Malabar Headland

Malabar is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia located 12 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The suburb is named after a passenger cargo steamer called the MV Malabar shipwrecked at Long Bay on 2 April 1931. The ship was named after the Malabar region of the Indian state of Kerala famous for its history as a spice trade centre.

Prior to the shipwreck, the suburb was known as either Brand or Long Bay. The local residents petitioned the government to change the name to avoid the association with the Long Bay Correctional Centre; the new name Malabar was gazetted by the government on 29 September 1933.

There have been several shipwrecks on the Malabar headland - the St Albans in 1882, the Hereward in 1898, the SS Tekapo in 1899, the MV Malabar in 1931, the Belbowrie in 1939, Try One in 1947, the SS Goolgwai in 1955 and a barge in 1955.

The Malabar headland includes dramatic sandstone cliffs and provides spectacular coastal views. The western and eastern sections of the headland contain rare examples of the once extensive Port Jackson mallee scrub (Eucalyptus Obstans, formerly Obtusiflora).