Robertson Basin

In the early days of Kiama, when roads were no more than horse tracks, Kiama Harbour was the town's main access point and was key to the area's growth and development. Even so, it had humble beginnings.

In its early days, mooring chains were laid across the harbour in 1848 (some of which are still lying on the harbour floor), and a jetty was built in 1849 at Black Beach, which got swept away and rebuilt, but only one ship could use it at a time. Larger ships had to ferry their cargo and passengers to Black Beach as there wasn't a large enough jetty or adequate mooring. To make matters worse, at high tide there was a dip in the land where Storm Bay is, so that when the seas were rough, waves would crash across to Black Beach from Storm Bay, causing turmoil in the harbour and danger for ships anchoring and loading/unloading. When there were bad seas, ships could not enter or leave Kiama Harbour for sometimes weeks at a time. This would affect the quality of agricultural produce, which would be left stockpiling under the large fig tree on Black Beach (destroyed by storms in 1964). However, when the weather was calm, hundreds of people would gather around the fig tree to deliver and collect produce from the ships - a very social event!

In 1868, work began on the building of a basin in Kiama Harbour. A breakwater was constructed from material quarried on the site where the current tennis courts now stand, and a cofferdam was built to hold back the seawater. The rock removed from the basin was used to build up the dip at the back of Storm Bay to ensure permanent access to Blowhole Point. At one point there was a three-week work stoppage by the divers and carpenters as a result of the Government cutting their wages (this could have been Australia's first maritime strike?), during which time some of the timbers in the cofferdam began to rot.

The basin took almost ten years to be completed. Water was let back into the basin in 1876, the cofferdam was removed, and the basin was named Robertson Basin and officially opened in 1878. The total cost of construction was £36,000.

The increase in shipping that resulted from the new harbour meant that a lighthouse was now necessary, and eleven years later Kiama lighthouse was completed.

Inside the basin looking at the cofferdam c.1874. Notice the railway to the left used to cart materials.

Roberston Basin, completed and in use c.1880s/90s. The SS Illawarra is in port.

Robertson Basin, Kiama, under construction, c.1874

Robertson Basin under construction c.1874