All Kiama locals and visitors know the central park on the northside of Terralong Street between Collins and Shoalhaven Street in Kiama as Hindmarsh Park, but how well-known is the history of Hindmarsh Park? 

In 1967, Kiama Council renamed ‘part of Central Park’ to Hindmarsh Park to honour community services by Michael Nesbit Hindmarsh, Nesbit Evans Hindmarsh and Alfred Neil Hindmarsh, in addition to the role of Michael Hindmarsh and his siblings in the very early days of the settlement of Kiama, where Hindmarsh’s Store on Black Beach was one of the first structures and Micheal’s brother George was the first Postmaster.

On Saturday 20 November 2010, a new plaque commemorating the ‘Founding Orphans’ was unveiled in Hindmarsh Park, Kiama, explaining the provenance of the name.

It celebrates the central role that the Hindmarsh family played in establishing Kiama, as well as the strong civic role that family had made in all facets of Kiama over the next four generations.



The Hindmarsh family got their land grant at Gerringong in 1822, and built Alne Bank in 1855 which has been lived in by ten generations of Hindmarshes to this day. 

The founding orphans of the plaque cover the history of Michael Hindmarsh who arrived in 1822, age 22. 

Michael Hindmarsh had 14 children and the extended family played many roles in Kiama’s life. Their fourth child was Kiama Mayor eight times. One of the first structures in Kiama was the Hindmarsh general store, which was supplied by boats landing on Black Beach before Kiama Harbour was built. Micheal’s sister, Hannah ran a school. In addition, later generations served on Kiama council, and played a variety of community roles. Nesbit Hindmarsh had the Kiama Motors, and lived in ‘Rosebank’ a Hardy Wilson-designed home sadly knocked down.

Later his older brother George and his sister Hannah also emigrated to Kiama and Gerringong. George was Kiama’s first postmaster and Hannah established the first private school for girls called Rosebank School on her brother’s George’s property Rosebank in Collins Street. Rosebank House was demolished in 1982 for a block of units and a Jewel supermarket, and was the impetus for starting the Kiama and District Historical Society’s important role in preserving important heritage sites in Kiama and Jamberoo. 

As Kiama Library records, the central park was the main water supply during early settlement with a creek paralleling Terralong Street to enter the sea at Black Beach near School Flat. It is now underground and piped. The park was much lower than the current level of Terralong Street and was described in the Kiama Independent of the day as a ‘steep hollow.’

In 1898, a petition was made to the Minister of Lands to turn the water reserve into a park. Water carters had previously taken and sold the water through the steep streets of Kiama. The water reserve was described in the Kiama Independent as ‘often unsanitary.’

The well-known Norfolk Pines were planted in 1897 and the saplings can be seen in protective boxes in photos of the time during the two Great Fires of 1899 that completely destroyed the main shopping district of Kiama between Collins Street and Shoalhaven Street.

From 1899 to 1906, the park was filled with rubbish (quite possibly from the recent fires across the road) and quarry spoil. In 1906, two tennis courts (now demolished) were built at the back of Central Park and the tennis club house (now demolished) was built in the park. 

The Memorial Arch was placed in 1925. The unstable nature of the fill below it was a factor in the arch needing stabilising work as it developed a lean over time. Both courts and clubhouse were demolished in 1988 and the Tennis Club moved to the Noorinan Street complex. 

The Kiama Rocket in Hindmarsh Park is a fond memory of many Kiama locals and visitors in the 70s, 80s and 90s and as a climbing structure in the shape of a rocket with a slide for children was both quite popular and quite unsafe. The year of the Kiama Rocket’s removal is uncertain in local history so any local with further details is welcome to contact The Bugle and add further detail.

The most recent change to Hindmarsh Park was the demolition of the old Ambulance Residence fronting Shoalhaven Street which started on 20 July 2023 and was replaced by turf. On December 14, 2023  the giant blocks of basalt in Irvine street were relocated to this spot to create Kiama’s own Henge Stones.