Quarrying in Kiama

Quarrying has been an important industry in Kiama from the mid-1800s. Early settlers found basalt very useful in construction due to its fine grain, hardness, resistance to weathering and its ability to be crushed without disintegrating. Some of the notable basalt buildings in Kiama are the old primary school (now part of the Sebel), the Anglican Christ Church, and the Kiama Courthouse. From the 1880s, Kiama became the principle provider of blue metal for the NSW colony, as the local basalt was found to be a perfect base for roads and railways.

John Carson came to Kiama in 1855 and was one of the first quarrymen in the area. He started quarrying Pike's Hill and owned the quarry where the Leisure Centre is located today. John Carson's brother, William, set up the Brown Street quarry in 1876 and opened the Bombo Headland quarry in 1881.

Until steam crushers arrived in the 1880s, all quarrying was done manually. Smaller rocks were created by drilling a hole in the rockface with a chisel and hammer. Explosive powder was put into the hole and blasted. Knapping hammers were then used to smash the rock into smaller pieces to be loaded into drays, which were then taken down Terralong Street to the harbour, and shovelled by hand into barrows and tipped into the holds of ships. Many men were employed in the area to do this as hundreds of tonnes per week were shipped to Sydney.

Construction began on a tramway in 1881 to replace the drays along Terralong Street, but wasn't completed until 1914, when the NSW Government purchased the Terralong Street quarry. Two locomotives transported the blue metal from the Terralong Street quarry to the hoppers at the harbour to be loaded onto the ships and taken to Sydney.

There are a number of former quarries in the area that have since become part of the distinctive landscape of Kiama; these include Pike's Hill and Terralong Street (Leisure Centre site) quarries, Brown Street, Hothersall Street, Barney Street, Bombo Hill, Bombo Headland, West Bombo, Minnamurra River, and the Dunmore and Bass Point quarries. The Bombo Headland quarry is now preserved under a permanent conservation order.

NSW State Quarry, Kiama (Terralong Street quarry) c.1920-30s.This is the site of the Kiama Leisure Centre today.

Terralong Street Quarry blue metal crushers, c.1920-30s

Bombo Headland Quarry.This photo would be circa early 1900s.

Transporting blue metal from the Quarry to the hoppers at the harbour. This is Terralong Street, in front of the post office, c.1920-30s.