Waterfall, New South Wales



Waterfall is a small suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waterfall is 38 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire.

Waterfall is bordered to the north by the suburb of Heathcote and Engadine is further north. It is bounded by The Royal National Park to the east, and Heathcote National Park to the west. Helensburgh is the next town, travelling south. Waterfall marks the southern border of the Sutherland Shire. It is approximately 200 metres above sea level.

Waterfall has only six streets. Its local school has only two rooms which have kindergarten to 2nd class in one room, and 3rd class to 6th class in another. The bushland gives the small suburb a natural surrounding and walking tracks lead from it into the neighbouring national parks. To the west is a dammed lake and behind it is Mount Westmacott.

History
Waterfall was a town created by rail workers, who built the line from Sydney to Wollongong in the late 19th century. Waterfall is the highest point on the line, with a steep rising gradient one end, and a falling gradient the other ends, and sidings were provided in both directions to allow freight wagons to be stowed and shunted. Waterfall derived its name from the waterfalls close to the railway station. McKell Avenue, the southern border of the Royal National Park, was originally called Waterfall Road.

The Waterfall State Sanitorium was established in 1909 for the treatment of tuberculosis patients. In 1973 Australia's first Community Advanced Driver Training Centre was opened in Waterfall but closed a few years later.

The Waterfall train disaster on 31 January 2003, involved an interurban train service operated by unit G7 which crashed just past Waterfall. The cause of G7's crash was determined to be the heart attack of the driver and a failure of the safety equipment and the guard to stop the train.

Transport
Waterfall is the last suburb heading south on the Princes Highway before it leads into the Southern Freeway (also known as the F6 freeway) to the city of Wollongong.

Waterfall railway station is the terminus for the CityRail suburban Illawarra line. However some trains do terminate one stop further on at Helensburgh. Waterfall is also a stop on the south coast railway. Platform 1 to Sydney terminal, platform 2 to Port Kembla, Dapto and Kiama.