Albion Park, New South Wales

Albion Park is a suburb situated in the Macquarie Valley in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia. Although it is surrounded by a 'green belt' of farms, Albion Park has a population of approximately 11,261 and continues to expand by a rate of 12.5% per year.

The Illawarra escarpment is to the west, Dapto is to the north, Jamberoo is to the south and Shellharbour is to the east.

History

The area around Albion Park was cleared by cedar cutters, and they were quickly followed by graziers who recognised the potential of this well-watered area. The arrival of the railway line in 1887, and the completion of the road through Macquarie Pass to the Southern Highlands hastened the town’s growth.

Etymology

The term "Albion", is an ancient name of Great Britain. The name was given by the original land grant owner around 1815.

Infrastructure

Trains

In order to avoid the highest parts of the ridge between Albion Park and Minnamurra, the railway needed to keep closer to the shore of Lake Illawarra. After the opening of Albion Park railway station two km to the east in 1887, a new town began to develop next to it, now known as Albion Park Rail.