woronora Plateau, is a geographical region adjacent to the Sydney Plain. Slightly higher in altitude, it is capped with Hawkesbury Sandstone. It is often hotter in summer and colder in winter than Sydney. The Woronora River flows through the deeply dissected plateau to the Georges River from near the sources of the Port Hacking, within the Sutherland Shire.

Transport
The Woronora Bridge, was built to eliminate the steep decents and ascents for traffic between Sutherland and Menai. The bridge is approximately 600 metres long and was completed in 2001 as an alternative to the Old Woronora Bridge. There is a public walkway located just underneath the road on the bridge. The walkway can be accessed from Menai Road on the Bangor side and Prince Edward's Park Road on the Sutherland side.

Woronora Fire Trail
There is a fire trail between Woronora and Woronora Heights which has remained closed due to protests from those who live in Woronora and parts of Woronora Heights. These residents feel that if the fire trail was opened to general transport, it would create an influx of vehicles from Engadine using Woronora as a 'shortcut' to Menai and Sutherland, and would pollute the area. They also feel it would congest and change the character of the small suburb. In 2006, the NSW State Government intervened and zoned the fire trail such that it would not be able to be used for public or general transport. Up until this decision, many houses through the area displayed placards protesting against members of the local Sutherland Shire Council that were pushing to have the road opened to public transport, and others that sought to see the road opened to general traffic.

Landmarks
Woronora features an RSL Club, boatshed, rugby league football oval, caravan park, primary school which opened in 1942, cafe, restaurants (riverside and Thai restaurant), a fire station, hairdresser, bottle shop, general store and a cemetery (close to Sutherland).