South West Rocks, New South Wales

South West Rocks is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, near the mouth of the Macleay River. It is approximately 40 km from Kempsey. Jerseyville is located nearby.

The population of South West Rocks is 4,816 people, and maintains a steady growth rate. The tourist population of South West Rocks increases markedly during the holiday season. Beautiful scenery, numerous beaches, and man-made attractions such as Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape Lighthouse are popular tourist attractions.

Trial Bay is one of the few north facing bays on the Australian east coast.

History
Arakoon was originally established as the township on Trial Bay in 1866. However, by 1889, South West Rocks had established itself as a popular bathing resort with people of the Macleay Valley. South West Rocks got its name most likely from the captains of passing ships, who claimed it was safest to moor vessels near the rocks, south west of Laggers Point (the point on which Trial Bay Gaol is built). Another theory is that their moorings would be safe if they kept the rocks to their south west. Trial Bay was named after a brig, The Trial, which was stolen and wrecked by convicts in 1816 in the bay that now bears its name.

On 13 May 1770, Captain James Cook observed smoke from a fire on a mountain which he named Smoky Cape. The headland in front of the mountain is now the location of Smoky Cape Lighthouse.

In 1972, a Sydney Harbour showboat, Sydney Queen, and the former Newcastle car carriers Lurgurena and Koondooloo, were wrecked on the Main Beach after breaking free from their moorings in heavy storms. Elements of all three vessels were salvaged, but the hull of Sydney Queen filled with sand and could not be removed. It was eventually burned to the waterline to remove the obstruction from the beach.

Industry
South West Rocks has a long history of commercial fishing. Local fishermen, OceanWatch Australia and the local surf life saving club hold an annual Loaves and Fishes Barbeque on Good Friday.

Media
The South West Rocks News comes as a cover page to Tuesday edition of the Kempsey The Macleay Valley Argus.

A weekly free paper and magazine are home delivered every Wednesday to households within the Kempsey Shire and Nambucca Shire.

TV Broadcasts are usually received from Mt Moombil, west of Coffs Harbour, though in some locations it is possible to receive signals from Middlebrother Mtn, North-east of Taree.

Radio signals are able to be received from multiple locations, including; Port Macquarie, Kempsey, and Coffs Harbour.

Shopping
South West Rocks' main shopping street is Prince Of Wales Avenue. The other major shopping centre is The Rocks Shopping Fair (with a Bi-Lo supermarket) on Gregory Street, closer to the town's entrance. There are two petrol stations on Gregory Street.

Development
Development in the town has increased over the past few years, with The Rocks Shopping Fair opening in 2002, and an adjacent housing subdivision known as Oceanside.

South West Rocks may be divided into five main areas: South West Rocks, Arakoon, Oceanside, New Entrance and Spencerville. Arakoon is located to the east of South West Rocks and is home to Trial Bay Gaol. New Entrance is the river mouth located to the west of South West Rocks and locals also refer to the residential area on a ridge just to the east of the Macleay River at the river mouth as New Entrance.

Oceanside is located adjacent to The Rocks Shopping Fair; it is a relatively new subdivision in South West Rocks and consists of recently built houses. Spencerville is the most southern area of South West Rocks. It runs from The Rocks Shopping Fair south to Spencers Creek Bridge and was its own village prior to recent development in Oceanside that joined South West Rocks and Spencerville.

Suburbs

 * South West Rocks
 * Arakoon
 * New Entrance
 * Jerseyville
 * Oceanside
 * Spencerville

Schools
South West Rocks has two pre-schools and a Government primary school, South West Rocks Public School. There is no high school despite the efforts of the Lower Macleay Valley High School Association. High school students travel to Kempsey to one of the three high schools, Melville High School, Kempsey High School or St Paul's Catholic College. Some primary school students also travel to St Josephs Primary School, Kempsey East Public School or Kinchela Primary School.

Climate
South West Rocks has a warm and wet subtropical climate. The warmest month on average is February with a mean maximum temperature of 26.9°C and the coldest month on average is July with a mean maximum temperature of 18.7°C. The wettest month is March and the driest month is September. South West Rocks experiences a mean of 137.4 raindays annually, with the most occurring in March and the least occurring in July. South West Rocks gets the highest mean amount of rain during the Autumn and the lowest mean amount of rain during the Spring. South West Rocks' thunderstorm activity is mainly during the period from September to March (inclusive), with October and November being the months where the risk of a severe thunderstorm is increased due to a relatively high frequency of unstable atmospheric conditions which favour frequent and strong thunderstorm development. Hail is relatively rare at South West Rocks, only occurring once every year or two, and it is usually less than 2 centimetres in diameter.