Thirroul, New South Wales

Thirroul Wollongong, New South Wales
Lookout from the Illawarra Escarpment above Wombarra over the northern Illawarra plain viewing Austinmer, Thirroul, Bulli, Wollongong up to Port Kembla in the far distance.
Thirroul
Coordinates	34°18′S 150°54′E / 34.300°S 150.900°E / -34.300; 150.900Coordinates: 34°18′S 150°54′E / 34.300°S 150.900°E / -34.300; 150.900
Population	5,620 (2011 census)
Postcode(s)	2515
LGA(s)	City of Wollongong
State electorate(s)	Keira
Federal Division(s)	Cunningham
Suburbs around Thirroul: Austinmer Thirroul Bulli

Thirroul is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 69 km south of Sydney. It lies between the Pacific Ocean and a section of the Illawarra escarpment known as Lady Fuller Park, adjacent to Bulli Pass Scenic Reserve.

Before European settlement, Wodi Wodi Aborigines inhabited the area known then as Thurrural, meaning "The Valley of the Cabbage Tree Palms". Cabbage tree palms were once plentiful in the area. Early white settlers used cabbage tree palms to make strong fence posts. The trees are still present on either side of Bulli Pass.

Early settlement began in the late 1860s in the hilly area of the village as the lower beachside area was swampy and susceptible to flooding with high tides sometimes combining with heavy rain. Occupations consisted of farming, cedar logging, whaling and fruit growing and eventually mining when the Bulli Mine was opened in 1859 and the Bulli Jetty which shipped the coal from the mine opened in 1863. The township was known as North Bulli until February 1880 when the name of Robbinsville was chosen. The new name was decided upon at a meeting of ten men (including Frederick Robbins) in George's Whitford's "big new House" (located on the site of today's Ryans Hotel) in 1880. One suggestion for a name for the place was "Mudmire" but somehow Robbins convinced the others to call the town after himself. It only had a total population of 490 in 1891.

The town was then known as Robbinsville until 1892, when the name "Thirroul" was officially adopted by the Railways Department - most probably due to the influence of the politician Archibald Campbell who was also then owner and editor of the Illawarra Mercury who included both the names "Thirroul ("cabbage tree") and "Throon" ("bush leech - 'blackfellow doctor'") in a still-extant list of Aboriginal words he compiled in the early 1890s. The name "Thirroul", however, appears to be a misnomer. William Saddler (a well known Aboriginal elder from Port Kembla) contacted the Illawarra Mercury newspaper and complained about the "meaningless" name. He said the area was called "Throon" which meant "Bush leech". Saddler claims Aboriginal people warned their children about the large number of leeches found high on the escarpment near the site of what would later become the Excelsior Colliery.