Robertson Heritage Walk
Starting from the Railway Station, walk down Yarranga Street and turn left into the Illawarra Highway (Hoddle Street).
1. The Old Post Office, a stone and timber building completed in 1896. Badly damaged by the earthquake in 1961, it was restored with a slightly different façade. Re-opening in 1966, it operated as a Post office until 1994 and is now a private home.
2. The Police Station, built in 1887, once included a Courthouse and police cells.
3. The School of Arts. The original stone building was completed in 1886 with the western annexe as the library. The western wall in front of the annexe is also part of the original building. The hall was widened and lengthened by 1939.
4. The Public School as built in 1872, was a single sandstone classroom with Teacher’s residence attached, now two classrooms. In 1891, a headmaster’s residence the corner is now the administrative building.
5. The Lighthorse Gallery, the other side of Caalong Street, has been in use since the 1890’s. It was Henningham’s General Sore for many years until taken over by Dairyfarmers Co-op in 1953. From 1968 until recently it was St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church.
6. The Uniting Church built in 1902, replaced earlier churches, including the first slab church built from trees on the land. The Parsonage, completed in 1896, is now a private residence.
7. Small shop front and the cottage “Vectis”, (across from the Doctor’s Surgery) built in 1938, were originally the site for many years of Graham’s Store, a two storey weatherboard building with glass showcases, which sold fashionable items such as hats and shoes.
8. Robertson Recollections, across the Highway, was L.A. Jones Garage, the first in Robertson. There were no pumps, fuel was sold in drums.
9. The adjacent shops, originally grocery and green-grocer, were extensively refurbished in the early 1990’s. The Country Bakehouse was Wilson’s Butcher Shop for many years. The next little shop, with corrugated iron walls, was a Tobacconist and Barber Shop in 1895 and a haberdashery from 1930-1951. The building on the corner of Caalong Street was Vandenbergh’s Store, which sold groceries as well as horse feed.
10. Hampden Park, named after the then Governor of NSW was dedicated in 1897. Further along, is St John’s Anglican sandstone church, completed in 1876. The belltower had to be rebuilt after the 1961 earthquake.
11. The County Inn, diagonally opposite, now Robertson Inn, was originally the Criterion Hotel, built in 1887. This is the only remaining hotel of the several early hotels and boarding houses in the village.
12. Murray Tractors, further west, is the site of the old Royal Hotel, built by 1886 and burnt down in 1934. The adjacent private residence, is the old CBC Bank, completed in 1900 with extensions in 1907.
Return to the Railway Station via Yarranga Street to see early photos of these buildings.
1. The Old Post Office, a stone and timber building completed in 1896. Badly damaged by the earthquake in 1961, it was restored with a slightly different façade. Re-opening in 1966, it operated as a Post office until 1994 and is now a private home.
2. The Police Station, built in 1887, once included a Courthouse and police cells.
3. The School of Arts. The original stone building was completed in 1886 with the western annexe as the library. The western wall in front of the annexe is also part of the original building. The hall was widened and lengthened by 1939.
4. The Public School as built in 1872, was a single sandstone classroom with Teacher’s residence attached, now two classrooms. In 1891, a headmaster’s residence the corner is now the administrative building.
5. The Lighthorse Gallery, the other side of Caalong Street, has been in use since the 1890’s. It was Henningham’s General Sore for many years until taken over by Dairyfarmers Co-op in 1953. From 1968 until recently it was St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church.
6. The Uniting Church built in 1902, replaced earlier churches, including the first slab church built from trees on the land. The Parsonage, completed in 1896, is now a private residence.
7. Small shop front and the cottage “Vectis”, (across from the Doctor’s Surgery) built in 1938, were originally the site for many years of Graham’s Store, a two storey weatherboard building with glass showcases, which sold fashionable items such as hats and shoes.
8. Robertson Recollections, across the Highway, was L.A. Jones Garage, the first in Robertson. There were no pumps, fuel was sold in drums.
9. The adjacent shops, originally grocery and green-grocer, were extensively refurbished in the early 1990’s. The Country Bakehouse was Wilson’s Butcher Shop for many years. The next little shop, with corrugated iron walls, was a Tobacconist and Barber Shop in 1895 and a haberdashery from 1930-1951. The building on the corner of Caalong Street was Vandenbergh’s Store, which sold groceries as well as horse feed.
10. Hampden Park, named after the then Governor of NSW was dedicated in 1897. Further along, is St John’s Anglican sandstone church, completed in 1876. The belltower had to be rebuilt after the 1961 earthquake.
11. The County Inn, diagonally opposite, now Robertson Inn, was originally the Criterion Hotel, built in 1887. This is the only remaining hotel of the several early hotels and boarding houses in the village.
12. Murray Tractors, further west, is the site of the old Royal Hotel, built by 1886 and burnt down in 1934. The adjacent private residence, is the old CBC Bank, completed in 1900 with extensions in 1907.
Return to the Railway Station via Yarranga Street to see early photos of these buildings.
