NSWPlanned settlement
Gwandalan
A 1950s subdivision cut a bush peninsula into thousands of blocks.
1954Large lakeside subdivision announced
WHAT STARTED IT
Gwandalan occupies a peninsula reaching north into Lake Macquarie, across Crangan Bay from Nords Wharf. In 1954 the landowners, Cam and Son, began clearing 1260 acres there for what was billed as the largest subdivision on the lake’s foreshores.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The plan allowed about 6000 blocks, a 100-foot waterfront reserve and land for parks and shops, and the streets were given Aboriginal names. The name Gwandalan, said to mean a restful or peaceful place, was chosen by Mrs Rupert Vale of the local Vale family.
TURNING POINTS
1954A 1260-acre subdivision named Gwandalan is announced, with about 6000 building blocks.
1963Vales Point Power Station begins generating nearby on the southern shore of Lake Macquarie.
2016Wyong Shire, which included Gwandalan, merges into Central Coast Council.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A lakeside residential suburb of about 3,800 people with a public school and foreshore reserves, part of Central Coast Council.