The mouth of Glenrock Lagoon is located 7.6 km south-west of Nobby's Lighthouse. The catchment area is bounded by the following catchment areas, Murdering Gully (c1) to the north east , Throsby Creek (Hunter Valley) (c2) to the north and north west, Winding Creek (Lake Macquarie) (c3) to the west, Dicks Creek and Bulls Creek (Jewels Swamp) (c4) to the south west and Dudley Beach (c5) to the south east, (see map below).

While the early European pioneers gave it "Glenrock" because of the rocky nature of the Glen (a narrow valley). The area of Glenrock Lagoon was called "Pillapay-Kullaitaran" meaning "The Valley of the Palms" by the Awabakal tribe. Archaeological evidence has been found to date a campsite at Swansea Heads at 7,800 years, (Dept of Lands 1990).

The underlaying geology of the area is from the Permian period (248 - 290 million years ago). It includes conglomerate, sandstone, tuff, shale, coal, the makes up the Newcastle Coal Measures. However, just on the northern side of the Merewether headland it is from the Quaternary period (less than 1.8 million years ago) which includes gravel, sand, silt, clay, "Waterloo Rock", marine and freshwater deposits. (source: 1966 geological map of Newcastle)

Glenrock Lagoon came into existence 6,000 years ago when the sea level stabilised after last last ice age. The sea level was approx 120 metres lower than it is today during the last ice age 20,000 years ago. The Lagoon is a small body of water approx 900 metres long and approx 100 metres wide and covers an area of approx 8 hectares. This area does vary depending upon the water level. The water levels can vary as much as 2 metres.

The southern headland at the mouth of the valley is named Little Redhead. The headland at the southern end of Dudley beach and the northern end of Nine Mile beach was called Big Redhead, however it is now known only as Redhead. (Newcastle Chronicle)

The first coal discovered in Australia must be given to the escaped convicts William & Mary Bryant on their journey to Timor. They discovered coal near the entrance to Glenrock Lagoon on 1791-03-30. They named it Fortunate Creek because they found food there and friendly Aborigines. However, the news did not get back to Sydney and it was Lieut John Shortland R. N. who received credit for the discovery of coal in Newcastle on 1797-09-09. Even today, coal can still be found in the cliff face on the northern headland at the mouth of Glenrock Lagoon. (Extract from NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard. Article No.8 of 29/05/1997. COALMINING INDUSTRY BICENTENARY). This is a Permian coal seam. The Permian era was 290 - 248 million years ago.

In a letter dated 12th October 1842, to W. Kirchner of Sydney, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt describes a walk through the valley on his way from Newcastle to Redhead via Charlestown. On this walk he described the view of the lagoon from a high vantage point. That vantage point is today known as "Leichhardt Lookout", which is on the Great North Walk.

"You'll have heard of the Valley of Palms. It happens that there are very few palms there, which makes it by so much the richer in other kinks of plants. It's a narrow, rocky gully with steep sides which widens out towards the sea. The slopes are covered with the most luxurious vegetation, trees and bushes are bound together by climbers, and the trunks of the trees are covered with parasitic plants. Floods, that have swept down with irresistible power during the heavy Winter rains, have uprooted big trees, and have produced the wildest conflagration of closely entangled life and death."
("The Letters of F. W. Ludwig Leichhardt, Edited by A. Aurousseau Volume II", The Hakluyt Society 1968, pp532)

In 1883 the Burwood Coal Mining Company was formed, but it was December 1884 before a shaft was started which was completed on 1885-05-10. A private railway was built from the mine across the lagoon around the cliff face and along Burwood Beach (then known as Smelters Beach) past Murdering Gully through 2 tunnels behind the current Merewether Baths along Watkins Street. At this time it was known as the Redhead Railway because the colliery on the lagoon was called Redhead Colliery on Glenrock Lagoon.

The catchment area is approx 10 square km (1000 Hectares) with a boundary of approx 11 km, length (east to west) of 4.1 km and width varying from 0.6 km at the coast to 3.5 km in the centre. The Glenrock State Recreation Area (SRA) together with Awabakal Nature reserve contains 700 hectares but only approx 200 hectares (approx 30% of the catchment area) of this is within the Glenrock Lagoon catchment area.  The western boundary of the SRA is the proposed Eastern Charlestown by-pass (refer below). The bush land / open space to the immediate western side of the proposed by-pass has been classified as either "Public Open Space" or "Environmental Protect - Conservation". The SRA has as its eastern boundary the high tide mark on Burwood Beach and therefore, the intertidal zone is not in the SRA. The future plans for the SRA can be found in the Glenrock conservation management and cultural tourism plan - January 2003.

There are 3 sub-catchments areas, Little Flaggy Creek   in the north, Flaggy Creek in the centre and an small unnamed creek in the southeast. Two of the main tributaries are, Flaggy Creek (approx 4 km in length) and Little Flaggy Creek (also shown on some maps as Glenrock Creek). Little Flaggy Creek reaches right up into the main shopping areas at Charlestown at the corner of Ridley and Stuart (Pacific Highway) Streets. While Flaggy Creek reaches up past the swimming pool and Fire station in the south-west to the corner of Dudley Road and Stuart (Pacific Highway) Street. The un-named creek (approx 2km in length) in the south-east reaches to Burwood Road in Dudley essentially following the old Dudley Branch Line. On a Map of the Parish of Kahibah dated 1887, Little Flaggy Creek was named "First Flaggy Creek" and  Flaggy Creek was known as "Second Flaggy Creek".

The catchment has mainly clay soils. Dry and Swamp Sclerophyll Forest and Rainforest vegetation exists in the bush areas.

Within the catchment there are a number of Landcare groups. These Landcare groups cover 226 hectares of the 1000 hectares of the catchment.

In 1995 the predecessor to the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources under took a survey of soils in the catchment. They were located at Ocean View Parade, Burwood Road,  Burwood Road near the railway, (see the light green triangles on the map). Details of the soils here. Winzip required.

The following are extracts from "Geographical Names Board of New South Wales"
Little Flaggy Creek: 32:57:32S 151:42:03E A creek rising approx 3 km west of Glenrock Lagoon in the suburb of Charlestown. It flows generally SE, NE and E for approx 3.2 km into Flaggy Creek, thence into Glenrock Lagoon. This creek is a tributary of Flaggy Creek.
Flaggy Creek: 32:57:54S 151:42:04E A watercourse about 4km long. It rises about 3 km South of Kotara and flows generally ENE into Glenrock Lagoon.
Glenrock Lagoon: 32:57:42S 151:44:01E A lagoon on Flaggy Creek about 3 km South of Adamstown and about 3 km NNE of Dudley.
Glenrock SRA: 32:57:54S 151:43:04E A reserve North of Dudley, South of Adamstown, East of Kahibah and West of Little Redhead Point.
Little Redhead Point: 32:57:54S 151:44:04E A headland on the northern end of Dudley Beach about 4 km E of Charlestown.
Murdering Gully: 32:56:54S 151:44:04E A watercourse about 2.5 km long. It rises about 1 km ENE of Highfields and flows generally E by S into the ocean.

An Extract from Lake Macquarie City Council Stormwater Management Plan, Appendix 2, pp 132-133
Lake Macquarie Sub-catchment: Glenrock Lagoon
Size: 925 hectares (within Lake Macquarie Council Area)
Location: Localities within the catchment include Highfields, Kahibah, Whitebridge, Charlestown.
Land use: The upper catchment is largely urbanised while the lower catchment (in Glenrock SRA) is native vegetation. Commercial - Pacific Highway at Charlestown.
Tributaries: Flaggy Creek from the South. There are 2 stormwater treatment devices in the catchment.
The Riparian condition: Flaggy creek is generally in good condition particularly where the creek flows through Glenrock SRA. However, the creek rises in the urban area of Charlestown  where it is piped underground and there are impacts from this part of the upper catchment which compromises the habitat value of the creek downstream.
Sources of stormwater pollution: runoff from existing urban areas, erosion of tracks.
Stormwater issues: elevated nutrient loads, increased sediment loads, loss of habitat values.

An Extract from Lake Macquarie City Council Stormwater Management Plan, Appendix 4, pp 2
Stormwater actions for consideration (funding/resources required)
LMCC, on-ground works and rehabilitation

Action and Locations	Issues identified
Rehabilitate unlined drainage channels to reduce maintenance requirements (replace Typha with less vigorous reeds and rushes, plant trees along stream banks to increase shading and reduce growth of instream vegetation). * Kaleen Street, Kahibah	* Aesthetic value of stormwater system * Loss of habitat values
Facilitate the formation of landcare groups to rehabilitate degraded waterways and undertake 'creek clean-up' programs. * Flaggy Creek (Kaleen Street, Charlestown)	* Increased loads of sediment * Accelerated catchment erosion * Modified catchment hydrology

The catchment has flows from stormwater drains, roads and human infrastructure. This human infrastructure includes 5 petrol stations, 2 shopping precincts, 2 stormwater treatment devices, 1 public swimming pool and closed coal mines. The effect of this can been seen in the results of the Waterbug surveys carried out on Flaggy Creek.

Flaggy Creek had been surveyed but not named as early as 1828, as shown on a map by Henry Danger who was a local Newcastle land owner. On that map, which is held in the National Library of Australia, shows the main road south through the area which will be called Charlestown, the Burwood Road ridge line called "Wahrah" and the unnamed Flaggy Creek.

Besides the major arterial roads on the boundary, the only other major road within the catchment is Kahibah Road which runs in a "L" shape from the top boundary through Kahibah onto the western boundary at Charlestown. On both the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Draft Local Environment Plans there contains strip of land for a proposed Eastern Charlestown by-pass. The Eastern Charlestown by-pass has been on planning maps as far back as 1955 and would bisect the catchment from north to south running to the west of the Belmont rail line finally crossing the rail line in the area between Little Flaggy Creek culvert and Kahibah Station..

Besides the major road corridors, there is a major walking trail, The Great North Walk (Yuelarbah Track) and the Fernleigh Track Cycleway.  The Yuelarbah Track comes to within 90 metres of the school and the cycle way 300 metres of the school. The Great North Walk basically follows Flaggy Creek from Charlestown to the top of the lagoon. Then follows the northern shore of the lagoon to the beach before heading north to Newcastle along the Burwood beach past Murdering Gully and the ruins of the cooper smelter. Also the old rail corridor to Belmont is being upgraded to a cycle way. However, due to the cost and size of the project it is not due to be complete until 2015. It is planned to be completed in 3 stages Park Ave (Adamstown) to Kahibah Station Burwood Road (Kahibah) 2004, Kahibah Station Burwood Road (Kahibah) to Oakdale Road (Redhead) 2009 & Oakdale Road (Redhead) to Belmont 2015. Refer to the Fernleigh Track Cycleway page for further details. Glenrock Lagoon has been for over a century a recreational area for the people of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, (photos).

Map overlay with catchment boundaries, Great North Walk, Fernleigh Track, approx position of the proposed East Charlestown By-Pass, Glenrock lagoon, Leichhardt Lookout. Topographic Map Royal Australian Survey Corps 1952

Map of Fernleigh Track (in Yellow) 130k

views from space

Within the catchment are the following suburbs - Adamstown Heights, Merewether Heights, Highfields, Kahibah, Charlestown, Whitebridge.  However, Kahibah is the only suburb that is totally within the catchment area.

The closest official weather station is Nobbys Signal Station, 7.6 km North East. This station is the official station for Newcastle. For climate data, refer to the link our page on Newcastle Weather. For a rainfall and temperature graph, click here. As a comparison, compare the graph from Nobbys with that of Williamtown RAAF Base, 20km NNE, click here. For a combined graph, click here. However, due the shape of the valley and the predominate wind direction is from an arc east to south, the rainfall will be slightly higher than at Nobby's Signal station. (BOM) At times low cloud will form along the ridge lines.

The Newcastle coastal region has been the site of many ship wrecks, however, it appears that the stretch of ocean from Dudley Beach to Merewether Baths has not had any wrecks. (Australian National Shipwreck Database)

Summary of Catchment Statistics

Notes
1 The area varies according to the depth of the lagoon.
2 The boundary for Newcastle LGA is the northern shore of Glenrock Lagoon.
3 Metrological data taken at Nobby's Lighthouse 7.6 km to the North East. Official readings for Newcastle
4 All area values are approximations

Additional resources, refer to our pages on Glenrock SRA , Kahibah , Fernleigh Track Cycleway, Great North Walk and  Newcastle Weather.

See Also Wikipedia

This page updated: Sunday, 2007-04-22