By Jack Devitt * THE bitumen road, built by the Main Roads Department, reached Bulli from Sutherland in 1928. Every road in the district at the time was either blue metal or a dirt track. The sealing of the main road was a huge undertaking; men camped along the route on the top of the…
By Phil Evans * A LITTLE known aspect of the Pacific War was the role that Bulli Woonona residents played in the welcoming of sailors from the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) in 1945. The British Pacific Fleet arrived in Australia on 4 February 1945; it comprised two battleships, four fleet carriers, three cruisers and accompanying…
Down Memory Lane with Jack Devitt * AS motor vehicles became more numerous several garages began to appear in the Bulli Woonona area; with their hand operated petrol pumps, selling several brands such as Shell, Plume, Texaco, Union and a brand DPL a few pence per gallon cheaper on which my dad’s 1926 Superior K…
Pavel ‘Paul’ Yolkin came to live in Bulli with his partner Glad Polleski in 1923. After retiring, dusted from the Bulli colliery, Yolkin and Glad opened a fish shop on the highway opposite the Bulli Family Hotel. But it wasn’t his fish shop he was known for. He was known as a pioneer of the…
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Australian Town and Country Journal Wednesday 15 November 1911 BY B. A. C. “THE South Coast of this State abounds in beauty spots, and though in a trip as far as Bulli only the fringe of Illawarra — truly called the garden of New South Wales — might be said to be touched upon, or…
THE tradition of hospitality continues within the historic walls of what is known today as the Resin Brewery at Bulli. The recently restored heritage building has evolved into a speciality brewery, offering delicious meals and entertainment. Originally built as the Bulli Railway Guest House, this rare image depicts Sarah Heard, who greeted her countless guests…
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By Phil Evans* The first National Service intake in 1965 included a number of Bulli 20-year-olds. Four are shown in the photo taken at Kapooka (Wagga Wagga) in September 1965 at the completion of their 10 week basic training. They are Roy Woods, Brian Farrar, Ted Towers and Phil Evans. Each had attended Bulli High…
NOT even a reigning monarch could shift old Bandy Sam from his bush humpy at Slacky Flat, Bulli. Although authorities were eventually successful in clearing the shanty town of unemployed men and low income families from the blackberry and weed infested flat named after the coal waste that had been progressively washed down from the…
FOUR underground miners sadly lost their lives when they suffocated in the Old Bulli Colliery on November 9 1965 after a pocket of gas ignited causing a fire in a panel a few hundred metres from the main shaft. Three of the four miners died in shunt where the fire had started, and the fourth…
NOTHING remains of Fred Williamson’s hairdressing salon at Bulli today. Where his barber shop sat, Memorial Drive spews a seemingly endless flow of vehicles onto a congested Prince’s Highway, opposite Hospital Road. Eric Francis “Fred” Williamson was operating a hairdresser or barber shop in front of Pritchard’s Music Hall at Woonona as early as 1906.…
The now demolished Bulli Coal Siding Signal Box in 1987 (Picture: Graeme Skeet). Charles Frederick Smith, a porter at Bulli Railway Station, was on duty at the signal box on the morning of October 26 1938. At about 5.45am, when looking through the signal box window he saw a body lying between the rails about…
ALBERT Southern was one of Bulli’s favourite sons. He played an active part in the industrial, political, business and civic life of the northern Illawarra for almost 40 years last century, and was held in the highest esteem by the community. Albert served with distinction on the Bulli Shire Council for six years, first elected…
Looking Back 