The Sutherland Shire is in the South of Sydney, situated between Botany Bay and Georges River.
The 215,000 residents that occupy the Sutherland Shire are indebted to the original land owners, the Dharawal People. The three national parks in the Shire all pay respect to the traditional land owners, as do statues at landing place, Kurnell.
Modern day Sutherland Shire is largely suburban, however some commercial interests are located in the Shire. Westfield Miranda is the third largest centre in NSW, and provides thousands of jobs for local residents. Factories for car dealerships, metal industries and clothing companies dominate Kirrawee and Taren Point.
The Sutherland Shire is known for its proud residents, and often referred to as ‘The Shire’. Cronulla beach is the obvious local attraction in the Sutherland Shire. The beaches in Cronulla are split into four major surf areas, Wanda, Elouera, North Cronulla and South Cronulla. Tourism is prevalent in Cronulla, and this reinforces the appeal the beach has.
Coupled with Cronulla Beach, Kurnell is an area that demands attention. Kurnell, sometimes referred to as ‘The birthplace of modern Australia,’ is historically important to the Sutherland Shire, and Australia.
Captain James Cook landed here in on 29th April, 1770. This historical landing place is now flanked by an education centre, which explains the settlement of Australia.
Although the Shire has a lot to offer, there are some local problems. On a national scale the area was widely criticized following the Cronulla Riots in 2005. These race-fuelled riots were sparked after violence at Cronulla Beach. These events scarred the Sutherland Shire, and prompted calls that the Shire, and its residents, were racist.
This was highly embarrassing for the Sutherland Shire, and caused major problems for the area.
On a more geographic level, the Sutherland Shire is facing large erosion problems. The sand walls at Elouera beach are in need of reconstruction, and four million dollars from the Federal Budget has been allocated to fix this issue.
Recently violent behavior has attracted more bad press for the Sutherland Shire. Nightspot Northies, and club Carmens, have both been put on notice for failing to control behaviour. This follows a series of bashings during January and February. A police task force from Miranda Police Station has been created to curtail violence in the Shire night spots.
The Sutherland Shire is an area where old school Australia clashes with the modern day global society. Although this creates tension, it does provide residents an interesting, culturally aware, nationally proud, area to live in.
The local history highlights why the Sutherland Shire influences so many artists, writers, musicians and performers.
