Helensburgh is a small town in New South Wales, Australia.
Helensburgh is a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Helensburgh is located 45 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of Wollongong. Helensburgh is in the local government area of Wollongong City Council and marks the northern end of the Illawarra region. It is approximately halfway between Sydney and Wollongong, at the southern end of the Royal National Park.
History
Originally called Camp Creek, it was established as a workers' camp in the 1880s to accommodate coal miners, who worked in the coal mine in the area. Helensburgh Post Office opened on 1 December 1886.Although it is not confirmed, the naming of Helensburgh is likely related to emigration from Scotland to Australia; as there is a Scottish town located by the Clyde river which is also named Helensburgh.
The duplicated curved platform is a rare remainder of early railways. The old Helensburgh railway station was covered in earth until recent years but has been partially uncovered for historical purposes. The old railway line was serviced by steam trains.East of Helensburgh is the locality of Lilyvale a one-time mining community, now mostly part of the Royal National Park. Lilyvale once had a railway station but this was closed after mining ceased in the area. A mural depicting miners is at the starting point of the old line.
Weather
Weather conditions in Helensburgh are generally fairly mild throughout the year, much like the majority of the New South Wales coast. Day temperatures average between 24 °C and 29 °C in the summer months, and rarely go above 33 °C. Average day temperatures during winter months are between 6 °C and 12 °C, and rarely dip below 2 °C.Night temperatures tend to be much cooler, dropping off anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees after the sun goes down.
Helensburgh often seems like it has its very own climate compared to neighbouring locations, with visitors to the area often commenting that Helensburgh seems to be a couple of degrees colder than Sydney or Wollongong on the same day (especially in winter). Helensburgh also has a higher rainfall than its neighbours, although locals would claim that the difference between Helensburgh's rainfall rate and Sydney's or Wollongong's rainfall rates seems greater than what official sources would indicate it to be. Commuters can often be heard to complain about seeing clear blue skies in every other suburb on a rainy day in Helensburgh.
The reason for this microcosm of climate lies in Helensburgh's altitude. Although it doesn't appear to be particularly mountainous, Helensburgh is surrounded by coastal suburbs located virtually at sea level, while Helensburgh itself, due to an odd quirk of geography, is not. So while you would expect Helensburgh's weather to be more similar to Sydney's or Wollongong's, given their relative closeness to the north and the south, the fact that Helensburgh is around 250 metres higher above sea level than either of them does have a noticeable effect on its climate and weather patterns.
On the flip side, extreme weather conditions affecting Sydney or Wollongong generally aren't felt in Helensburgh. In recent years, several famously severe hailstorms and/or windstorms in both Sydney and Wollongong all left Helensburgh virtually untouched.
For the most part, Helensburgh reflects Australia's reputation for mostly fine weather, with moderate average temperatures, and wetter summer months with comparatively dry winters.[1]
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