Narrabeen, New South Wales

Narrabeen is a beachside suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Narrabeen is 23 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region.

History
There are a number of theories on the origins of the name "Narrabeen". One is that it derived from an Aboriginal word Narrabine meaning swan. Another involves Captain Henry Reynolds, a first fleeter who settled in the area with his family. They were killed during an attack by bushrangers and his homestead burned. The popular belief is that the location was then named after a young Aboriginal girl Narrabine, who lived near the lake, and who helped soldiers capture the escaped convicts involved in the massacre. Another theory is that on 26 January 1801, Lieutenant James Grant and a party of three were walking to Pittwater, where they hoped to find a small rowing boat which had been stolen from Sydney. According to Grant's journal, at the mouth of the lagoon, he was confronted with the problem of crossing a stream, which the Aborigines told him was called Narrowbine . James Meehan mentions Narrowbang lagoon in his survey in 1815. It has also been suggested that the name could have been derived from Narrabin, a native plant growing near the lake entrance.

The first land grants were made to John Lees (40 acre), Philip Schaffer (50 acre), and James Wheeler (80 acre) all along the south bank of Mullet Creek. Alex Macdonald was granted 80 acre at the beach in 1815 and west of this land JT Collins had 93.5 acre by 1857.

During the nineteenth century travellers had to ford the lake until 1880 when the first bridge opened. A second bridge at the mouth of the lagoon in Ocean Street was built in 1925. Narrabeen Post Office opened on 1 August 1898. Narrabeen North Post Office opened on 19 August 1926 and closed in 1984. With the extension of the tram to Narrabeen in 1913 providing easier transport, the whole area around the lake became popular for holidays and camping. A large camping ground became established on the north shore of the lagoon. In 1946 the Wakehurst Parkway was opened to North Narrabeen connecting the whole Pittwater area directly to Frenchs Forest and Seaforth. Narrabeen East Post Office opened on 2 June 1947, was renamed Narrabeen Peninsula in November that year and closed in 1965.

In January 2005, workmen excavating besides the bus shelter on Ocean Street at Octavia Street found a skeleton, which subsequent investigation revealed to be the ca. 4,000-year old remains of a man who had been speared to death. He has become known as Narrabeen Man". His bones were to be buried in nearby Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in 2008.

Beaches
There are four beaches along the Narrabeen stretch of beach, North Narrabeen, Narrabeen, South Narrabeen and Collaroy beach. Although Collaroy is a separate suburb, its beach lies along the same stretch. All beaches have their own Surf Life Saving Club. There is also a lagoon at Narrabeen. Narrabeen beach is mentioned in the Beach Boys song Surfin' U.S.A., which in their live concert on 28 November 1992 at North Narrabeen Reserve they performed at the end of the encore.

Sport and recreation
The Sydney Institute of Sport is based in Narrabeen and has recently become the headquarters of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league club. North Narrabeen beach is commonly used for surfing competitions.

Climate
Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).